Badr Jafar Explained

Badr Jafar
Native Name:بدر جعفر
Birth Date:9 August 1979
Birth Place:Sharjah, UAE
Citizenship:Emirati
Alma Mater:Eton College
Cambridge University
Spouse:Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak

Badr Jafar (Arabic: بدر حميد جعفر‎) is an Emirati businessperson[1] and special envoy for business and philanthropy.[2] [3] He is the chief executive officer of Crescent Enterprises, a conglomerate headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.[4]

Early life and education

Badr Jafar was born and raised in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.[5] In 1994, he continued his education at Eton College and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a master's degree in engineering and additional studies in astrophysics.[6] Jafar subsequently attended the Cambridge Judge Business School.

Jafar is a member of the advisory boards of the Cambridge Judge Business School, the American University of Beirut, and the American University of Sharjah. He is also a foundation fellow of Eton College.[7] [8] [9]

Career

Badr Jafar is the president of Crescent Enterprises' sister company Crescent Petroleum, chairman of Pearl Petroleum which develops natural gas assets in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and chairman of the executive board of the port operator Gulftainer.[10] [11]

In September 2024, Jafar was sworn in by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy.[12] [13] [14]

Other Work

Badr Jafar is the chairman of Endeavor UAE.[15] He is also on the board of advisors for Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa)[16] and Gaza Sky Geeks.[17]

He founded the Pearl Initiative in 2010.[18] [19]

In 2011, he partnered with music producer Quincy Jones to create Global Gumbo Group to develop music and arts ventures in the Middle East.[20] The group launched Dubai Music Week in 2013.[21]

They produced a charity single titled Tomorrow/Bokra (Arabic: بكرا) to raise funds for educational arts projects for displaced youth in the Middle East.[22] They announced the relaunch of Tomorrow/Bokra with new artists for its 10th anniversary.[23]

In 2011, Jafar was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and is a member of its stewardship board.[24] [25]

In 2011, Jafar launched the Middle East Theatre Academy (META), a non-profit theatre academy.[26] [27]

In 2015, he was appointed by the United Nations Secretary General to the high level panel on humanitarian financing, formed "to address the increasing gap between resources and financing for the world's humanitarian needs".[28] [29]

He launched the Arab World Social Entrepreneurship program in 2016.[30]

Jafar has been a member of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Advisory Council since 2017. [31]

In 2018, Jafar and his wife joined The Giving Pledge, a philanthropic initiative launched by Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett.[32]

In 2019, he was appointed to UNESCO’s Futures of Education International Commission.[33]

He was named one of the 100 most powerful Arabs by Arabian Business and Gulf Business in 2019 and 2021.[34] [35] [36] [37]

Jafar is the Founding Patron of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy based at the University of Cambridge, which was launched in 2020.[38] [39] [40]

In September 2021, Jafar announced the launch of the strategic philanthropy initiative at New York University Abu Dhabi.[41] Jafar is on the board of advisors of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and the US-based Milken Institute for strategic philanthropy.[42] [43]

