Her Excellency Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) and the first Saudi woman to lead an international organization, will receive the Technology Diplomacy Award at The Montgomery Summit on March 11, 2026. The award, presented jointly by The Montgomery Summit and the Tech Diplomacy Network for the third consecutive year, recognizes leaders who advance global technology cooperation and digital inclusion.

The award honors Her Excellency’s leadership in expanding digital access and skills across 16 countries, representing more than $3.5 trillion in combined GDP and over 800 million people. Under her stewardship, the DCO – the world’s first multilateral organization dedicated exclusively to digital economic cooperation – has tripled its membership from five founding states and has earned formal recognition within the United Nations system. Further, earlier this year, DCO Member States unanimously reaffirmed their confidence in Her Excellency’s leadership by renewing her mandate for a second term as Secretary-General.

Her Excellency AlYahya will accept the award at The Montgomery Summit and participate in a fireside chat on March 11^th with Keith Strier, SVP of Worldwide AI Markets at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Tech Diplomacy Network member. The conversation will explore the need for global technology cooperation and digital infrastructure investments to close the digital divide, as well as the critical role of public–private partnerships in shaping the future of the digital economy.

“At a time when technology is reshaping geopolitics and economic power, Her Excellency has demonstrated that multilateral cooperation on digital issues isn’t just possible, it’s essential,” said Jamie Montgomery, Founder of The Montgomery Summit and Co-Founder & Managing Partner at March Capital. “She has built a new model for how nations can work together on technology policy, and her results speak for themselves: 16 countries, 800 million people, and real progress on closing digital divides. We’re honored to recognize her at the Summit.”

“Her Excellency Deemah AlYahya embodies what multilateral tech diplomacy looks like when employed in the right way,” said Martin Rauchbauer, Founder of the Tech Diplomacy Network. “She has not only built a new multilateral institution from the ground up, but has done so with a clear focus on inclusion, trust, and real-world impact. Under her leadership, the Digital Cooperation Organization has become a credible global platform that brings governments and industry together to close digital divides, expand digital skills, and ensure that technological progress serves people rather than leaving them behind. Her Excellency’s work demonstrates that effective global tech cooperation is possible—and urgently needed—and it is precisely this combination of vision, execution, and diplomacy that the Tech Diplomacy Award was created to honor.”

Throughout her career, Her Excellency has championed initiatives specifically focused on expanding digital skills for women and entrepreneurs, including supporting more than 480 startups, launching 4 innovation centers to support digital transformation, training more than 26,000 women in tech and entrepreneurship, and building a network of more than 100 women investors.

Her Excellency Deemah AlYahya Bio

Her Excellency Deemah AlYahya is the founding Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), where, as the first Saudi woman to lead an international organization, she advances inclusive and sustainable global digital economies. Prior to joining the DCO, she served as CEO of Saudi Arabia’s National Digital Transformation Unit, leading the country’s national digital transformation strategy while overseeing initiatives such as Saudi Codes, which trained more than 1.2 million individuals in digital skills. Other notable roles include becoming the first Saudi woman in a leadership role at Microsoft and the first woman to lead e-services at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as roles at Tadawul and Samba.

In addition to her executive leadership, Her Excellency serves as a Commissioner with the Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development and as a member of a global advisory body focused on the resilience of critical digital infrastructure. Her commitment to strengthening digital governance is ultimately reflected in her board service, where she serves in advisory roles with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property, the Saudi National Bank, the E-commerce Council, and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones.

Her Excellency holds a BA in Computer Science from King Saud University and has completed executive programs at INSEAD and Harvard Business School.

About The Montgomery Summit

Each year, The Montgomery Summit hosts an exclusive gathering of leading entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate executives. The event showcases presentations from over a hundred hand-selected private companies, dynamic keynote speeches, thematic panels, and networking opportunities. Founded by Jamie Montgomery in 2004, the event has served as a cornerstone in fostering connections among technological visionaries and innovators worldwide for more than two decades.

About The Tech Diplomacy Network

The Tech Diplomacy Network, founded in February 2023 by Patricia Gruver-Barr and Martin Rauchbauer and run by Christina Steinbrecher-Pfandt (CEO), aims to establish a global community dedicated to sharing best practices in the field. Tech Diplomacy, born in the San Francisco Bay Area amidst the tech boom, represents an evolving practice in international relations catalyzed by the rise of tech corporations and their significant impact on society, economies, and institutions transcending national boundaries. Tech Diplomacy serves as a conduit for constructive discourse among UN member states, international organizations, the tech industry, civil society, and academia. Each year the Tech Diplomacy Award honors a distinguished leader by acknowledging exceptional contributions to the Tech Diplomacy field through innovative and visionary leadership.

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