Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan Al Saud ( ar, بدر بن عبد الله بن محمد بن فرحان آل سعود ''Badr bin ʿAbdullāh bin Moḥammed bin Farḥān Āl Suʿūd''; born 16 August 1985) is a Saudi Arabian businessman and government official who is the inaugural Saudi Arabian minister of culture. He is in charge of various key positions directly related to the execution of

Saudi Vision 2030 Saudi Vision 2030 ( ar, رؤية السعودية ٢٠٣٠ ''ruʾyah al-suʿūdiyah'') is a strategic framework to reduce Saudi Arabia's dependence on oil, diversify its economy, and develop public service sectors such as health, education ...

. Prior to his appointment as minister of culture, he was the chairman of

Saudi Research and Marketing Group Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) (also known as the Saudi Media Group) is a Saudi joint stock company registered in Riyadh. The group mainly publishes, prints and distributes various publications. The company operates in Saudi Arabia where ...

Early life and education

Prince Badr was born on 16 August 1985. He received a bachelor's degree in law from

King Saud University King Saud University (KSU, ar, جامعة الملك سعود) is a public university in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Established in 1957 by Saud of Saudi Arabia, King Saud bin Abdulaziz to address the country's skilled worker shortage, it is the firs ...

Business career

Prince Badr began his career as a business executive and investor in the fields of energy, real estate and telecoms. In December 2015, Prince Badr was appointed chairman of

(SRMG), one of the largest media publishing companies in the Middle East, which subsequently expanded its operations into the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Further developments during his tenure included a deal in September 2017 with

Bloomberg Bloomberg may refer to: People * Daniel J. Bloomberg (1905–1984), audio engineer * Georgina Bloomberg (born 1983), professional equestrian * Michael Bloomberg (born 1942), American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and ...

to launch its first Arabic-language news service, Bloomberg Al Arabiya; followed by the acquisition of a 51% stake in the Saudi online financial news service Argaam.

Government positions

Royal Commission for Al-'Ula

In June 2017 Prince Badr was appointed as governor of the Royal Commission for Al-'Ula, a newly established body to develop the 2,000 year-old historical site of

Al-'Ula Al-'Ula ( ar, ٱلْعُلَا '), is a city of the Medina Region in north- western Saudi Arabia. Historically located on the incense route, the city lies within the Governorate of 'Ula ( ar, مُحَافَظَة ٱلْعُلَا, Muḥāfathat ...

, in

Madinah province The Medina Province ( ar, مِنْطَقَة ٱلْمَدِيْنَة ٱلْمُنَوَّرَة, Minṭaqat Al-Madīnah Al-Munawarah) is a province ('' minṭaqah'') of Saudi Arabia, located on the country's western side, along the Red Sea coa ...

, into a cultural attraction. In April 2018 he signed an agreement with French minister of Europe and foreign affairs

Jean-Yves Le Drian Jean-Yves Le Drian (; born 30 June 1947) is a French politician who served as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the governments of Prime Ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex (2017–2022) and as Minister of Defence under Preside ...

to involve French expertise in the restoration of Al-'Ula over a ten-year period.

Minister of Culture and other positions

In April 2018 Prince Badr was appointed to the board of the General Authority for Culture. On 2 June 2018 Prince Badr was appointed as Saudi Arabia's first minister of culture and stepped down as chairman of SRMG. The ministry's mandate is to advance the cultural programs within Saudi Vision 2030. In his first official statement, Prince Badr said the ministry would seek to enhance Saudi identity and would support the efforts of young people in creative fields.

References

{{Portal bar, Saudi Arabia 1985 births Living people King Saud University alumni Saudi Arabian princes 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 21st-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople Culture ministers of Saudi Arabia