The Financier Alwaleed bin Talal - Assignment Example

Al Waleed Bin Talal Introduction This present paper mainly talks about Al Waleed Bin Talal who is an international businessperson and an investor from Saudi Arabia and he is a member of the Saudi royal family. Upon discussing about Al Waleed Bin Talal, the paper will formulate an understanding of his personal, professional, and financial initiatives over his career. Al Waleed Talal’s personal initiatives over his career According to the book written by Khan (2005), he describes Al Waleed Talal as a Saudi Arabian businessperson and investor who comes from the privileged Saudi royal family that is equally known to be wealthy.

Al Waleed Talal who is currently fifty years old has being able to amass a lot of wealth since the year 1979 after finishing his university education and the latest Forbes ranking placed him as the 26th richest man in the world with a net worth reported to be approximately US $20 billion. Al Waleed Talal’s main investment vehicle is his Kingdom Holding Company where he owns 96% of the total shareholding. Khan (2005) further wrote that despite being a member of the Saudi’s royal family, Al Waleed Talal early childhood was not that rosy since a single mother raised him and this could be perhaps among the driving forces that have propelled him to be a successful man.

According to Khan (2005), among the personal initiatives of Al Waleed Talal that have shaped him to become the most prominent Arab businessperson and investor is the military training that he received upon finishing high school that can be assumed made him a strict business man who is fully active on all of his business ventures. According to Khan (2005), the military training hardened him as a person and hence the reason why despite being a member of the Saudi royal family, he is the only member who has been able to amass a lot of wealth on his own, and even become the most influential Arab in the world.

According to Khan (2005), in the business world Al Waleed Talal personal character is seen as an aggressive investor eager to tap on potential opportunities that may appear non-lucrative at the time, such as buying Citigroup’s shares while the company was in crisis. Al Waleed Talal is a philanthropic businessperson and through his foundation, he has made numerous donations mostly in a bid to further Islamic education in the world. Al Waleed Talal’s professional initiative over his career Al Waleed Talal’s successful career has also being shaped up by his professional initiatives that have given him the skills required to run a successful business and even become a successful businessperson.

To begin with, Khan (2005) stated that Al Waleed Talal has a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration that he acquired in 1979 from Menlo College in the United States. Using the skills acquired from the undergraduate degree, he immediately went into business to start building his current financial empire. As a further professional initiative over his career, Khan (2005) stated that he acquired a master’s degree in social science with honours from the Syracuse University in 1985.

This additional professional qualification has also contributed to the success he has had as a businessperson and an investor. Al Waleed Talal’s financial initiative over his career Khan (2005) stated that Al Waleed Talal’s financial initiatives over his career started immediately after finishing university education in 1979 upon when he ventured into the world of business by starting various small businesses that gradually increased his financial capabilities. These early financial initiatives saw him make his fast major investments in the 1990s when he bought a substantial amount of shares in Citigroup, which propelled him into the international business arena.

Other revered investments of Al Waleed Talal besides is Kingdom Holding Company, is the New Corporation where he owns 5% of the total shares, the Rotana Group, which is the largest entertainment company in the world. In regards to real estate investments, Al Waleed Talal has invested heavily in the Four Seasons hotel chain, New York’s Plaza Hotel, and London’s Savoy Hotel. He also owns 10% shareholding in Euro Disney SCA and 35% of Saudi Research and Marketing Group, which is the largest media company in the Middle East.

ReferencesKhan, R. (2005). Alwaleed: Businessman, Billionaire, Prince. New York, U.S: William Morrow and Company Publishers