RIYADH: Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), figures prominently on the Forbes World’s Powerful Billionaires list.
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. His successful strategy in long-term investment has also paid off handsomely, which has earned him a global name in the world of business.
Consequently, KHC, listed on Tadawul in 2007, has been 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 Jeddah and Riyadh, with the inauguration of the two colossal projects of Kingdom City and Kingdom Tower at the “Towards 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, Prince 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 Africa and Asia. 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. Prince Alwaleed’s recognitions span over a decade. Most recently, this year, the prince was included in the 25 People Who will Affect Your Finances 2009 list in US News magazine. He was named the top single investor in Saudi Arabia, according to Al Jazeerah newspaper, that listed investors who hold the most stakes in local companies.
The percentage of Prince Alwaleed’s share in Kingdom Holding Company is 95 percent, which is the largest by an individual investor. Also, the Prince was ranked one of the top 25 billionaires on the 2009 Forbes billionaires list, in 2008. He was ranked the largest private investor on the Saudi stock exchange. Arabian Business ranked the prince No. 1 on its list of 100 Most Powerful Arabs for the fourth year running.
Also in 2008 Institutional Investor magazine listed Prince Alwaleed in 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. Zahrat Al-Khaleej magazine chose the prince Entertainment Personality of the Year, according to its annual poll. The Times newspaper ranked Prince Alwaleed No. 5 on the 25 Shaping Tomorrow’s World of Middle East Business list. Forbes magazine ranked Prince Alwaleed No. 1 on the Middle East’s 20 Richest People list.