Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman issued several royal orders on Saturday appointing a number of officials to positions, including appointing Abdulrahman Al-Harbi to be the first governor of the General Authority for Foreign Trade.
Al-Harbi is serving as Deputy Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment in Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Commerce and Investment.
The General Authority for Foreign Trade, along with the National Competitiveness Center, was established in December, following the approval of the Council of Ministers.
H.E. Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce and Investment, said in December the establishment of the General Authority for Foreign Trade and the National Competitiveness Center “come in line with setting up other authorities that contribute to improving the business environment and attracting investments in the Kingdom.”
The minister noted that these two decisions “come as a continuation of establishing the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises, as well as the Intellectual Property Authority and the General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences. These authorities integrate and consolidate their efforts with the General Authority for Investment.”
Abdulrahman Al-Harbi.
The establishment of the General Authority for Foreign Trade aims to enhance the kingdom’s international trade and investment, consolidate and strengthen its position as a regional and global business center, and enable access to target markets for non-oil exports.
Al-Harbi thanked the King for his trust and also thanked Minister of Commerce and Investment Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi for his efforts to increase the Kingdom’s foreign trade balance and for his endeavor to overcome all difficulties facing it.
Previous to his current work with the Ministry of Commerce and Investment, Al-Harbi held was CEO of Emirates NBD Capital, Deputy CEO of KSB Capital Group, as well as the Head of Wealth Management and Sales and Marketing at Global Investment House and Albilad Investment Company, according to a biography online.
