HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud

Her Royal Highness Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud was appointed ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United States on February 23, 2019, by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. She made history as the first woman to serve in this role and officially presented her credentials to President Donald J. Trump on July 8, 2019.  

HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud has dedicated her career to advancing social and economic opportunities for women across Saudi Arabia, with a focus on impactful leadership in both the private and public sectors. In the private sector, she served as chief executive officer of Alfa International Company Limited – Harvey Nichols Riyadh from 2007-15, where she championed women’s inclusion in the workforce. Her work included commissioning one of the kingdom’s first major studies on workplace barriers for women, which directly led to the establishment of Saudi Arabia’s first in-office childcare center.  

In 2016, HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud transitioned to public service as vice president for women’s affairs at the Saudi General Sports Authority, where she oversaw national initiatives supporting women and youth. She later served as deputy of development and planning and, in 2018, became president of the Mass Participation Federation – the first woman to lead a multisport federation in Saudi Arabia. 

A committed advocate for health and social development, HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud co-founded the Zahra Breast Cancer Association in 2007, helping expand access to women’s health services throughout the kingdom. In 2013, she established Alf Khair, a social enterprise focused on building professional capacity and financial self-sufficiency among Saudi women. 

HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud is committed to advancing inclusion and progress across Saudi Arabia’s sports, cultural, and sustainability efforts. She serves as president of the Women’s Committee and is a member of the board of directors of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee. She is also the honorary president of the Saudi Special Olympics and board member of the Sports for All Federation and Mahd Sports Academy. In the cultural sector, she heads the Executive Committee of the Fashion Commission at the Saudi Ministry of Culture. 

On the international stage, HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud is an active member of the International Olympic Committee and serves on the International Monetary Fund Advisory Council on Entrepreneurship and Growth. She is a board member of Panthera’s Conservation Council and the Future Investment Initiative Institute and is a founding board member of TOURISE. She is the founder of Catmosphere, a global initiative focused on interconnected well-being and big cat conservation.  

She is the chair of Kayanee, a Public Investment Fund lifestyle company focused on female well-being. Most recently, she founded WAVE, an initiative powered by the FII focused on ocean regeneration within a human generation.  

HRH Ambassador Reema Bandar Al-Saud received a Bachelor of Arts in museum studies from the George Washington University and an honorary doctorate from Marymount University.