Her Royal Highness Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud was appointed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States of America 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.
HRH has dedicated her career to the advancement of women in both the public and private sector. In the private sector, Princess Reema was the Chief Executive Officer of Alfa International Company Limited – Harvey Nichols Riyadh, a multi-brand luxury retail company from 2007 until 2015. During her time in the private sector, HRH commissioned a study on ‘Obstacles for Women in the Workplace’. The study set the tone for female inclusion in retail and resulted in the opening of the first workplace nursery in Saudi Arabia.
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. She focused on developing policies and programs that benefited women and children throughout Saudi Arabia. After a successful year, HRH became the Deputy of Development and Planning. In 2018, she was appointed President of the Mass Participation Federation, making her the first woman to lead a multi-sports federation in the Kingdom, a role that HRH occupied until her appointment as Ambassador.
As part of her philanthropic work, Princess Reema became a founding member of the Zahra Breast Cancer Association in 2007, increasing access to women’s health throughout the Kingdom. Zahra Breast Cancer Association set a Guinness World Record by forming the World’s Largest Human Awareness Ribbon at Princess Noura University in Riyadh in 2015. In 2013, HRH founded Alf Khair, a social enterprise organization aimed at elevating the professional capital of Saudi women through a curriculum developed to enable financial self-sufficiency.
HRH is the President of the Women’s Committee and a member of the Board of Directors for the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee. HRH serves as the Honorary President of the Saudi Special Olympics and is a board member for the Sports for All Federation in the Kingdom. HRH is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and serves on several commissions including the Gender Equality, Diversity & Inclusion commission, the Sustainability & Legacy commission and the Coordination for the Games of the XXXV Olympiad Brisbane 2032 Commission.
HRH currently serves as the Head of the Executive Committee for the Fashion Commission at the Ministry of Culture. She is a Board Member for Panthera’s Conservation Council and the Future Investment Initiative (FII). Princess Reema is the Founder of Catmosphere, an organization focused on interconnected wellbeing and big cat conservation. She is the Chair of Kayanee, a PIF lifestyle company focused female wellbeing. Most recently, HRH founded WAVE, an initiative powered by FII focused on ocean regeneration within a human generation.
HRH received a Bachelor of Arts in Museum Studies from George Washington University and an honorary doctorate from Marymount University.