Roberto Croci is currently the Director of Value Creation & Transformation at the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in Riyadh-KSA. Prior to this role, he was the Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups in the MEA region with a vision to drive innovation and develop market-defining ideas in the Middle East. He previously served as Regional Head, Google Marketing Platforms – EMEA Emerging Markets (Middle East, Turkey, Israel, Russia, Africa), having started in Google Milan & London (6 months each), then promoted and transferred to Paris & Singapore and then to Dubai. He has been Awarded and Nominated twice by Google for “Best Coaching Manager” and “Best Googler Inspiring Hero” in 2018 and 2016, respectively.

He is also an active conference speaker and panelist, especially around VC Investing and MENA Growth. He regularly speaks at prominent universities and within local school systems. Roberto is passionate about mentoring young people and helping them develop an entrepreneurial mindset to find solutions to problems they see in their community, country, or across the globe.

In his personal world, Roberto enjoys reading hardcover books, hiking, running, and spending time with his family, and he has summited K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. 

Roberto has earned his Industrial Engineering Degree from Politecnico di Milano. He also did his Master in Business and Management from Duke University in 3 locations (US, UK, Singapore). Along with this, he has earned EMBA from Harvard Business School as well focused on leadership, change, and innovation.