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Reema bint Bandar Al Saud

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In this Arabic name, the surname is Al Saud.

Reema bint Bandar Al Saud (Arabic: ريما بنت بندر آل سعود; born 15 February 1975) is the current Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, a position her father had also previously held. Appointed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, she presented her credentials to Donald Trump on 8 July 2019 and took office as ambassador on 23 February 2019—becoming the first woman to serve in the role of ambassador in the country's history.[2][3][4] She also holds the rank of minister.[5] She has advocated for female empowerment and has worked to expand opportunities for Saudi women within the Kingdom.[6][7]

Reema bint Bandar Al Saud
Reema speaking at a public event
Princess Reema in 2018
11th Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States
Tenure23 February 2019 – present
PredecessorKhalid bin Salman Al Saud
MonarchSalman
Born (1975-02-15) 15 February 1975 (age 49)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Spouse
​
​
(div. 2012)​
[1]
IssuePrince Turki bin Faisal
Princess Sarah bint Faisal
Names
Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
HouseAl Saud
FatherBandar bin Sultan Al Saud
MotherHaifa bint Faisal Al Saud
Education

Early life and education

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Reema bint Bandar was born in Riyadh in 1975.[8][9] Her parents are Bandar bin Sultan and Haifa bint Faisal. Reema is the great-granddaughter of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, on her maternal and paternal sides.[10] Her maternal grandparents are King Faisal, the son of Ibn Saud, and Queen Iffat who was born to a Circassian mother and a Saudi father.[11] Her paternal grandfather is former Crown Prince Sultan.

She is one of eight children. Two of her siblings also work in government: Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Kingdom and Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is the chairman of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS).[12]

Reema spent many years in the United States where her father Bandar was the ambassador from 1983 to 2005.[13] She graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in museum studies.[14] While Reema was earning her degree in museum studies, she interned at L'Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and at the Saklr Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.[15] She also collaborated from a distance with a curator at the Field Museum in Chicago, and her mother's "Haifa Faisal Collection" of art was displayed there.[15]

After graduation, she returned to Riyadh.[15] She joined THNK School of Creative Leadership in 2014 as a participant of Class 5 2015.[16][17]

In 2022, Reema received an honorary doctorate from Marymount University.[18]

Career

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Private sector

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Reema returned to Saudi Arabia in 2005. She co-founded Yibreen, a women's day gym and spa. She later assumed the role of CEO at Al Hama LLC, a luxury retail corporation. From 2007 until 2015, Reema served as the CEO of Alfa International Company Limited, a multi-brand luxury retail corporation that, among other pursuits, operates the Harvey Nichols store in Riyadh.[19][4]

As the CEO of Harvey Nichols in Riyadh, Reema led the inclusion of women into the retail sector, working closely with the Ministry of Labor to craft a smooth labor market entry.[20] She set the example of workforce integration by creating the Kingdom's first workplace nursery, enabling more women to work.[21] She commissioned a study on ‘Obstacles for Women in the Workplace’.[4]

In 2016, Princess Reema left the private sector to begin a career of public service as Vice President of Women’s Affairs at the Saudi General Sports Authority. She focused on developing policies and programs that benefited women and children throughout Saudi Arabia. After a successful year, she became the Deputy of Development and Planning. In 2018, she was appointed President of the Mass Participation Federation, making her the first woman to lead a multi-sports federation in the Kingdom, a role that she occupied until her appointment as Ambassador.

In 2013, Reema also founded Alf Khair, a social enterprise aimed at elevating the professional capital of Saudi women. One of its keystone initiatives, 10KSA, introduced the concept of holistic health awareness for a healthier Saudi community. The year-long campaign culminated into the World's Largest Human Awareness Ribbon,[22] entering into the Guinness World Records.[23][24]

Reema is a member of The World Bank's advisory council[25] for the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative.[26]

In 2021, she founded Catmosphere Foundation to support Panthera Corporation's work to preserve big cats.[27][28] On 6 November 2021, the first awareness campaign "Catwalk" took place, a walkathon in several countries.[29][30]

Public sector

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As president of the Mass Participation Federation, Reema is the first woman to lead a multi-sports federation in the Kingdom, driving communities toward an active lifestyle.[31][32]

In 2016, Reema served as the Saudi General Sports Authority's (GSA) Deputy of Planning and Development, where she has led diversity and inclusion, the development of the Kingdom's sports economy, and strategic partnerships.[33] In the very same year, she was appointed as vice president of women's affairs at the General Sports Authority (GSA).[34] In 2017, she held the position of the president of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports.[34]

Among the first achievements under Reema's mandate is the inclusion of physical education for girls in schools.[35][36]

In 2017 Reema was awarded Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sport Award in its ninth edition for her role played in the empowerment of women in the region through her spirit of entrepreneurship and philanthropy.[37]

Reema is a member of the International Olympic Committee Women in Sports Commission[38] and a member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee.[39][4] She is also a permanent representative to the (UNESCO).[40] Princess Reema is a member of the International Olympic Committee,[41] serving on the Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Commission,[42] the Sustainability & Legacy Commission[43] and the Coordination for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad Brisbane 2032 Commission.[44] Reema is the Honorary President of the Saudi Special Olympics[45] and a board member of the Saudi Sports for All Federation.[46]

