Saeed Haider

Saudi Gazette

AlKHOBAR — A pall of gloom descended on Eastern Province at the sudden demise of its dynamic and iconic figure Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Zamil on Monday. His mortal remains were buried in the presence of his family members, friends and leading businessmen of the Eastern Province. The funeral prayers were offered at King Fahd Mosque in Alkhobar.



Messages of condolences poured in from the Kingdom, the neighboring Gulf states and several other European countries. Hamad Al-Zamil was not just a successful businessmen who led his family business Group, Al-Zamil  Group, from the front, but also a silent philanthropist, a visionary and an astute business strategist.



As chairman of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hamad Al-Zamil gave a totally new direction to the chamber. He made it more vibrant with his innovative ideas and made the chamber more relevant to business in the Eastern region.



Saleh Al-Humaidan, a leading business executive and strategist who during the tenure of Hamad Al-Zamil in 1992 worked as assistant secretary general of the chamber, described him as a shrewd and pragmatic businessmen who understood the vagaries of business in the post war (!990-91 Gulf War) Saudi Arabia and re-defined the concept of family business.



Al-Humaidan termed Hamad Al-Zamil as a man of vision and energy. “He brought with him a new cadre of leadership in business in the region. He combined experience of the older generation with the energy of the youth to bring a new business culture and environment.”



Hamad Al-Zamil succeeded Sa’ad Al-Moajil as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. Sa’ad Al-Moajil was the longest serving president of the chamber who served the business body for nearly 22 years.



The business community in the Eastern Province also condoled the death of Hamad Al-Zamil. Saeed Al-Qahtani, former CEO of Al-Youm Group, called him a visionary who made the chamber more meaningful and relevant.



Ali Abdulaziz Kanoo, deputy managing director of Kanoo Group of Companies, called him an iconic figure who remained connected to the ground. “He personified humility.”



Khalid Al-Zamil, brother of Hamad and current President of  Zamil Group, said it was an irreparable loss to the family, business and the business community in the Kingdom.