THE PRINCE RANKS NUMBER ONE IN ARABIAN BUSINESS MAGAZINE'S 2012 LIST OF THE 500 MOST POWERFUL ARABSPRINCE Alwaleed Bin Talal, Chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) once again took top slot in the coveted list of the world's 500 most influential Arabs in the Arabic and English issue of Arabian Business Magazine's 500 Most Powerful Arabs. Prince Alwaleed has topped the list for the eighth consecutive year. Prince Alwaleed, who owns 95 percent of KHC, has been involved in setting up a diversified portfolio of strategic stakes in well-known companies locally and internationally in sectors covering real estate, media, banking and hotels, to name a few. Prince Alwaleed's recognitions span over a decade, the most recent being featured in Forbes magazine's 2011 annual list of richest people for 12 consecutive years. The prince is very committed to social responsibility projects through significant local and international donations made by Alwaleed Bin Talal Kingdom Foundation that spans all continents. The global foundations provides support in the following areas: “Creating centers and supporting studies and forums that encourage the dialogue and the reconciliation among the different religions around the world; participating in the preservation of the Islamic Literary and Artistic Heritage around the world; helping in alleviating poverty and famine, and dispatching needed assistance to the victims of natural disasters around the world.” In 2010, Prince Alwaleed was recognized for his humanitarian efforts and won the ITP “Humanitarian of the Year” award for 3 decades of philanthropic work. The prince was also acknowledged for his active philanthropy and featured among 500 Most Influential Muslims List in Islamica Magazine, 2009, which described the prince as “an entrepreneur and investor who has built up a fortune through real estate and the stock market.” In addition, the prince is a strong advocate for the promotion of East-West cultural, the rights of women in education and supporting their roles in the social sectors within the Kingdom. He has also promoted religious dialogue for tolerance and understanding in line with the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. In recognition of this, Time magazine had listed Prince Alwaleed on the Time 100 issue and among the 12 “power givers” for raising the profile of Islamic history and culture around the world. — SG
