Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel has built a name for himself not only in business but also philanthropy. He succeeds Abdul Latif Jameel, who set the family on its path during the 1940s with a small gas station, followed by a Toyota dealership in Jeddah.
The family business went on to become the largest Toyota dealership in the world, spanning much of the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. It also built the largest vehicle distribution network in the kingdom. Now with more than 16,000 employees in 31 countries, the company also has business in media, financial services, real estate, renewable energy and consumer products.
In between making money, Jameel also hands it out to help address various social issues including job creation, poverty alleviation and the arts. His Bab Rizq Jameel initiative has created 330,000 Saudi jobs. He has also funded education and training opportunities across the Arab world, as well as the Jameel Prize, an international art prize awarded to up-and-coming artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions, and helped restore the Islamic Gallery in London’s Victoria & Albert Museum.
It was thus fitting that in 2014, Jameel received an honorary knighthood from the UK’s Queen of England for his philanthropic activities and support for the development of arts and culture in the UK.
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