Adriana Lacy speaks on two panels at the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh

Adriana Lacy, founder and CEO of Field Nine Group, spoke on two panels at the fifth Saudi Media Forum, held February 2 to 4, 2026 in Riyadh. The forum convened more than 300 media leaders across upwards of 150 sessions, drawing editors, executives, and technology companies from across the region and internationally.

Media partnerships and sustainable economics

On February 2, Lacy joined the Investment Theater panel "How Can Media Partnerships Succeed in Creating a Sustainable Economy?" alongside Zeynab Alkhero, executive director of Global Chamber London and founder of ZALK Consulting, and Jon Wilson, chief executive of Grass Valley. The session was moderated by Bandar A. Almashhadi, chief executive of the Media Rating Company.

The discussion centered on where media funding actually comes from and what makes a partnership hold up over time rather than producing a single campaign. Lacy's contribution drew on the creator-newsroom partnership model she built through Influencer Journalism, where the commercial question is not whether a collaboration generates reach but whether it produces something a news organization can sustain and defend.

Journalistic content production and the speed problem

On February 3, Lacy joined a second panel on journalistic content production and the innovations newsrooms are using to keep pace with the speed of the current news cycle. She was joined by Mukhtar Ibrahim, a media and strategic communications consultant, Simon Thethi, founder of Indicium Media Ventures, and Andrew Hosken, a journalist and former BBC News reporter and correspondent.

The session took up the tension that defines most newsroom production decisions now: the formats that move fastest are the ones with the least room for verification, and the outlets that slow down to get it right lose the distribution window. Lacy's work through the STEPP Framework, which sets out standards, transparency, engagement, platform-native content, and public service as the components of credible creator-led journalism, addresses that tension directly.

About the forum

The Saudi Media Forum is organized annually in Riyadh by the Saudi Broadcasting Authority in cooperation with the Saudi Journalists Association, and runs alongside the Future of Media Exhibition. The 2026 edition was its fifth.

Lacy's speaker profile is available on the forum site.

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