Sultan bin Mohammed Al Kabeer explained

Birth Place:Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Nationality:Saudi
Alma Mater:King Saud University
Occupation:Co-founder of Almarai
Years Active:1977–2020
Spouse:Al Jawhara bint Saad bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Parents:Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer (father)

Sultan bin Mohammed Al Kabeer (born 1954) is a Saudi prince and businessman.[1] He is one of the founders of Almarai which is the largest vertically integrated dairy foods company in the world. Prince Sultan is a great-nephew of King Abdulaziz, being the grandson of the King's sister Noura bint Abdul Rahman.

Early life and education

Prince Sultan belongs to the Al Kabeer branch of the Saudi royal family.[2] This branch is the descendants of Saud bin Faisal bin Turki, Emir of Nejd, who was an uncle of King Abdulaziz, the founder of the present Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As such, the Al Kabeer family is a cadet branch of the royal family and are not eligible to succeed to the throne. Saud bin Faisal was the great-great-grandfather of Prince Sultan.

Prince Sultan was born in 1954 in Riyadh.[3] [4] His father is Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer who was the son of Saud Al Kabeer and Noura bint Abdul Rahman Al Saud, sister of King Abdulaziz.[5] [6]

He is a graduate of King Saud University having a bachelor's degree in commerce and political science.[7]

Career

Prince Sultan founded the dairy company, Almarai, in 1977, and subsequently made it public in 2005 whilst retaining shares of nearly 29%. He also founded Masstock Saudia which was a joint agricultural company with an Irish company in the 1980s.[8] He was the chairman of the board of Arabian shield - Bahrain insurance company and Arabian Union for Cement Industries,[1] and served as vice president and managing director of Yamama Saudi Cement.[7] [9] He is one of the founders of Zain Saudi Telecom, Al Salam Bank (Bahrain), Dana Gas based in UAE.[10]

In March 2020 Prince Sultan resigned from his post as chairman of the board of directors of Almarai Company.[11] He was succeeded by his son Nayef bin Sultan Al Kabeer.[11]

Arrest

On 4 November 2017, Prince Sultan was arrested but not detained. This was following a corruption crackdown conducted by a new royal anti-corruption committee.[12] [13]

In late December 2017 Prince Sultan's sons Nayef and Saud were detained in Riyadh due to their alleged involvement in a protest over the government's decision to stop paying their utility bills.[14]

Wealth and influence

Prince Sultan was the third person in the Forbes Middle Easts billionaire ranking in 2017, and Forbes Magazine estimated his net worth at US$3.8 billion. As of January 2018 it listed him the third richest person in Saudi Arabia. However, in March 2018 he was removed from the list due to the fact that it was not clear whether or not he still had the assets.[15]

Gulf Business listed him the 38th most powerful Arab in 2019.[16] He was also given as one of the most powerful people in Saudi Arabia in the annual Arabian Business Saudi Power List in 2020.[17]

Horse breeding

Prince Sultan keeps a stud farm outside Riyadh, Nofa Equestrian Resort,[18] where he trains around 100 horses.[19] Total Impact, a racehorse which was imported by Sultan from Chile and trained by Laura de Seroux, won the grade-1 Hollywood Gold Cup in 2004.[20] In 2015 Prince Sultan bought Spring At Last, a grade-1 winning race horse.[21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer. Arabian Shield. 20 September 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061513/http://www.arabianshield.com/en/board-members/41. 21 September 2013.
  2. News: Hidden billionaire milking Saudi dairy fortune in desert. 29 June 2020. farmlandgrab.com. 15 January 2013.
  3. Web site: شخصيات اقتصادية: الأمير سلطان بن محمد بن سعود الكبير. Al Arabia. 5 June 2013. 10 June 2013.
  4. Book: Kabeer, Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud, al. A Dictionary of Business and Management in the Middle East and North Africa. 29 June 2020. Mark Neal. 23 May 2019 . Oxford University Press . 978-0-19-184326-6 .
  5. Web site: Simon Henderson. Factors Affecting Saudi Succession are a Family Affair. The Cutting Edge. 12 October 2009.
  6. Book: William B. Quandt. Saudi Arabia in the 1980s: Foreign Policy, Security, and Oil. 1981. The Brookings Institution. Washington DC. 79. 0815720513.
  7. News: Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer Al Saud. 29 June 2020. Bloomberg.
  8. Book: Kiren Aziz Chaudhry. The Price of Wealth. 2015. Cornell University Press. Cornell. 161.
  9. Web site: Sultan bin Saud Al Kabeer: Executive Profile and Biography. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060620/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=50241085&ticker=YACCO:AB. dead. 21 September 2013. Businessweek. 20 September 2013.
  10. Web site: Board of Directors. Almarai. 20 September 2013.
  11. Web site: Almarai Company Announces Resignation of the Chairman of the Board of Directors . Tadawul. 29 June 2020. 10 March 2020.
  12. News: Saudi Corruption Purge Snares $33 Billion of Net Worth. 6 November 2017. Bloomberg.com. 8 November 2017.
  13. News: Saudi Corruption Purge Snares $33 Billion of Personal Net Worth. 7 November 2017. Gulf Insider. 8 November 2017. en-US.
  14. News: Vivian Nereim. Glen Carey. Saudi Princes Detained Are Said to Include Sons of Almarai Head. 2 September 2020. Bloomberg Quint. 8 January 2018.
  15. News:
    1. 474 Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer
    . 29 June 2020. Forbes.
  16. News: Top 100 most powerful Arabs 2019 . 16 September 2020. Gulf Business.
  17. News: Most Powerful People in Saudi Arabia. 16 September 2020. Arabian Business. 26 August 2020.
  18. News: Saudi Arabia goes solar . 10 October 2020. Pakistan Engineering Review. 15 June 2014.
  19. Web site: Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer. Forbes Middle East. 20 September 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060430/http://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/english/details.php?row=2878&list=44473. 21 September 2013.
  20. News: Neil Milbert. From riding lessons to success as trainer. 27 May 2021. Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. 24 July 2004.
  21. News: Spring At Last Sold to Saudi Interests. 10 October 2020. BloodHorse. 20 January 2015.