The Montgomery Summit, a technology conference hosted by LA-based VC firm March Capital, has announced that Her Excellency Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), will receive the 3rd annual Technology Diplomacy Award on March 11th in Santa Monica, CA in partnership with the Tech Diplomacy Network.
The award recognizes Her Excellency as the first Saudi woman to lead an international organization. Under her stewardship, the DCO has grown from five founding member states to 16 countries worldwide, representing more than $3.5 trillion in combined GDP and over 800 million people. The Montgomery Summit & Tech Diplomacy Network will celebrate Her Excellency’s work in bringing governments and industry together to address the reality that billions of people remain offline, and many communities still lack the digital skills as well as basic technology to participate in today’s economy. With her involvement, the DCO has earned formal recognition within the United Nations system.
Across her career, Her Excellency has led initiatives specifically focused on expanding digital skills for women and entrepreneurs. These efforts include 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.
Earlier this year, DCO Member States unanimously reaffirmed their confidence in her leadership by renewing her mandate for a second term as Secretary-General, further reinforcing her selection for the Technology Diplomacy Award.
“Creating a new multilateral organization and earning the trust of governments and industry leaders across regions is incredibly difficult,” said Jamie Montgomery, Founder of The Montgomery Summit and Co-Founder & Managing Partner at March Capital. “Technology is central to economic growth and national competitiveness, and Her Excellency has helped bring leaders together to address those realities in a practical way. We’re honored to recognize her at the Summit.”
As part of the award program at The Montgomery Summit, Her Excellency AlYahya will participate in a fireside chat on March 11th with Keith Strier, SVP of Worldwide AI Markets at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Tech Diplomacy Network member, where they will discuss global technology cooperation, digital infrastructure, and the role of public–private partnerships in shaping the future of the digital economy.
“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.”
