Saudi Gazette report

Jeddah — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Friday appointed Hamid Faiz as Deputy Minister of Culture at excellent rank and Saleh Al-Turki as Mayor of Jeddah at excellent rank.

Hamid Faiz graduated from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He was the head of Banking Services for Individuals in the National Commercial Bank, CEO of asset management at the bank, and member of the executive board of the bank. He has long experience in local and international banks.

Saleh Al-Turki has a Master’s in Business Administration from California. He was a member of Makkah Regional Council and secretary general of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He is also the delegated member of Jeddah Holdings, president and chairman of Nesma Holding Co., president of Mawaddah international group, Asdaq and Jeddah Head of Al-Birr charity organization.

Last month, the King issued a royal decree creating a new Culture Ministry with Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Farhan as the minister of culture.

“The mission of this ministry is to cater toward culture in all its fields. Culture is part of soft power which we hope to cultivate in service to country and national identity,” Prince Badr told Al-Arabiya in his first official statement as the Minister of Culture.

“Our vision is, without a doubt, part of the Saudi Vision 2030, and the ministry will be the main sponsor for all the advancement of culture in various fields, enhancing the Saudi and urban identities,” he added.

On Thursday, Prince Badr visited the Jeddah Historical Project and toured the facilities.

The visit comes as part of the Ministry of Culture’s keenness to follow up on all sites and projects related to cultural affairs.