Muna Abu Sulayman is a Saudi journalist and TV presenter who hosted the conversation programme “Kalam Nawaem”. In addition, she has become the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Arabian Business magazine named her one of the 30 most powerful Saudi women in 2014. From 2009 to 2015, many media outlets identified her as one of the most influential and effective women in the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Her Educational Background and Achievement
Muna Abu Sulayman was born on May 16, 1973, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, At that time, her father was getting ready to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with a PhD in international relations.
Muna’s father, Dr. Abdul Hamid, was a well-known Islamic scholar in the Islamic world and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, therefore during her education, she lived and studied in the United States, Malaysia, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Muna graduated from George Mason University in Virginia in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and in 1996 with a Master’s degree.
She subsequently relocated to Saudi Arabia to continue her PhD studies in English literature at King Saud University, albeit she did not turn in her dissertation.
Muna Abu Sulayman’s Achievements
- Muna Abu Sulayman started her work as a broadcaster on MBC. During this, she received a nomination to host the “Kalam Nawaem” show. However, she started her career as a broadcaster and found a good fit in this role.
- She is a member of the Muslim Women’s Fund Advisory Board, which strives to improve the standing of Muslim women and assist low-income families. She is also a part of the Soliya Organisation, which uses higher education to promote better East-West understanding.
- She holds a position on the advisory board of the Meydan website, one of the leading international websites for content translation services into Arabic Language. In addition to that, she has been a volunteer director in the Society of Friends of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2004. She is a member of the Saudi Media Association.
- She began working with Al Waleed bin Talal in 2005 as the Executive Director of Strategic Studies and Research Initiatives.
- She helped start Kingdom Holding Company, which is owned by Al-Waleed bin Talal. She became the General Secretary and Executive Director. Her tasks in the institution varied between managing the daily research activities, managing the budget, and setting long-term goals.
- In 2006, Muna Abu Sulayman took responsibility for building Al Waleed bin Talal Foundation, previously known as the Kingdom Foundation. This foundation is the charitable wing of Kingdom Holding Company.
- Muna Abu Sulayman’s talks at European and American universities are an essential part of her job. As she strives to improve Western understandings of the Islamic world.
The Most Significant Honours She Won
Muna Abu Sulayman got several honours, which we shall list, including:
- In 2004, the World Economic Forum selected her as one of the young leaders.
- In 2005, she took on Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development Program in Saudi Arabia.
- In 2007, she received the Pioneer Lady and MS Middle East awards from the Middle East Institute.
- In 2009, she became on the list of the 500 most influential women in the Islamic world and the 100 most influential women in the Arab world.
- In 2009, she received a Global Fellowship from Yale University in the United States.
- In 2010, she received the Colleen Morley Award.
- In 2019, she won the Best Influencer Award on Twitter.