Personal life

He is married to Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, the managing director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and the current president of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They have two children.[44] [45] [46]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Saeed . Saeed . 2014-08-05 . We speak to Badr Jafar, the celebrated Emirati executive who mixed his passion for the arts and business skills to create the Middle East Theatre Academy and Dubai Music Week . 2023-02-23 . The National . en.
  2. Web site: Business & Human Rights. Future. Internet. August 22, 2024. PCHR | Permanent Committee for Human Rights in UAE.
  3. Web site: Badr Jafar awarded Honorary Fellowship by London Business School.
  4. News: Hope. Bradley. 3 December 2009. Crescent's Badr Jafar has world at his feet. The National. 5 Nov 2021.
  5. Web site: Supporting diversity and innovation. 2021-12-24. gulfnews.com. 2 December 2016 . en.
  6. Web site: 2021-08-30. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES : Badr Jafar - the businessman 2.0 taking hold in the UAE. 2021-11-11. Intelligence Online. en.
  7. Web site: International Advisory Council (IAC). American University of Beirut. 21 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20140812055748/http://www.aub.edu.lb/main/about/Pages/iac.aspx. 2014-08-12. dead.
  8. Web site: Advisory Board. 2021-12-24. Cambridge Judge Business School. en-GB.
  9. Web site: 2014-05-14. Sharjah Ruler attends launch of Cambridge Judge Business School Middle East Leadership Research Centre. 2022-01-06. American University of Sharjah. en.
  10. Web site: LEADERS Interview with Badr Jafar, Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Enterprises. 2021-12-24. www.leadersmag.com.
  11. Web site: Bloomberg - Badr Jafar, CEO, Crescent Enterprises. live. Bloomberg. https://web.archive.org/web/20211224130422/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/person/17194978?sref=YL26MZYh . 2021-12-24 .
  12. Web site: COP29: UAE consensus serves as a beacon for multistakeholder climate action. A. Staff. Reporter. Khaleej Times.
  13. Web site: أمام عبدالله بن زايد.. دفعة من الدبلوماسيين الجدد يؤدون اليمين القانونية. www.mofa.gov.ae.
  14. Web site: Dawn of the UAE as an emerging hub for strategic philanthropy. Badr. Jafar. The National.
  15. Web site: Board of Directors. live. Endeavor UAE. https://web.archive.org/web/20200928082152/https://endeavoruae.org/board-of-director/badr-jafar/ . 2020-09-28 .
  16. Web site: Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival gets underway . Gulfnews . 21 November 2017 . 15 September 2018 . 15 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180915121956/https://gulfnews.com/business/economy/sharjah-entrepreneurship-festival-gets-underway-1.2128408 . live .
  17. News: 2018-10-01. Gaza: Coding in a conflict zone. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-09-29. 2021-09-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20210929191647/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-45643834. live.
  18. Web site: The private sector is key in the fight against corruption. Here's why . 2021-12-24 . World Economic Forum . en.
  19. Web site: Gulf business leaders and ministers gather at Expo2020 Dubai . 2021-12-24 . www.zawya.com . en.
  20. Web site: 2011-07-13. Quincy Jones and UAE entrepreneur form joint venture The Los Angeles Independent - Community Newspaper Serving Hollywood and West Hollywood Music. 2021-12-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20110713181424/http://www.laindependent.com/entertainment/music/quincy-jones-united-arab-emirates-badr-jafar-117560068.html . 2011-07-13 .
  21. Web site: 2014-08-05. Badr Jafar: Changing the face of performing arts in the UAE. 2021-12-05. The National.
  22. Web site: Schams Elwazer . Quincy Jones Arab charity song goes viral . 2021-12-24 . CNN. 28 November 2011 .
  23. Web site: 'Tomorrow/Bokra' to be relaunched with new collaborations . 2021-12-02 . gulfnews.com . 10 November 2021 . en.
  24. Web site: Crescent Enterprises joins World Economic Forum's EDISON Alliance . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210830071830/https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/kt-network/20210628/crescent-enterprises-joins-world-economic-forums-edison-alliance . 2021-08-30 . 2021-08-30 . Khaleej Times.
  25. Web site: 2020-02-02 . INTERVIEW: Dubai-based CEO Badr Jafar moves the needle at Davos . 2021-12-24 . Arab News . en.
  26. Web site: Badr Jafar: Changing the face of performing arts in the UAE. 2021-10-12. The National. 2021-10-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20211029174903/https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/badr-jafar-changing-the-face-of-performing-arts-in-the-uae-1.303473. live.
  27. News: Kevin Spacey Plans Middle East Academy . Rachel Lee . New York Times . 6 February 2011 . 25 February 2011 . 5 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201205042740/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/07/theater/07arts-KEVINSPACEYP_BRF.html?_r=1 . live .
  28. Web site: Badr Jafar on UN committee. 21 October 2017. The National. 21 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171021220656/https://www.thenational.ae/uae/badr-jafar-on-un-committee-1.122649. live.
  29. Web site: UN appoints panel to address humanitarian funding gap. 21 October 2017. Arabian Business. 24 May 2015 . 21 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171021221017/http://www.arabianbusiness.com/un-appoints-panel-address-humanitarian-funding-gap-593789.html. live.
  30. Web site: 9 Apr 2014. Ashoka launches Gulf platform for social entrepreneurship. live. Arabian Business. https://web.archive.org/web/20211224130424/https://www.arabianbusiness.com/politics-economics/ashoka-launches-gulf-platform-for-social-entrepreneurship-545913 . 2021-12-24 .
  31. Web site: Badr Jafar. IISS.
  32. News: UAE businessmen donate half their wealth to Bill Gates' Giving Pledge. ArabianBusiness.com. 2018-06-04. en. 2020-08-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20200823225720/https://www.arabianbusiness.com/culture-society/397897-uae-businessmen-donate-half-their-wealth-to-bill-gates-giving-pledge. live.
  33. Web site: UAE based Badr Jafar appointed to the UNESCO's Futures of Education International Commission . 2021-12-24 . gulfnews.com . 30 September 2019 . en.
  34. Web site: Revealed: World's Most Powerful Arabs . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201031100310/https://www.arabianbusiness.com/lists/worlds-most-powerful-arabs-2019 . 31 October 2020 . 31 July 2019.
  35. Web site: Expo Leaders - Energy . 2021-12-24 . Expo 2020 List . en-US.
  36. Web site: Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2021 . 2021-12-24 . Gulf Business . 17 April 2021 . en-US.
  37. Web site: Arabian Business - Arab Power List 2021 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210603131957/https://www.arabianbusiness.com/lists/459973-arab-power-list-2021-badr-jafar . 2021-06-03.
  38. Web site: Centre for Strategic Philanthropy. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200613223829/https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/faculty-research/centres/strategic-philanthropy/. 13 June 2020. 15 June 2020.
  39. Web site: 2020-06-24. Cambridge University philanthropy school to focus on Middle East, Asia and Africa. 2021-12-24. The National.
  40. Web site: 2020-06-24. Centre for Strategic Philanthropy established at University of Cambridge. 2021-12-24. Alliance magazine.
  41. Web site: 2021-09-27. NYUAD initiative to boost 'impactful philanthropy' across Middle East. 2021-12-24. The National.
  42. Web site: 2016-06-14 . IRC Board of Directors and Board of Advisors . 2021-12-24 . International Rescue Committee (IRC) . en.
  43. Web site: Speaker Milken Institute . 2021-12-24 . milkeninstitute.org . en.
  44. Web site: Crescent's Badr Jafar has world at his feet. Bradley. Hope. The National.
  45. Web site: Badr Jafar and Razan Al Mubarak. 2021-10-07. Giving Pledge. en. 2021-03-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308204951/https://givingpledge.org/Pledger.aspx?id=336. live.
  46. Web site: 2021-10-27. IUCN's Al Mubarak: the conservation leader who says we can work with oil majors. 2021-12-24. New Statesman. en-US.

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