Khaled Al Maeena | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954or1955(age 70–71) |
| Nationality | Saudi Arabian |
| Alma mater | University of Karachi |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, columnist and editor-in-chief |
| Spouse | Samar Fatany |
| Children | Dania, Hassan, Lina, Yasser and Sara |
| Parent | Abdulrahim Almaeena |
| Website | Official website |
Khaled Al Maeena (born 1954/1955 [1] ) is a veteran Saudi journalist, commentator, [2] businessman and the former editor-in-chief of the Saudi Gazette . He is regarded as a liberal. [3] He is also the patron of Muslim Mirror [4] and the managing partner of Quartz, a communications company, as well as a director at Abeer Medical Group. [5]
Al Meena received his education in different countries, including the United States, Britain and Pakistan. [6] He attended the St. Patrick's College in Karachi and graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Karachi. [7]
Al Maeena began his career in 1972, joining the Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) as an intern. He worked at several positions in the airline including as chief editor of Saudi World. [2] In 1982, he became the editor-in-chief of Arab News . Al Maeena was one of four journalists to cover the resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Russia in 1990. [8] He left his post in 1993, becoming the CEO of the Saudi Public Relations Company (SPRC), [9] a position he held for five years. He returned to the top editor's post at Arab News in 1998 and held the post until October 2011. [2]
He was appointed editor-in-chief of Saudi Gazette on 2 April 2012. [10] His term ended in February 2014 and he was succeeded by Somayya Jabarti in the post. [11] Almaeena occasionally contributes commentary columns for Gulf News , Al Eqtisadiah , Times of Oman , Asian Age , The China Post, [8] Asharq Al-Awsat , Al Madina and Urdu News . [12] He was also a Saudi television news anchor, talk show host, radio announcer and lecturer. [9] Khaled Almaeena also serves as a Member of Advisory Board for Gulf at TAIB Bank. [13]
Al Maeena was reported to be close to King Fahd and King Abdullah. He is also considered to have close relations with the new king, Salman. [12]
As a resident of Jeddah, Al Maeena wrote a letter [ usurped ] to Khaled Al Faisal, governor of Makkah after the catastrophic 2009 Jeddah floods. The letter was published in Arab News where he was editor-in-chief. [14]
Al Maeena was honored with the third highest civilian award Sitara-e-Pakistan in 2008 by the Pakistan government. [7] On April 20, 2019, he received a lifetime achievement award at the second International Media Gala (IMG), organized by Arab News in Dubai. [5]