Facebook co-founder to address Jeddah Economic Forum

Chris Hughes, the Facebook co-founder who shared a Harvard dorm room with Mark Zuckerberg, is set to address this week’s Jeddah Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia, according to conference organizers.

Hughes will deliver a keynote speech entitled 'Global Entrepreneurship in Action', according to the forum website.

The social media pioneer held one of the first Facebook accounts, and helped Zuckerberg transform the site into a multi-billion dollar global phenomenon.

As one of Facebook’s first employees, Hughes made a reported $600 million in the 2012 initial public offering of the social-media site.

After leaving the Facebook staff, Hughes went on to help coordinate Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008, and later bought the 100-year-old magazine The New Republic, where he currently serves as publisher and editor-in-chief.

The Jeddah Economic Forum formally opens on Tuesday and runs until Thursday. Other keynote speakers include: Prince Sultan bin Salman, chairman of the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities; Mattar Al Tayer, chief of Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority; and Tony Fernandes, chief executive of AirAsia.