Salman Faqeeh, managing director of Cisco Saudi Arabia

Time: 21 April, 2020

Salman Faqeeh

Faqeeh obtained a bachelor’s degree in management information systems in 2002 from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Salman Faqeeh has been the managing director of Cisco Saudi Arabia since October 2018.
Cisco has been identified as one of the “Best Workplaces in Saudi Arabia” by Great Place to Work (GPTW)- Middle East, achieving second position in this year’s rankings.
GPTW evaluates an organization’s success based on a comprehensive employee satisfaction survey and external audit.
“We are extremely grateful to see the recognition that Cisco Saudi Arabia is receiving,” Faqeeh said. “I would like to thank each and every person on our team, who helps create a work environment which we look forward to each day. We will continue to uphold these values and ensure that Cisco remains one of the best companies to work for in the Kingdom.”
Faqeeh obtained a bachelor’s degree in management information systems in 2002 from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals.
He began his professional career at Microsoft as an account manager for the company’s communications sector.
Faqeeh joined Cisco Saudi Arabia in August 2006 and has held several positions there since then.
During his long tenure with Cisco, he managed important clients and strengthened ties with vital sectors such as defense, health care and energy.
He also served as Cisco operations manager, leading and managing the public sector in the Kingdom.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Ibrahim Al-Rashid, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Social Development Bank

11/04/20

Ibrahim Al-Rashid is the chief executive officer and a board member of the Social Development Bank (SDB).

As one of the main government pillars for economic and social development funding to Saudis, the SDB recently launched a SR2 billion ($530 million) health care portfolio to support established and new small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Kingdom’s health care sector.

Between 1999 to 2002, Al-Rashid studied at Florida Institute of Technology from where he gained a master’s degree in computer sciences.

In 2006, he worked for Al-Rashed Consultants and Accountants as a consultant before joining the e-Government Program in mid-2007 as director of the e-Gov center.

After a year, he moved to Al-Rajhi Bank where he headed its business relationship management department and in July 2010, he was tasked with running the bank’s IT solutions and development department. He managed the business relationship, vendor management, solutions design and delivery for more than two years.

In September 2012, he was appointed as the chief information officer for the bank and remained in the position for 37 months.

Al-Rashid moved in 2015 to Takamol Holding, a government company targeting and serving individuals and prominent labor segments of the public and private sectors, where he was vice president for two years.

A year later he became the CEO of Rawafid, part of Takamol, and in 2017 moved to the SDB as vice president for micro and SME financing.

He only held the post for four months before being promoted to director general of the SDB.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi minister of investment

29/02/20

Khalid Al-Falih was appointed as Saudi minister of investment after a royal decree issued on Feb. 25 created the new ministry.

He joined Saudi Aramco at the age of 19, and through the company went to Texas A&M University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1982.

Nine years later, he gained a master’s degree in financial business administration from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, in Dhahran, and in 1998 completed a Harvard business program in global leadership.

In 1995, Al-Falih was appointed as head of Saudi Aramco’s service department and later that year was given responsibility for running the maintenance department at the Ras Tanura refinery in the Eastern Province.

After assuming a number of different roles within the company, he was promoted to the position of vice director of its excavation works unit. Within four months he was appointed supreme vice president of Aramco’s gasworks department and was selected for a similar position in the firm’s industrial relations department 14 months later.

Al-Falih became the executive vice president for company operations in September 2007 and held the post for nearly a year before a royal decree appointed him as CEO of Aramco.

In 2015, a royal decree tasked Al-Falih to health minister in the Kingdom but just over a year later he returned to Saudi Aramco as chairman of the board of directors after Tawfiq Al-Rabiah was appointed as the country’s health minister. In April 2016, Al-Falih became chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Maaden) and a few days later, a royal decree made him minister of energy, industry and mineral resources.

He was named on the Forbes list of The World’s Most Powerful People in 2016 and two years later the Japanese government awarded him its national decoration, The Order of the Rising Sun.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Saudi sports minister

Time: 26 February, 2020

Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal

Prior to his current role, Prince Abdul Aziz served as the vice chairman of the General Sports Authority

King Salman on Tuesday ordered that the General Sports Authority be transformed into a ministry with Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal as the sports minister.
Earlier, he was the chairman of the now defunct authority. Born on Jan. 4, 1983, Prince Abdul Aziz is an athlete and a talented entrepreneur.
He spent most of his childhood in Europe, where he pursued an active lifestyle and was introduced to motorsports at an early age.
Prior to his current role, Prince Abdul Aziz served as the vice chairman of the General Sports Authority.
He attained his bachelor’s degree in politics from King Saud University in 2003 then went on to obtain a degree in politics at School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the University of London in 2006.
He also studied marketing at the College of Business Administration (CBA) in Jeddah from 2006 to 2010.
Additionally, he graduated from the Formula BMW School in Bahrain in 2005.
Prince Abdul Aziz has participated in many motor racing events and won various titles including the Porsche GT3 Championship in 2012 (he came in first), the Toyo Tires Cup in Dubai (first place), Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Middle East, Formula BMW Bahrain, ADAC GT Masters Round, Porsche GT3 CCME (which he won 9 times), Radical Masters AUH round (where he came in second), 24H Dubai race, 24H Series.
He also participated in the Gulf Race12 Hours twice, coming in first place in 2014 and second place in 2015. He also succeeded outside the Middle East. In 2011, Prince Abdul Aziz won the first race in the FIA GT3 in Portugal.
He is also known as the first Saudi to have participated in a GT3 European championship race. He won the championship.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Dr. Badr Al-Shibani, founder and CEO of Kai Holding