In October 2019, Reema sent Rosh Hashanah greetings to Jews in the United States wishing them a happy and sweet Jewish new year. This message is the first time, according to NBC news, the Saudi embassy in Washington sent such a greeting to American Jews.[47]

Inclusive employment advocacy

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Reema has gained attention on the international stage as a leader in business innovation, specifically as a champion for women in the workplace.[13] She was recognized as the Most Creative Person of the year in 2014 by Fast Company for "Inviting Women into the Workforce,"[15] and was featured on the Forbes lists of the 200 Most Powerful Arab Women and Most Powerful Arab Women in Saudi Arabia lists for 2014.[48] She was also recognized by Foreign Policy Magazine as a Leading Global Thinker of 2014 in their "Moguls" category for her work helping women to "integrate their personal and professional lives" by creating hospitable opportunities for women to participate in the economy.[49] Princess Reema was listed in the 'Top 100 most powerful Arabs' from 2018 to 2021 by Gulf Business.[50][51][52]

Reema has noted publicly that engaging women as active participants in the working economy is "evolution, not revolution," and empowering a woman with financial responsibility will encourage her to "explore more of the world for herself and become less dependent."[13] She has also stated that Saudi Arabia "cannot have half of [the] population not working."[13]

At Harvey Nichols Riyadh, Reema was responsible for hiring more women and introducing services such as childcare available to employees with young children, providing an opportunity for mothers to continue working and also provide for their children during the workday.[13] She also began a program at Harvey Nichols that provides transportation stipends to women because the Kingdom's restrictions did not allow women to drive at that time, until September 2017 when the Saudi government decided to allow women to drive.[13] These efforts, coupled with economic policies lowering the barriers for women to enter the workforce, have led to the store employing dozens of women today (as opposed to 2011, when only men worked there).[13]

Philanthropic work

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Reema Alf Khair, a corporate social responsibility initiative, whose work included an active and vocal community of creative talent in Saudi Arabia and promoted their work internationally.[53] Alf Khair also developed a retail academy, which provided training for Saudi women joining the workforce.[15] Her work in this realm also included her role as an Advisory Board Member of the Saudi National Creative Initiative.[54] In 2015, Princess Reema founded Alf Khair, a social enterprise seeking to empower professional growth and capital for Saudi women with a curriculum enabling economic self-sufficiency.[55]

Breast cancer advocacy

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Reema is a founding member of the Zahra Breast Cancer Awareness Association, based in Riyadh.[56] The mission of the organization is to "increase and spread awareness among women across the country for early detection, prevention, and treatment of the disease, and cooperate with women diagnosed with breast cancer on a step-by-step basis for treatment and ultimate recovery."[57] In 2015, the Zahra Breast Cancer Association set a Guinness World Record by creating the World's Largest Human Awareness Ribbon at Princess Noura University.[4]

Reema's work with Zahra also includes organizing the world's largest human pink ribbon in 2010.[56][58] This effort was recognized as the winner of the Holmes Report Golden Sabre Award for the Best Publicity Stunt Category and the Platinum Sabre Award for Best PR Programme.[59]

In May 2012, in conjunction with the Zahra Breast Cancer Association, Reema led a group of Saudi women to the base camp of Mount Everest in a bid to raise awareness about breast cancer. This campaign was titled "A Woman’s Journey: Destination Mount Everest". The 11 climbers began their trek to camp located 5,364 meters above sea level on 7 May, completing their trek in 12 days.[60]

Personal life

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Reema married Faisal bin Turki bin Nasser and has two children (a son, Turki; and a daughter, Sarah). They divorced in 2012.[61]

Ancestry

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Recognition and awards

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  • In 2015, Reema bint Bandar was selected by the World Economic Forum at Davos as a Young Global Leader.[62]
  • In 2014, she was named as Foreign Policy Magazine Global Thinker Mogul.[62]
  • In 2014, she was a Leadership and Innovation Delegate to the Academy of Achievement’s 51st International Achievement Summit.[63][64]

