RIYADH: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), has been ranked the “Most Innovative Investor in the World” in Egypt’s Alwatan Alarabi newspaper 2008 listing published earlier this year.
Despite the economic slump the world economy is going through, whose effects still persist until today, Prince Alwaleed managed to maintain the relative stability of KHC’s portfolio. Economic experts predict that the reason for this is that the prince’s investments are not focused in one field and instead cover all aspects of life. His successful strategy in long-term investment has also paid off handsomely, which has earned him a global name in the world of business.
The prince is known for his precision for exploring new and potential business opportunities and ventures in synchronization with the direction and fluctuations of the economic climate, which has earned him a global name in the world of business. Consequently, KHC was listed on Tadawul in 2007 and involved in the creation of a diversified long-term investments portfolio of strategic stakes in well-known companies locally and around the world, in multiple sectors.
KHC is pursuing the development of its two real estate projects in Riyadh and Jeddah, with the recent inauguration of the two colossal projects of Kingdom City in Jeddah and Kingdom Tower in Jeddah at the “Toward the First World” architectural exhibition that was held in Jeddah, under the auspices of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Oct. 11, 2008. Furthermore, Prince Alwaleed’s unique progressive thinking and active social network with global leaders, decision makers and business people has firmly placed the prince and Kingdom Holding on the world business map.
Moreover, Alwaleed is active in social responsibility projects through significant local and international philanthropic donations made by Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation spanning all the continents, including Asia and Africa. The prince was acknowledged for his active philanthropy and was awarded the “Special Award for Philanthropy” by Arabian Business during the Arabian Business Saudi Achievement Awards event in 2007. Furthermore, the prince is an advocate for the promotion of East-West cultural and religious dialogue for tolerance and understanding in line with the initiative of King Abdullah.
Alwaleed’s recognitions span over a decade. This year, Prince Alwaleed was ranked top single investor in Saudi Arabia, according to Al-Jazeerah newspaper, ranked one of the top 25 billionaires in the 2009 Forbes Billionaires list in 2008, and ranked the largest private investor on the Saudi stock exchange. Arabian Business ranked the prince No. 1 in its list of 100 Most Powerful Arabs for the fourth year running. Also in 2008 Institutional Investor magazine listed Alwaleed on its first-ever ranking of the most-powerful figures in finance. European Business magazine selected Prince Alwaleed as the No. 1 Richest Arab in the World on the list of The World’s Richest Arabs.