An intelligent businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a steadfast advocate for women, Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud is a woman who can do it all. Named as one of Forbes’ 200 Most Powerful Women in 2014 and Saudi Arabia’s first female ambassador to the United States, the member of House of Saud has proved that she is a force to be reckoned with in both the private and public sectors. Her Royal Highness continues to make the most out of her background and help build a brighter future for women everywhere.
Princess Reema was born to Bandar bin Sultan and Haifa bint Faisal on February 15, 1975 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She is the great-granddaughter of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia. Her lineage is proof of her destiny to do great things.
During 1985 to 2005, Princess Reema’s formative years, she lived in Washington, D.C., where her father served as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States. Later on, she studied and graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor’s degree in Museum Studies. Even as an undergraduate, she explored art in various ways through internship at L'Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and at the Sackler Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
After graduation, she returned to her home country where she began her career in the private sector. Throughout the different stages in her career, Princess Reema was determined to stand for the rights of Saudi Arabian women through various initiatives.
From 2007 to 2015, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Alfa International Company Limited - Harvey Nichols Riyadh, a multi-brand luxury retail company. Princess Reema also commissioned a study on Obstacles for Women in the Workplace, which set the tone for female inclusion in retail, a topic which she feels strongly about. Princess Reema believes that women should be allowed and should have the opportunity to work even while caring for children. The study later on resulted in the opening of the first workplace nursery in a retail store.
In 2013, she founded Alf Khair. According to Princess Reema’s THNK.org feature, she describes the Alf Khair as “ a social enterprise, whose aim is to create a Saudi Arabia where women and men form the greatest natural resource, with initiatives including a service excellence Academy, which opened in 2016.” In the same year, she also founded the luxury handbag brand Baraboux.
Because of her impressive work, she was chosen by Forbes Middle East as one of the most powerful Arab women in the Middle East in 2014. The decade was truly a fruitful one for Princess Reema. Her other awards and recognitions include being selected by the World Economic Forum at Davos as a Young Global Leader (YGL 2015), and being named as a Foreign Policy Magazine Global Thinker Mogul in 2014. She was also one of Business of Fashion’s Top 500 people working in fashion industry (2013 and 2014), and was picked to be Fast Company’s Most Creative Person of 2014.
In 2016, she was appointed by the Saudi Council of Ministers to be the Vice President of Women’s Affairs at the General Sports Authority, a governmental body solely focused on developing the Saudi sports and physical fitness space in the largest national economy within the Middle East and North Africa region. Later, in July 2020, she became the first Saudi woman to be appointed to the International Olympics Committee.
In 2019, Saudi Princess Reema bint Bandar followed her father’s footsteps and became her country’s 11th ambassador to the United States. Having previously lived in Washington, a place she could consider her home, while her father took on the same role, Princess Reema had much experience with US politics and diplomacy.
Beyond her career, Princess Reema has always been consistently active in fighting for women’s rights. In 2015, she launched 10KSA, a health awareness-raising initiative that focuses on breast cancer.
Utilizing her creative background, Princess Reema serves as a member of several advisory bodies including the ‘Saudi National Creative Initiative’, whose programs aim to create a communication platform for creative talent in Saudi Arabia. She is also a founding member of ‘Zahra’, a prominent Saudi Breast Cancer Association of which she is still an active member.
Aside from women’s rights, the princess is also an advocate for animal rights. In 2021, she founded "Catmosphere Foundation" to support Panthera Corporation's work to preserve big cats.
Indeed, Princess Reema is an inspiration to women everywhere. She has made the most out of her resources and has spent a lifetime dedicating her efforts in contributing to a better future for all women.
"If you could get over their appearance and try to judge a woman based on her capability rather than her appearance, I think we all, as a global community, would go much farther."
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