References

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  1. ^ "Saudi Arabia's Royal Family". The Wall Street Journal. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  2. ^ Omran, Ahmed Al (23 February 2019). "Saudi Arabia names princess as US ambassador in first for kingdom". Financial Times. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Saudi Prince Shows Grip on Power, Names First Female U.S. Envoy". Bloomberg. 23 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d e "The Ambassador | The Embassy of The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". www.saudiembassy.net. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Saudi Arabia names Princess Reema bint Bandar as first female ambassador - Arabian Business: Latest News on the Middle East, Real Estate, Finance, and More". 24 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Saudi Arabia appoints its first female ambassador to US". The Guardian. Agence France-Presse. 24 February 2019. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  7. ^ Griffiths, Brent D. (23 February 2019). "Saudi Arabia appoints first female ambassador to the U.S." Politico. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  8. ^ "Saudi Princess Reema bint Bandar sworn in as Kingdom's ambassador to Washington". The National. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  9. ^ "Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud". World Cancer Congress. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  10. ^ "Princess Reema bint Bandar: Saudi Arabia's first female ambassador". Al Arabiya. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  11. ^ Coll, Steve. (2009). The Bin Ladens: an Arabian Family in the American Century. New York: Penguin.
  12. ^ "FaceOf: Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, head of KSA's Federation for Electronics and Intellectual Sports". Arab News. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g "In Taking Jobs, Women Take on a Saudi Taboo". The New York Times. 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  14. ^ "Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan". The Arab Weekly. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  15. ^ a b c d e "Most Creative People 2014". Fast Company. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  16. ^ "Princess Reema pledges dedication in serving Saudi Arabia". Gulf News. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud". THNK. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  18. ^ "Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud receives honorary doctorate from Marymount University". Arab News. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  19. ^ "Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud". Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington, D.C. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  20. ^ Hubbard, Ben (2 December 2013). "In Taking Jobs, Women Take On a Saudi Taboo". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  21. ^ "How Princess Reema Is Opening Doors For Women In Saudi Arabia". Fast Company. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Largest human awareness ribbon". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  23. ^ "Princess Reema and the Women of Saudi Arabia just Made History Twice in One Day". Fast Company. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  24. ^ "10,000 Saudi women join hands to break Guinness record for a cause". Al Arabiya. 14 December 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  25. ^ "Leadership Champions | Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative". we-fi.org. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  26. ^ "Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative allocates first round funding; Expected to mobilize twice the original target". World Bank. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  27. ^ "Saudi-founded Catmosphere launches awareness campaign about wild cats". Al Arabiya English. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  28. ^ "Princess Reema hopes global walkathon will raise awareness of plight of big cats". Arab News. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Catmosphere's wild cats awareness campaign sees Saudi, global participation". Al Arabiya English. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  30. ^ "Catwalk by Catmosphere". Catmosphere. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  31. ^ "H.R.H. Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al-Saud". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  32. ^ "More and more Saudis embracing sports, exercise". Saudi Gazette. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  33. ^ "Princess Reema to take the lead of Women's Division in the Global Authority of Sports under level 15". www.gsa.gov.sa. Archived from the original on 25 February 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  34. ^ a b "FaceOf: Princess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to the US". Arab News. 24 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  35. ^ "Princess Reema vows to involve women in sports". Arab News. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  36. ^ "Saudi Education Ministry holds workshop to discuss physical education at girls' schools". Arab News. 18 October 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  37. ^ Reporter, Alaric Gomes, Chief (27 November 2017). "Sports personality awards for Shaikh Nahyan and Princess Rima". Gulf News. Retrieved 24 February 2019.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  38. ^ "Women in Sport Commission". International Olympic Committee. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  39. ^ "#UnitedBy Inclusion – HRH Reema bint Bandar Al Saud – Olympic News". International Olympic Committee. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  40. ^ Nabbout, Mariam (16 January 2020). "This Saudi princess is now representing the kingdom at the UNESCO". StepFeed. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  41. ^ "Saudi Arabia Will Bring Back All Professional Sporting Activities On June 21st". About Her. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  42. ^ "Gender Equality Diversity and Inclusion Commission". olympics.com.
  43. ^ "Sustainability And Legacy Commission". olympics.com.
  44. ^ "IOC COORDINATION COMMISSION FOR BRISBANE 2032". anocolympic.org.
  45. ^ Garoub, Majed (2 December 2023). "Special Olympics". Saudigazette. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  46. ^ "About Us". Sports For All. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  47. ^ staff, T. O. I. "In first, Saudi envoy in Washington sends Rosh Hashanah greeting to US Jews". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  48. ^ "200 Most Powerful Arab Women - 2014: Family Business". Forbes Middle East. Archived from the original on 25 June 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  49. ^ "A World Disrupted: The Leading Global Thinkers of 2014". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Top 100 Powerful Arabs 2018". Gulf Business. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  51. ^ "Top 100 Powerful Arabs 2019". Gulf Business. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  52. ^ "Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2021". Gulf Business. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  53. ^ "Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud". THNK School of Creative Leadership. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  54. ^ "Initiative Aims to Boost Creative Local Businesses". Arab News. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  55. ^ "Alf Khair". Naseba. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  56. ^ a b "Women Leaders of the Middle East: Thousands Rally in Saudi Arabia to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer". HuffPost. 30 May 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  57. ^ "Zahra Breast Cancer Association" (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  58. ^ "Largest human awareness ribbon". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  59. ^ "Saudi PR Agency Wields Two Sabres". Issuu. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  60. ^ "Saudi women receive awards after climb to Mount Everest Base Camp". Al Arabiya English. 8 June 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  61. ^ "Saudi Arabia appoints first female ambassador to US". 25 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  62. ^ a b "Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar Al-Saud | Congress". www.worldcancercongress.org. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  63. ^ "Academy of Achievement Delegate Alumni". American Academy of Achievement. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  64. ^ "2014 International Achievement Summit". American Academy of Achievement. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
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