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20 February، 2020
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23 February, 2020• The family’s founder, Sulaiman Al-Olayan, was orphaned at a young age and began his career as an employee at an oil company, earning a very modest salary.
• رهنت العائلة منزلها لتتمكن من تأسيس «شركة المقاولات العامة» وتفوز بأول مناقصة من “أرامكو”، ثم توالت المقاولات.
• The Olayan Group was founded in 1947, beginning with a land transport company that supported the construction of the Tapline oil pipeline.
• It helped establish Saudi Arabia’s first electricity generation company and the country’s first Saudi-owned company to market propane gas.
• Today, the Al-Olayan family owns many global brands and holds significant stakes in MetLife, First Boston, and American International Group.
• Reports suggest the family’s wealth reached $12.9 billion last year.
• The founder’s most important lesson for his children was to avoid extravagance and not judge others by their appearance.
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• لبنى العليّان تصدرت قائمة “فوربس” لأقوى سيدات الأعمال في العالم العربي، وكانت أول سيدة سعودية تصل إلى موقع مديرة تنفيذية ورئيسة بنك.
The Saudi Olayan family began in the spice trade nearly a century ago, then moved into food products and weathered difficult times. One of its sons, who was
orphaned by both parents, took steady steps in the business world, rising from a low-paid employee to one of the Kingdom’s wealthiest people, with more than fifty companies brought together under
مسمّى واحد “مجموعة العليّان العالمية”.
تتركز استثمارات العائلة في الصناعة وتجارة التجزئة، والبنوك الاستثمارية والتمويل، والخدمات العقارية وتأجير المستشفيات وغيرها. ولقد تمكنت
establish itself as one of the leading business families—not only in the Kingdom, but also in neighboring countries. Its acquisitions have extended to Europe and the United
States, where it owns a significant number of real estate assets, giving it a global presence.
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وتشير الأرقام المتداولة، إلى أن ثروة العائلة التي وصلت إلى 12,9 مليار دولار العام الماضي، تراجعت عام 2019، بمقدار 400 مليون دولار،
settling at $12.5 billion. The Al-Olayan family owns stakes in many global brands and holds significant interests in MetLife, First Boston and American
International Group.
The Olayan Group is owned by the wife of the late Suleiman Olayan and his heirs (his children): Khalid, Haya, Hutham, and Lubna.
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جذور العائلة
The Al Olayan family traces its roots to the northern regions of the Kingdom and has lived in Diriyah for hundreds of years. One of its ancestors was Abdullah bin Musa bin Olayan, of the Masalikha
of the Manabha, from Bani Wahb of Dana Muslim, belonging to the Wa'ili Anizah tribe, one of the largest Adnanite Arab tribes.
كان الجدّ عبدالله ذا علم وتوارث أبناؤه وأحفاده إمامة المساجد، منذ ذلك الحين إلى وقتنا، هذا ومن أبنائه الشيخ عبدالعزيز، والشيخ عبدالرحمن.
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The founder grew up without either parent.
ولد المؤسس الفعلي للعائلة التجارية سليمان العليّان، في مدنية عنيزة في القصيم عام 1918، ولم تكن حياته سهلة، والده كان يعمل في تجارة التوابل،
ويتخذ من المدينة المنورة مركزاً له. لكنه أرغم على العودة إلى عنيزة، فبدأ بالإتجار بالمواد الغذائية في الأحساء والبحرين.
His father sent his eldest son, Mohammed, to Bahrain to work. After his father’s death, however, Mohammed had to return and bring along his brother Suleiman, who was four years old at the
time, having lost both his parents. In Bahrain, Suleiman studied at the American School, then at Al-Hidaya Al-Khalifia School, and later at Al-Ja'fariya School. But he did not complete
his secondary education, leaving school to start working at an early age.
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The Road to Oil
The family’s rise truly began when the young Suleiman Al-Olayan entered the workforce. In 1936, at the age of 18, he began working at
Bahrain Petroleum Company (Bapco) as an oil-measurement inspector at the Awali oil field, where he earned a very modest salary. He decided to return to Saudi Arabia, where he worked
في شركة “أرامكو” التي كانت حينها تعرف باسم «كاليفورينا آربيان ستاندر أويل كومباني».
He began in the engine department and later moved into a supervisory role overseeing spare-parts warehouses for cars and trucks. He was then promoted and assigned responsibility for importing
what the company needed from abroad. This marked a turning point: the role gave him valuable experience in business practices and helped strengthen his English. Later,
he was appointed as a translator in the Government Relations Department and became the company’s official interpreter during King Abdulaziz’s visit to the oil facilities in Dhahran.
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The Birth of the Olayan Group
After working for oil companies, family founder Suleiman Al-Olayan decided to establish his own business. The Olayan Group was founded in 1947, beginning with
a road transport company that helped build the Tapline to transport oil. In 1954, Suleiman Al-Olayan launched a general trading company, which expanded its operations during the oil boom.
