The determination of Saudi businessman and billionaire, Hassan Jameel, to influence positive change globally is nothing short of inspiring.
Business nous runs in the blood of the Jameel family members, and Mr Hassan Jameel has reached the dizzy heights of success at a young age. At just 29 years of age he holds the title of Deputy President and Vice Chairman of the family’s company, Abdul Latif Jameel – one of the largest businesses in the world.
The entrepreneurial spirit of its founder and namesake has seen the company expand steadily over the decades, reaching more than 30 countries with its diverse portfolio.
Abdul Latif Jameel owes much of its success to its relationship with Toyota, which began with an order for four Toyota vehicles in 1955. Today, the company is one of the leading independently owned Toyota distributors in the world, and has businesses in a variety of industry sectors, including land and real estate, financial services, transportation, engineering and manufacturing, energy and environmental services, advertising and media and consumer products.
Mr Jameel says the family’s core business values are ingrained in everything he does, serving as “a guidepost for giving”. He lists the values as “respect, improve, pioneer and empower.”
The business philosophy is simple. “We respect and consult with the people we are serving. We have feedback loops to help us improve our results. We pioneer through pilot projects that are of deep interest to family members, and we seek to empower communities with our efforts”, Mr Jamal explains.
Mr Jameel remains grounded, staying true to his moral compass in his role as President of the company’s sustainable social enterprise organization, Community Jameel. This philanthropic body is dedicated to helping communities transform themselves and inspire positive change for the future.
In his role of President, Mr Hassan Jameel oversees Community Jameel’s broad programme which ranges from job creation and business opportunities to enabling ground breaking research for global poverty alleviation, providing education and training opportunities, and promoting arts and culture to inspire and enrich people worldwide.
In the first quarter of 2018, Community Jameel has already made some exciting announcements.
Bab Rizq Jameel Recruitment (part of Community Jameel) announced an 18% increase in providing job opportunities across a range of business sectors in Saudi Arabia. A massive 51,449 opportunities were recorded; a significant increase on the previous year’s 43,435.
Kuwaiti artists, Alia Farid and Aseel AlYaqoub were awarded the inaugural Art Jameel Commissions: Sculpture, which will be revealed at the opening of the Jameel Arts Centre in Jadaf on the Dubai Creek later this year. The call to artists resulted in submissions from more than 57 countries, and the artists will receive a production budget of US$70,000 to realise their work.
Art Jameel also announced details of its 17,000-square-metre development in Saudi Arabia. Hayy: Creative Hub is set to open in the spring of 2019, will act as an incubator for Saudi talent.
The numbers speak for themselves. Since its inception and under the guidance of Mr Hassan Jameel, Community Jameel has assisted with the creation of more than 836,000 job opportunities globally, empowered 2.6 million people to make their own living, supported 300+ entrepreneurial start-ups and 160+ MIT students via the Jameel-Toyota Scholarship Fund, in addition to securing places for 400+ pieces of Islamic art and artefacts in the world’s leading art and design museum – V&A.
