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DIRIYAH: The Zenos Health Summit began in historic Diriyah this week, the first event of its kind in the Kingdom.

The event, which ends on Oct. 25, has welcomed more than 50 experts in biohacking, integrative medicine and performance wellness at Bab Samhan Hotel to help explore the cutting edge of human longevity and peak performance.

In alignment with the Health Sector Transformation Program and in partnership with the Quality of Life Program, Shift Clinics, and Karama, the summit has explored how medtech and biotech are creating new opportunities.

One of the summit’s keynote speakers was Gary Brecka, founder of “The Ultimate Human” podcast, who spoke to Arab News.

He said: “This is my first immersive experience in �������� and it’s been an absolutely unforgettable experience. I feel like there’s a true interest in having their people heal, and not just heal, but thrive.”

He added that the Kingdom has embraced the concept of longevity and bio-optimization, creating a unique environment in which wellness is prioritized over merely managing disease.

Zenos Health, founded in 2024 by brothers Mazen and Marwan Karnaby, grew out of a deeply personal journey.

Mazen’s melanoma diagnosis in 2023 became the spark that ignited their mission: To challenge conventional ideas about aging, experiment with science-backed approaches, and empower individuals to take control of their health.

Both brothers attended the summit and explained that the name Zenos came from the word “zen,” reflecting focus on balance, wellness and mindful living.

Zenos Health Summit also featured booths, with local and international vendors offering insights, products, and samples.

Jeddah-based Saudi entrepreneur Marriam Mossalli, the co-founder of Powder Beauty, said she was keen to bring a Saudi perspective to the summit.

She told Arab News: “I’m the co-founder of Powder Beauty, Saudi’s first dedicated clean beauty and wellness platform, and I’m super excited to be here in Diriyah for the Zenos Health Summit.

“I think what is really exciting about this sector is the fact that we have so much knowledge here that is based on our tradition and our heritage.

“I think we naturally go into wellness — whether it’s grounding ourselves when we pray or by meditating. I think there are a lot of synergies there we could share with the outside world so it’s not just about us importing their knowledge but exporting ours.”

The summit featured a distinguished lineup of international experts in wellness, longevity, and integrative medicine.

Among the speakers was Dr. Mark Hyman, founder of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and author of 15 bestsellers. Harvard-trained Saudi physician Dr. Walid Fitaihi, founder of the International Medical Center in Jeddah, was also present.

Other participants included Dr. Vonda Wright, orthopedic surgeon and longevity researcher; Dr. Amy Shah, double board-certified physician and nutrition specialist; and Ben Azadi, wellness coach and advocate for metabolic health.

Nutrition and women’s wellness experts Cynthia Thurlow and Courtney Swan highlighted the role of food and lifestyle in long-term vitality at the event. 

The panelists reflected a growing global movement toward holistic, personalized, and preventive health.

DIRIYAH: “If the Kingdom started here in Diriyah, I want Zenos to be launched here — I want something authentic,” Zenos Health founder Mazen Karnaby told Arab News on Friday during the inaugural three-day Zenos Health Summit.

With the Diriyah district as the backdrop at the luxurious Bab Samhan Hotel, each of the three days was curated with a specific theme in mind. On the first day, it was “From Saudi,” on the second day, “To the World,” and on the final day, “To the Future.”

“The name Zenos (comes) from Zen: to bring back the balance of the body to a state of zen,” said Karnaby, who is originally from Lebanon. “I put an ‘os’ at the end just to make it look fancy, but it does not have any correlation with any Greek God, or Greek mythology… none of that.”

The Zenos Health Summit brought more than 55 speakers and wellness experts to the Saudi capital to ignite conversations and facilitate knowledge-exchange.

Founded in 2024, Zenos Health grew out of a deeply personal journey: Karnaby’s melanoma diagnosis in 2023.

“I’m in the medical field — a doctor of pharmacy for 25 years — so I was always on the other side,” he said. “So when I got diagnosed with melanoma, I was, like, ‘What’s going on?’ Like, ‘I don’t want to die.’ Because a woman that worked for me, her son, when I was diagnosed, was undergoing treatment for melanoma, and the poor guy ended up dying. So it hit more personal because I lived it through someone that I deeply care for.

“It activated something. I thought I was invincible before. Now I need to optimize my body and that made me get into (longevity),” he continued. “It started as just a personal thing for me but then it turned into an awakening and it turned into a mission. So now I want to (make it into) a movement.”

Regarding his choice of �������� as the location for the first Zenos Health Summit, Karnaby said: “I came here in June for the first time and I fell in love with it. It was just the vision in my head and what I wanted to do with this summit. Recently, the country’s going through changes. We know that, before, it was very hard to get in. To get visas, we needed an invitation. So there’s a lot of curiosity about coming to Saudi. Saudi right now is the new golden child on the street. And (Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman) is doing amazing stuff. Everyone is trying to come here.”

Did he feel the summit was a success?

““I wanted to bring the biggest minds from the West to really match them up with people that are here — the great minds from the East — and let them mingle,” he said. “From my perspective, I feel that we can always do better. We’re coming back to Riyadh, 100 percent. Most likely to Diriyah — we are in talks. We really want to do something bigger next year, way bigger, because we saw the appetite that’s here.

“The future of Zenos is going to be a 360-degree ecosystem, where we can take care of you mentally, physically, spiritually, and guide you to live a much better life, with quality, with meaning, with purpose,” he continued. “It comes with data, it comes with testing, it comes with clinics, it comes with supplementation, it comes with information.

“I’m super-happy that I’m here. I’m very proud that I picked Saudi. The level of kindness and support that I’ve been getting, and affection, and love, and acceptance that I’ve been getting, is making me feel like I’m at home. Yes, I’m Lebanese, but I feel at home in Saudi.”

And Saudis seem to have taken to Karnaby too. At the summit he was constantly surrounded by people wanting to exchange hugs or to take a selfie.

“Before Zenos, I didn’t even have an Instagram account, I lived a very quiet life,” he said. “Obviously things are different now, but I’m really humbled by this experience.”

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