Biography
Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud is the former the chief executive of Alfa International, a luxury retail corporation based in Saudi Arabia. The company’s interests include the operation of the Harvey Nichols store in Riyadh, Bander Al Saud told Riyadh Connect, “my role as CEO of Alfa involves growing the investments that we have or the projects that we work on. I research, I go out, I interact, I look for projects that I can bring to the Kingdom, that may fit our portfolio.”
Prior to its sale, Bander Al Saud was chief executive of Al Hama, another retail company, which managed the Donna Karen and DKNY brands in the Middle East. Although Bander Al Saud told Riyadh Connect, “My interest in retail is more from the business side than the fashion side,” the Princess has turned designer, creating Baraboux, a new brand of luxury handbags. Bander Al Saud’s marriage of efficient practicality and luxury is at the core of the brand.
Brought up in Washington DC, Bander Al Saud has a bachelor of arts in Museum Studies from Mount Vernon College of George Washington University. The Princess is committed to raising awareness for the Zahra Breast Cancer association. Bander Al Saud served as President of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports, making her the first woman in the Kingdom to lead a federation covering women's and men's sporting activities.
In July 2019, Bander Al Saud was appointed ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States, achieving another milestone as the first woman to fill this role.