KHC Top Saudi Firm With Nongovernmental Stake

RIYADH, 3 December 2007 — Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), chaired by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is the number one company in Saudi Arabia among the companies with no government stake in them, and was ranked 3rd on the annual list of “Saudi Arabia’s 100 Top Saudi Companies” for the year 2007 with revenues totaling SR6 billion and with only 46 employees. The list was published by Arab News and Al-Iqtisadiya on Nov. 28.

KHC has maintained a leading rank for a number of years — second place in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2002; came in first in 2000, and returned to first place in 2003, 2004, 2005 2006 and third in 2007.

This year’s ranking adds to an impressive list of recognitions that both Alwaleed and KHC have received recently.

Earlier this month, KHC won “‘Best IPO of the Year” and Alwaleed was granted the “Outstanding Contribution to the Saudi Arabian Economy” award by the Institute for International Research (IIR), Middle East. In JuneKHC received “Most Admired Company” and Alwaleed “Man of the Year” by Arabian Business, during the Arabian Business Saudi Achievement Awards. Moreover, Arabian Business voted KHC Number 1 for the past three years in its Top 50 Most Admired Arab Companies rankings and voted Alwaleed the Number 1 in its list of 100 Most Powerful Arabs in the World. Institutional Investor magazine recently named KHC as the Arab world’s premier investor and Alwaleed one of the individuals in its 40 Years of Power and Influence survey.

Founded in 1980, KHC initially focused on construction and development activities. Today, the company is one of the world’s most successful and diversified business organizations.

KHC’s portfolio is predominantly focused on three key growth value-added sectors: banking & financial services, real estate and hotels & hotel management, although KHC also has interests the technology media and telecommunications, retail, tourism, consumer and healthcare and industrial sectors. The portfolio contains many famous brands including Citigroup, Samba, Savola, NIC, SRMG, Fairmont Raffles Hotels, Four Seasons Hotels, Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, News Corporation, Time Warner, Songbird Estates (Canary Wharf, London), Apple, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Walt Disney Co and Eastman Kodak. In addition to its public company activities, KHC is also active in private equity in Saudi Arabia and developing markets within the Middle East, Africa and Asia.