Area9 and Valia Sign Partnership Agreement to Advance the Multi-Billion Dollar Corporate Education Market in the Middle East and North Africa

BOSTON and RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Area9 Learning and Valia Investments have signed a long-term exclusive partnership to advance adaptive e-learning for corporations in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). The agreement was entered into after the three-day Future Investment Initiative conference hosted by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) in Riyadh, where global business leaders gathered to discuss the future of Saudi Arabia and the world economy.

Dr. Ulrik Juul Christensen, Executive Chairman of Area9, spoke on the panel about the future of education with Tony Miller, former US Deputy Secretary of Education, and Peter Davis, former President of McGraw-Hill Education. The panel discussed the critical role adaptive learning is playing as a tool for instructors and teachers to more effectively equip the workforce with 21^st century skills.

"Corporate learning and development is at an inflection point in the MENA region, along with the rest of the world. Companies across all industries are realizing rapidly that they have to go 'beyond compliance' and that 'check-the-box' learning will soon be history. Our adaptive learning technologies have proven outcomes in reducing the time to mastery, which saves companies time and money, while boosting productivity," said Dr. Khurram Jamil, COO of Area9 Learning, who has been leading the partnership negotiations.

This partnership comes at a time where educational reform is a focal point of Saudi Arabia's National Transformation Plan (NTP).

"Area9 will help the public and private sector achieve many of the educational goals set forth by the NTP and Vision 2030 - there could not have been a more fitting time for this partnership" said Khaled Jalanbo, Managing Partner of Valia Investments.

Area9 and Valia will have a strong regional presence and work closely with leading public and private companies in the areas of energy, oil & gas, transportation, education, telecommunications, retail, healthcare and hospitality.

"The adoption of advanced adaptive learning platforms in the region is critical for future growth, and we are excited to advance this long-term exclusive partnership in MENA across many industries." said Mohammad Al-Wazzan, Managing Partner of Valia Investments.

More About Valia Investments

Valia is a diversified investment firm with presence in New York, Silicon Valley, Boston and across the GCC. The firm's investments are anchored by a strategic coalition of leading family conglomerates across the MENA region, including the Al-Dabal, Al-Hokair, Al-Tobaishi, Al-Wazzan, and Jalanbo families. Valia partners with visionary entrepreneurs transforming industries and helps them accelerate their access to the MENA market through their regional growth development platform.

For more information, visit http://valiainvestments.com/.

More About Area9 Learning

Area9 Learning is a world leading adaptive learning company. Area9's founders and senior management team have more than 20 years of experience in research and development of advanced learning technologies. Prior to establishing Area9 in 2006, the founders spent a decade developing technologies that provided critical skills training for doctors and nurses. They then expanded to apply their unique learning expertise to diverse fields. In doing so, they pioneered the modern generation of adaptive learning technologies for adult learners. These include hybrid technologies with a combination of simulation and adaptive learning and advanced simulators with intelligent debriefing technologies. Several large global organizations have adopted and deployed Area9 adaptive learning technologies.

For more information on Area9, please visit www.area9learning.com or check out their social media pages - Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Area9

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