Abdulhameed Alsunaid
Member of the Advisory Board
Mr. Abdul Hameed Al Sunaid, holder of a Bachelor’s in Mass Communication from King Saud University (Saudi Arabia), is an entrepreneur who in 1985 set sail to lead his first venture in the fast-growing sector of information technology (IT).
In 1993, Mr. Al Sunaid, seizing upon shifts in the telecommunications (telco) and IT sectors, founded Itsalat International (renamed i2 in 2005), his first telco venture – on which he focused after selling his IT business in 1995. From humble beginnings, i2 grew to become the largest mobile distributor and retailer in the Middle East and North Africa, with operations in 23 countries, 2,500 employees, and annual sales close to $2b.
Mr. Al Sunaid’s drive and intuition has led to his founding otherventures over the years: among several examples, he has been involved in Nabatat Agricultural, Beea Arabia, Aldyaar Alshrqya, Nesoor, Corecap – and, notably, Shaheen Saudi Arabia. The latter firm was the first to integrate the elements of high quality, international branding, and luxury design into the Saudi national outfit (ghutrah and shemagh). Shaheen has made a significant impact on its industry and taken a sizable market share regionally.
Mr. Al Sunaid has been ranked among the top 100 CEOs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC); additionally, under his leadership, i2 was the fastest-growing company in Saudi Arabia in 2007, was ranked the 41st most admired company in the GCC, and was also ranked 35th among the top 50 companies in Saudi Arabia.
