SocGen chief executive cancels attendance at investment conference in Saudi Arabia

The CEO of French bank Societe Generale has cancelled his attendance at a Saudi Arabia investment conference, as leading business executives pull out amid widespread concern about the fate of a Saudi journalist, Reuters reports. The withdrawal of SocGen’s CEO Frederic Oudea was confirmed by a spokesman for the French bank on Wednesday. The decision came a day after BNP Paribas Chairman Jean Lemierre had also cancelled his attendance at this month’s conference in Riyadh. The disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi has led to widespread concerns in diplomatic and political circles.