RIYADH – The newly-appointed Emirs of the Eastern Province and Madinah region thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for giving them this noble responsibility to serve citizens. A Royal Court statement earlier Monday said that the King appointed Prince Saud Bin Naif as Emir of the Eastern Province and Prince Faisal Bin Salman as the Emir of Madinah region. The two new Emirs pledged that they would exert utmost efforts to live up to the expectations of the King and the Crown Prince. Prince Faisal, who was named by Arabian Business magazine as “The Man of the Year” in 2004, pledged to serve the Prophet's City to the best of his ability and also develop all governorates of the region. The Royal Court statement said: “Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz is relieved of his duties as the Emir of the Eastern Province upon his request, and Prince Saud Bin Naif Bin Abdul Aziz is appointed the Emir of the Eastern Province at the rank of minister.” “Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz is relieved of his duties as the Emir of Madinah region upon his request, and Prince Faisal Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz is appointed the Emir of Madinah region at the rank of minister,” the statement added. Since November 2011, Prince Saud had been serving as the Chief of the Court of the Crown Prince and his Special Adviser. From 1992 to 2003, he served as the Deputy Emir of the Eastern Province. In September 2003, he was appointed ambassador to Spain, a post he held till July 2011 when he was appointed the Assistant Minister of Interior for Public Affairs and adviser to then-Second Deputy Prime Minister. During his term as Saudi ambassador to Spain, Prince Saud was president of the Madrid Stock Exchange. He is one of the members of the board of trustees of the Arab Thought Foundation, a Saudi think tank focusing on improving relations between Arab nations and the West. He is also the Deputy Chairman of the Higher Commission of the Prize of Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz for the Prophetic Sunnah and Islamic Studies and General Supervisor of the Prize. Prince Saud received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and management from the University of Portland. The new Governor of Madinah region, Prince Faisal Bin Salman, is a graduate of Oxford University. Before starting his business career, Prince Faisal was a professor of political science at King Saud University.
After the death of his brother Prince Ahmed in 2002, Prince Faisal took over as chairman of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG). He is also the chairman of Jadwa Investment, a Riyadh-based leading Saudi investment bank set up in 2006. Prince Faisal joined the council of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in 2009. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Social Responsibility in Riyadh, and Chairman of the Executive Committee of “Ensan Society” that deals with various support programs for orphans. – SG
