Reema bint Bandar Al Saud was born 15 February 1975. She is a member of House of Saud and the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States, a position she obtained similar to her father who was the Saudi Ambassador to the United States previously. She took office as ambassador on 23 February 2019—becoming the first female envoy in the country’s history. She also holds the rank of minister. She has advocated for female empowerment and has worked to expand opportunities for Saudi women within the Kingdom.
Reema bint Bandar was born in Riyadh in 1975. Her parents are Bandar bin Sultan and Haifa bint Faisal. Reema is the great-granddaughter of Ibn Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, on her maternal and paternal sides. Her maternal grandparents are King Faisal, the son of Ibn Saud, and Queen Iffat who was born to a Circassian mother and a Saudi father. Her paternal grandfather is former Crown Prince Sultan.
She is one of eight children. Two of her siblings also work in government: Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United Kingdom and Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud is the chairman of the Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports.
Reema spent many years in the United States where her father Bandar was the ambassador from 1983 to 2005. She graduated from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in museum studies.
After graduation, she returned to Riyadh. She joined THNK School of Creative Leadership in 2014 as a participant of Class 5 2015.
Reema returned to Saudi Arabia in 2005. She co-founded Yibreen, a women’s day gym and spa. She later assumed the role of CEO at Al Hama LLC, a luxury retail corporation. She served for several years as the CEO of Alfa International, a leading luxury retail corporation that, among other pursuits, operates the Harvey Nichols store in Riyadh.
As the CEO of Harvey Nichols in Riyadh, Reema led the inclusion of women into the retail sector, working closely with the Ministry of Labor to craft a smooth labor market entry. She set the example of workforce integration by creating the Kingdom’s first workplace nursery, enabling more women to work.
In 2013, Reema also founded Alf Khair, a social enterprise aimed at elevating the professional capital of Saudi women. One of its keystone initiatives, 10KSA, introduced the concept of holistic health awareness for a healthier Saudi community. The year-long campaign culminated into the World’s Largest Human Awareness Ribbon, entering into the Guinness World Records.
Reema is a member of The World Bank’s advisory council for the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative.