CANCELLED A Conversation with HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al Saud, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States

The World Affairs Council is thrilled to launch its Centennial Series under the theme 100 Years of Global Issues - Looking Back and Look Forward - History Repeating Itself with this important strategic issues forum.

Event Details:

You are invited to a candid conversation with the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the U.S., Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. She is the first woman in the country’s history to serve in the role of Ambassador and presented her credentials in 2019.

A graduate of The George Washington University with a B.A. in Museum Studies, HRH Ambassador Reema has focused on women’s empowerment, particularly in Saudi Arabia, throughout her career. Among many appointments, she served as President of the Mass Participation Federation and was the first woman to lead multi-sports federation in Saudi Arabia. HRH Princess Reema has also served as a member of the World Bank's advisory council for the Women's Entrepreneurs Financial Initiative in 2017 and has founded several businesses and non-profits all working to expand opportunities for Saudi women with the Kingdom. She has worked to break down barriers for women to vote, receive equal pay, travel freely without a male companion, and even exercise in public.

She will discuss her country's Vision 2030 plan, human rights, the Saudi-American partnership, and more.

During the World Affairs Council's Centennial Series Celebration, we look back to a 1923 discussion between Palestine and Turkey by a predecessor of our organization and welcome HRH Ambassador Reema's analysis of her country and the Middle East today.

**Please Note: This virtual event will be off the record for the press and will not be recorded.**

About Special Guest Speaker:

Her Royal Highness Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was appointed Ambassador to the United States on February 23, 2019 by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz. She is the first woman in the country’s history to serve in the role of Ambassador. She presented her credentials to President Donald Trump on July 8, 2019.

From 1983 to 2005, Princess Reema lived in Washington, DC, while her father Prince Bandar served as Saudi Ambassador to the United States. She attended George Washington University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Museum Studies.

Princess Reema returned to Saudi Arabia, where she focused on private sector initiatives and the empowerment of women in the Kingdom. In 2000, She co-founded Yibreen, a women’s gym. From 2007 until 2015, Princess Reema was the Chief Executive Officer of Alfa International Company Limited - Harvey Nichols Riyadh, a multi-brand luxury retail company, where she collaborated with leading female recruitment agency, Glowork, and commissioned a study on Obstacles for Women in the Workplace, which set the tone for female inclusion in retail, and resulted in opening the first workplace nursery in a retail store, enabling more women to work while caring for children. In 2013, she founded Alf Khair, a social enterprise aimed at elevating the professional capital of Saudi women through a curriculum developed to enable financial self-sufficiency.

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 where she developed policies and programs that benefited women and children throughout Saudi Arabia. After a successful year, she was promoted to Deputy of Development and Planning in January 2018. In October 2018, she was also 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 Saudi Ambassador to the United States.

Princess Reema is excited to take her leadership role to the world stage as Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States.

As part of her philanthropic work, Princess Reema became a founding member of the Zahra Breast Cancer Awareness Association in 2007, which set a Guinness World Record by forming the World's Largest Human Awareness Ribbon at the Princess Noura University in Riyadh in 2015.

Princess Reema has served as a member of the World Bank’s advisory council for the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative since 2017. She has been a member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee since 2017, and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Women in Sports Commission since 2018.

In 2014, Fast Company recognized Princess Reema as the Most Creative Person of the year for “Inviting Women into the Workforce.” Foreign Policy Magazine recognized her as a Leading Global Thinker for the same year, placing her high up in the “Moguls” category.

She was featured on the Forbes lists of the 200 Most Powerful Arab Women and Most Powerful Arab Women in Saudi Arabia lists for 2014.