Reema bint Bandar Al Saud

Reema bint Bandar Al Saud (ريما بنت بندر آل سعود; born 15 February 1975) 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.

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 (SAFEIS).

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.

While Reema was earning her degree in museum studies, she interned at L'Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and at the Sackler Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. She also collaborated from a distance with a curator at the Field Museum in Chicago, and her mother's "Haifa Faisal Collection" of art was displayed there.

After graduation, she returned to Riyadh.

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.

Reema is the founder and creative director of Baraboux, a luxury handbag brand that she launched in 2013.

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.

In 2021, she founded Catmosphere Foundation to support Panthera Corporation's work to preserve big cats.

On 6 November 2021, the first awareness campaign "Catwalk" took place, a walkathon in several countries.

As president of the Mass Participation Federation, Reema is the first woman to lead a multi-sports federation in the Kingdom, driving communities toward an active lifestyle.

She joined THNK School of Creative Leadership in 2014 as a participant of Class 5 2015.

In 2016, Reema served as the Saudi General Sports Authority's (GSA) Deputy of Planning and Development, where she has led diversity and inclusion, the development of the Kingdom's sports economy, and strategic partnerships.

In the very same year, she was appointed as vice president of women's affairs at the General Sports Authority (GSA).

In 2017, she held the position of the president of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports.

Among the first achievements under Reema's mandate is the inclusion of physical education for girls in schools.

In 2017 Reema was awarded Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sport Award in its ninth edition for her role played in the empowerment of women in the region through her spirit of entrepreneurship and philanthropy.

Reema is a member of the International Olympic Committee Women in Sports Commission and a member of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.

She is also a permanent representative to the (UNESCO).

Princess Reema has also been nominated to become a full member of the International Olympic Committee.

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.

In October 2019, Reema sent Rosh Hashanah greetings to Jews in the United States wishing them a happy and sweet Jewish new year.

This message is the first time, according to NBC news, the Saudi embassy in Washington sent such a greeting to American Jews.