Othman Al Omeir
Born1950 (age 73–74)
Al Zulfi
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Madinah
Occupation(s)Journalist and editor
Years active1970s–present

Othman Al Omeir (born 1950) (Arabic:عثمان العمير) is a Saudi-born British businessman, journalist and editor.[1][2] He is considered to be close to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and former rulers, including King Fahd, King Hassan II and Hassan bin Talal.[3]

Early life and education

Al Omeir was born in Al Zulfi in 1950.[4] His father was a Qutab teacher for a mosque in Al Zulfi. Al Omeir is a graduate of Madinah University.[4]

Journalism

Al Omeir began his career as a junior sports correspondent for Al Jazirah newspaper in Saudi Arabia in the early 1970s.[5] Soon, he became managing editor and London correspondent of the paper.[4] During his London correspondency, he studied the English language, and his tenure lasted until 1983.[5] He then began to serve as editor-in-chief of The Majalla magazine from 1983 to 1987. Next, he became editor-in-chief of Alsharq Alawsat[6][7] and worked in this post for ten years.[5] Both The Majalla and Alsharq Alawsat are owned by the Saudi Research and Marketing Group. He also worked as the editor-in-chief of Al Yaum and was a member of the board of directors of Al Jazirah.[8] During his journalism career, he made interviews with major world leaders, including George W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Kohl, Jacques Chirac, King Fahd and Gorbachev.[4]

On 21 May 2001, he launched the first independent Arabic e-newspaper, Elaph, based in London.[4][5][9] London was chosen as the center of the website to be free from the censorship rules of Saudi Arabia and also to offer liberal viewpoints, particularly in opposition to religious radicalism.[10] Al Omeir continues his interviews in Elaph. In July 2013 he interviewed Bahraini ruler King Hamad.[11]

In September 2021 Al Omeir launched the Arabic version of How to Spend It, a weekly luxury magazine by Financial Times.[12] HTSI Arabic is also published in London like Elaph.[12]

Business activities

He established a media company in the United Kingdom, OR Media Limited, in partnership with Abdulrahman Al Rashed.[4] He acquired the Maroc Soir Group, a major publisher in Casablanca, in March 2004.[13][14][15] The group which is the oldest media group in Morocco owns French-daily paper Le Matin, Arabic daily Assahra Al Maghribiya, English news portal moroccotimes.com, and Spanish weekly La Manana.[4][14] In November 2005, the group launched a French-language daily, Maroc Soir.[13] In Morocco, he founded Mena Media Consulting in 2004/2005, a public relations firm.[16] He is chairman of the Strategic Communications Group.[17]

Awards

Al Omeir was named as the Media Personality of 2006 by the Arab Media Forum in Dubai for his contribution to the industry in the Arab world.[18] He is a member of Moroccan Royal Academy.[4] In December 2011, he was nominated for the International Media Awards 2012 by the Next Century Foundation.[19]

References

  1. ^ Youssef Ibrahim (18 April 2008). "Saudi Liberals Get the Lash". The Sun. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  2. ^ "Othman Al Omeir". Duedil. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Othman Al Omeir". Media Ownership Monitor. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "The Murdoch of the Middle East". The Majalla. 21 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d "UAE mediamen win awards". Karma Tourism. 27 April 2007. Archived from the original on 8 August 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  6. ^ Mariam Isa (11 February 1990). "Lacking Sex, Religion or Leaders, Arab Cartoonists Limited in Subjects for Ridicule". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  7. ^ Youssef Ibrahim (11 November 1988). "Saudi Arabia Shifts to More Active Foreign Policy". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  8. ^ Sam Morris (17 January 2012). "New Nomination List for 2012 Media Awards". The Next Century Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  9. ^ "Elaph Publishing". Media Me. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  10. ^ Zvi Barel (12 December 2010). "Talking peace in cyberspace". Haaretz. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  11. ^ "HM King Hamad Receives Elaph Publisher". Bahrain News Agency. 21 July 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Elaph launches How To Spend It Arabic, in association with Financial Times". Financial Times. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Morocco: New French speaking paper for the younger generation" (PDF). Press Business (1). February 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 October 2013.
  14. ^ a b "New French-Language Daily in Morocco". The Arab Press Network. 22 November 2005. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  15. ^ "Al Omair's group becomes owner of Morocco's largest press establishment". KUNA. 27 March 2004. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  16. ^ "Othman Al Omeir lorgne l'audiovisuel". La Vie Eco. 20 January 2005. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  17. ^ "EmPower Research and SCG:QI Respond to Growing Interest in Media Research in the Middle East; Ink Strategic Partnership". PRWeb. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  18. ^ "HH Sheikh Mohammed honours 'Media Personality of the Year' at Arab Journalism Awards". AME INFO. 26 April 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
  19. ^ "2012 Media Award Nominations". The Next Century Foundation. 16 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
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