21/02/20

Dr. Badr Al-Shibani

Dr. Badr Al-Shibani is the founder and CEO of Jeddah-based Kai Holding, which was founded in January 2005. He is responsible for business development and strategic direction at the group and its subsidiaries.

He is also the chairman of Hadath group, which was established in March 2007. It provides diverse and innovative management and marketing solutions to its target market in the Gulf region.

Al-Shibani is known for his ability to penetrate new markets, generating sales and providing solutions for the group’s businesses. In 2013, he was selected as one of the most inspiring Saudi leaders in the business world by Forbes Middle East. He was chosen to relay the historic Olympic torch in London Olympics in 2012.

He has a bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutical science from King Saud University in Riyadh. Al-Shibani did an MBA in 2011 at the Thunderbird School of Global Management in the US.

He is an author, executive coach and motivational speaker.

Al-Shibani, who was interviewed by Arab News earlier this year, describes himself as a life-seeker. His passion for adventure started 15 years ago, when he made a bucket list that included reaching the summits of the world’s highest seven mountains, jumping out of a plane, diving into the deepest cave, and visiting an active volcano.

He traveled to Nicaragua to see its famous Masaya lake of molten lava, which was formed during an eruption 2,500 years ago. The “lake” is in a volcanic vent and, with expert help, Al-Shibani was able to hang above it. He recently reached the top of Aconcagua mountain in Argentina.

His Twitter handle is: @jebadr.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Prof. Falleh Al-Solamy, president of Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid University

Time: 24 January, 2020

Prof. Falleh Al-Solamy

Al-Solamy was promoted in 2009 to be a professor at Tabuk, returning to King Abdul Aziz University in 2010
Al-Solamy received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from King Abdul Aziz University in 1992

Prof. Falleh Al-Solamy has been the president of King Khalid University in Abha since 2016.

He recently honored doctors who had won awards at an event organized by the university’s College of Dentistry.

The ceremony was held in the presence of Dr. Ibrahim Al-Shahrani, the dean of the College of Dentistry, and Dr. Nasser Al-Ahmari, who is president of the Committee of Doctors of Excellence at the college.

The awards were in acknowledgment of the doctors’ achievements based on the evaluation of the college’s scientific research committee and the faculty members who were supervising the research.

Al-Solamy received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from King Abdul Aziz University in 1992.

He obtained a differential geometry doctorate in 1998 from a UK institution.

He started his career in 1992 as a teaching assistant in the mathematics department at King Abdul Aziz University, staying in this role until 1994. He was later assigned as an assistant professor in the same department until 2005 before he was promoted to become an associate professor in the same department.

In 2006, Al-Solamy was made a visiting associate professor at Jazan University, and he was an associate professor between 2007 and 2009 at the University of Tabuk.

Al-Solamy was promoted in 2009 to be a professor at Tabuk, returning to King Abdul Aziz University in 2010.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Saudi Arabia’s Prince Turki Al-Faisal: Multilateralism can encourage dialogue, genuine collaboration if given the chance

20/01/20

Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS), mentioned that multilateralism is under pressure. (File photo: AP)

“Multilateralism can encourage dialogue and genuine collaboration if given the chance”, the prince said

RIYADH: Multilateralism and global governance, a central principle to solving international issues, is under threat and its decline was the main topic of discussion at the Think 20 (T20) inception conference, an intellectual backbone for the G20.

At the opening keynote address, Prince Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS), told the attendees, “multilateralism can encourage dialogue and genuine collaboration if given the chance. Presumably alliances and teamwork are good things and that corporation under a role base system.”

During the T20 conference, the research and policy advice network for the G20, held at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) in Riyadh on Sunday, Al- Faisal mentioned that multilateralism is under pressure.

“Fear takes over many developed societies, high popular expectations, mistrusting, national and international systems and institutions and various political and economic concepts are the only ingredients that are promoting extreme nationalism and isolations, which is ironic since most of those societies have benefited from multilateral initiatives and are likely to continue to prosper a union rather than an isolation,” Prince Turki said.

During the “Multilateralism for a Prosperous World” session, Prince Turki mentioned the issue of where international interests lies.

“I think we are facing a potential for divisions continued rather than being removed from the world stage whether it is on trade as we see the various issues that have come up in the world. These are all challenges that the world faces and I hope that through events like G20, specifically that T20, it should provide the research and the policy recommendations and find solutions,” he added.

Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim, vice minister of economy and planning, said in the aftermath WWII, organizations such as the UN, the IMF, and the World Bank were seen as instrumental institutions in which multilateral cooperation occurred. He also mentioned that one of the major challenges of the 21st century was trying to update current multilateral institutions to the rise of emerging nations.

Abdul Aziz Al-Rasheed, deputy minister of finance, pointed out that the main challenges that multilateral organizations are facing is that “they have delivered in terms efficiency but I think that they failed in terms of distribution.”

Al-Rasheed mentioned that Saudi Arabia’s G20 theme is to realize the opportunities of the 21st century, “multilateralism organizations and platforms have to deliver for all and not for the few,” he said.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Princess Reema bint Bandar and Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz bin Musaid attend International Olympic Committee meetings

Time: 15 January, 2020

Princess Reema bint Bandar and Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz bin Musaid attended the meeting in Lausanne. (Photo Supplied/Greg Martin)

Princess Reema expressed her delight that Saudi Arabia had made considerable recent progress in its efforts to encourage all segments of society “to embrace sports as a way of life”

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s representatives to various commissions of International Olympic Committee (IOC) attended the IOC’s annual meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland this week. The meetings coincide with the Winter Youth Olympics, which are currently being held in Lausanne and end on Jan. 22.
Two board members of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee — Princess Reema bint Bandar (Women in Sports Commission) and Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz bin Musaid (Public Affairs and Social Development Through Sports Commission) — represented the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has three representatives in the IOC, with Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki Al-Faisal on the Marketing Committee.
Among the topics discussed during the Women in Sports Committee’s meeting were gender equality in sports, the participation of women in community sports, and the prevention of harassment.

SPEEDREAD

• Among the topics discussed during the event were gender equality in sports, the participation of women in community sports, and the prevention of harassment.

• Saudi Arabia has made considerable recent progress in its efforts to encourage all segments of society to embrace sports as a way of life.

“We work closely with all members of the Olympic family through the IOC Women in Sports Committee to support the participation of women at all levels of sports,” Princess Reema said after the meeting. “We discussed all the advances that have been achieved in this area, as well as some of the key challenges that are facing women currently.”
She also expressed her delight that Saudi Arabia had made considerable recent progress in its efforts to encourage all segments of society “to embrace sports as a way of life.”
Prince Jalawi said that, given Saudi Arabia’s preeminence in the region, the Kingdom has made its presence felt in the Olympic family. “At the Public Affairs and Social Development through Sport Committee, we work to harness the power of sports to serve all communities and help to build cultural bridges between them. Sport is a very powerful tool to realize these goals,” he said.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Prince Saud bin Talal, general supervisor at the Saudi Ministry of Housing

08/12/19

Prince Saud bin Talal has been Saudi Housing Ministry’s Agency for Housing Subsidy and Branches and an adviser to the Minister of Housing since June 2016.

The prince was also CEO of Sakani, a Housing Ministry and Real Estate Development Fund program to allocate residential solutions for citizens, from 2017 to 2018.

He also heads the ministry’s Department of International Cooperation, overseeing the operations of the ministry’s land development initiative, a major pillar of the Housing Vision Program.

The prince is also a board member of the General Real Estate Authority as well as other government-based committees.

He has also worked with other ministries, and was director general of international cooperation at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development between 2014 and 2016. The prince was a legal adviser at the Ministry of Interior from 2008 to 2014.

He holds a master’s degree in law and international relations with honors from Kent University in the UK, and a bachelor’s degree in computer and information systems from Suffolk University in Boston.

As adviser to Housing Minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, the prince attended the minister’s meeting with South Korean Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee.

During the meeting in Riyadh on Thursday, the two sides discussed cooperation in infrastructure and smart cities within the framework of the Saudi-Korean Vision 2030.

This article was first published in Arab News

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Talal Al-Obailan, director at General Authority of Civil Aviation

17/11/19

Talal Al-Obailan

Talal Al-Obailan has been the director of corporate communications and marketing at the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) since November 2018.

Before then he was GACA’s director of marketing and communications.

Prior to joining GACA, Al-Obailan served at other government institutions including the Ministry of Commerce and Investment and the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH).

At the Commerce Ministry, he was the director of exhibitions and international markets between June 2015 and March 2017. His responsibilities included restructuring, developing, and leading the exhibitions and conferences department.

At the SCTH Al-Obailan led the licenses operations team of the Saudi Exhibition and Convention Bureau between 2012 and 2015.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from King Saud University in Riyadh.

He also received a master’s degree in tourism management as well as an organizational leadership certificate from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York.

The GACA will participate in the Dubai Airshow 2019, which will be held from Nov. 17 to 21 at Al-Maktoum International Airport in the UAE.

Al-Obailan said the GACA’s participation came “in light of the expansion witnessed by the aviation sector in the region through the establishment and development of airports and the effort being made to acquire a fair share of the aviation market, meet directly with various civil aviation related entities, and discuss developments and challenges facing the industry in the region.”

Al-Obailan went on to say that the GACA would be exploring the latest developments and innovations in emerging technologies and services at the show — given the expected increase in passenger numbers at the Kingdom’s airports in the near future — as well as ways to upgrade its facilities.