Ameera al-Taweel

Princess Ameera Al-Taweel ِAl-Otaibi
أميرة الطويل
Spouse Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (divorced)
House House of Saud
Father Aidan bin Nayef Al Taweel
Born 6 November 1983
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Religion Islam

Princess Ameera bint Aidan bin Nayef Al-Taweel Al-Otaibi (Arabic: الاميرة اميرة بنت عيدان بن نايف الطويل العصيمي العتيبي‎; born 6 November 1983) often called Princess Ameera al-Taweel, in the English-language press,[1] is a Saudi Arabian princess and philanthropist. Princess Ameera assumed the role of Vice Chairperson of Al-Waleed bin Talal Foundation and member of the board of trustees at Silatech. Raised by her divorced mother and her grandparents in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at age 18 she met Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal to conduct an interview for a school paper. They were married nine months later.[2] In November 2013, they were divorced.[3]

Humanitarian activities

As vice-chairperson and head of the executive committee of the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation in Saudi Arabia and the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation - Global and chairperson of Times Entertainment Princess Ameera supports a wide range of humanitarian interests in both Saudi Arabia and around the world. The Foundation is an international, non-profit organization dedicated to supporting programs and projects aimed at poverty alleviation, disaster relief, interfaith dialogue and, perhaps most importantly at this time in our history, women's empowerment.

Princess Ameera, former wife of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal-divorced since November 2013 chairperson of Kingdom Holding Company, travels extensively on behalf of the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundations in an effort to better understand the most pressing challenges facing our world. In visiting NGOs and other aid and development organizations, she aims to improve and promote the image of Saudi women as she represents the Foundations, implementing projects and conducting field service trips. She has visited more than 71 countries.

Abroad, the Princess has inaugurated the "Alwaleed Bin Talal Village" orphanage in Burkina Faso and traveled to Pakistan to provide aid and relief to the country's flood victims and to support education. Together with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, Princess Ameera also formally opened the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge, where she accepted from Prince Philip an 800th Anniversary Medal for Outstanding Philanthropy. Most recently she has spearheaded a relief mission to Somalia, where she and her husband, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal oversaw the distribution of Foundation-sponsored aid.

Princess Ameera has spoken out publicly in the US on NBC's Today, CNN International [4] and NPR, as well as in Time magazine and Foreign Policy magazine in support of both women's right to drive in her country of Saudi Arabia and the broader issue of women's overall empowerment to contribute fully in Saudi society.[5] She has been featured in Newsweek, The Daily Beast, and The Huffington Post, and was interviewed by Piers Morgan. She spoke in a special session at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative titled "Voices for Change in the Middle East & North Africa," in which she discussed her views on the current movements for change in the region with U.S. President Bill Clinton.[6] Her self-described approach to reform is one of "evolution, not revolution," and it is this positive and determined perspective that defines her view of the future of her country. She also says she wants to be first to drive on Saudi roads. Princess Ameera was recently interviewed by Charlie Rose on Bloomberg to speak about her work for equal rights and women's empowerment in Saudi Arabia through Alwaleed Foundations. Her husband Prince Al Waleed was warned by his brother Prince Khalid to control Ameera's media appearances or next time they would be punished without prior warning.

Princess Ameera is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of New Haven with a degree in Business Administration. She is also a member of the board of trustees of Silatech, an international youth employment organization with a focus on youth empowerment in the Arab world through the creation of jobs and greater economic opportunities, and by working to find new and innovative approaches to the challenge of unemployment in the region. She is an honorary member of the Disabled Children's Association and an honorary board member of the Saudi Volunteering Society. She is also The founder and CEO of Times Entertainment and Co-Founder of Tasamy a foundation which employs jobless Saudi people.

In 2011, Princess Ameera received the ITP Special "Humanitarian Award" on behalf of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation at the Arabian Business Achievement Awards ceremony.[7][8] She was the most high-profile newcomer to CEO Middle East 100 Most Powerful Arab Women 2012 list, arriving at fourth place. She also received the " Woman Personality of the Year Award" from the Middle East Excellence Award Institute.

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