ليشمل المطاعم، وصناعة الأغذية، والورق، والبلاستيك، فضلاً عن التأمين، التي تطورت لتصبح أكبر شركة تأمين وإعادة التأمين في المنطقة.
The group also has several partnerships with leading global companies, including Coca-Cola, Burger King, and Bechtel. Olayan invests in Credit Suisse, where it increased its stake to
3.6% in registered shares and 3.4% in mandatory convertible bonds.
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فرصة ذهبية
The golden opportunity for the Olayan family came in 1947, when the Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline) project to transport oil from Saudi Arabia to Sidon, Lebanon, was proposed. He offered
“أرامكو” اعتماده لمقاولة عمليات النقليات. ولكن العائق كان أمام سليمان العليّان، انه لا يملك شركة، فقرر رهن منزل العائلة الذي كان قد اشتراه قبل
a short time earlier, and founded the General Contracting Company with his brother Abdullah.
حصلت العائلة على أول مناقصة من “أرامكو”، ثم توالت المقاولات الأخرى، بعد أن أثبت سليمان العليّان، بأنه كفوء وبارع جداً فيما يقوم به. البدايات
were focused on construction. The family then helped establish Saudi Arabia’s first electricity-generation company and the country’s first Saudi company to market propane gas.
In 1954, Al-Olayan founded another food marketing company, General Trading Company, followed by a third company specializing in insurance and reinsurance
التأمين في الشرق الاوسط وهي «شركة المشاريع التجارية العربية»، وشركة رابعة متخصصة في النقليات وهي “شركة النقليات العامة”.
But Al-Olayan did not limit itself to the Arab world. The family decided to expand and, in the 1960s, secured exclusive agencies for international brands such as
«كمبرلي كلارك» وجنرال فودز وكرافت، وكولجيت، وبالموليف، ونستلة، وبرغر كينغ، وكوكا كولا وغيرها.
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أثرياء المملكة
The Al-Olayan family has substantial investments. Through Olayan Saudi Investment Company Limited, it owns 16.95% of the capital of SABB, which amounts to SAR 15 billion,
while it owns 21.73% of the capital of Alawwal Bank, whose capital is SAR 11.4 billion. The General Organization for Social Insurance’s decision is likely to affect the merger,
as it owns 9.74% of SABB and 10.50% of Alawwal Bank.
The Al-Olayan family is among the wealthiest families in the world and currently manages investments worth billions of riyals, both in Saudi Arabia and abroad, through
“العليّان الاستثمارية”.
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كفاءة الأولاد
Naturally, the children of Sulaiman Al-Olayan not only carried on his legacy but also lived up to their father’s expectations. He died in 2002. As is clear from their biographies
Their own merits: they weren’t appointed simply because their father owned the companies. Instead, they held a number of positions at organizations unrelated to their father’s business, clearly demonstrating his principle of
النجاح..التعلم والخبرة أولاً ثم المناصب. ولعل الأهم هو ما ربى أولاده عليه، هو الابتعاد عن البدخ وعدم الحكم على الآخرين وفق المظاهر.
ولنبدأ بلبنى العليّان التي تصدرت قائمة “فوربس” لأقوى سيدات الأعمال في العالم العربي، وكانت من ضمن لائحة أقوى 100 سيدة أعمال في العالم،
بفضل قيادتها شركة “العليّان للتمويل” التي هي الذراع الاستثمارية لمجموعة العليّان القابضة.
She is the youngest daughter of Sulaiman Al Olayan. She earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from Cornell University in New York, followed by a
الماجستير في المالية من جامعة إنديانا الأميركية. وكانت أول وظيفة لها في بنك “مورغن غارنت” بنيويورك من عام 1979 إلى عام 1981، وعادت
She moved to Riyadh in 1983, where she began her career working in her father’s group. When one of his assistants left the position, she took over, encouraged and supported by her father.
With his guidance, she developed into a businesswoman and learned a great deal from her father’s success. After six years as an assistant, her father decided that she
had gained enough experience to take responsibility for managing Olayan Financial Company. He appointed her CEO, making her the first Saudi woman to reach
this senior executive position in the Kingdom.
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The Brothers and Sisters Working Together
As CEO of Olayan, Lubna Olayan went on to oversee around 40 of the group’s subsidiaries in Saudi Arabia and abroad, and lead
the business alongside other family members. Her older brother, Khalid, works in the group’s management in Riyadh, while her sisters, Hutham and Haya, the former runs the New York office,
And the second manages the London office.
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وتكتمل الصورة
As for Khalid, he is Chairman of the Board of the Saudi British Bank and has served as Chairman of the Olayan Saudi Holding Company since 2002. He began his career at
the Ministry of Finance, where he held various positions before joining the family at the Olayan Group.
Hutham is CEO and heads Olayan’s U.S. office. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of IBM. She served as President of
Comptroller Properties, an Olayan Group company. She has worked in investment, banking, and commercial services in New York and London. She has also served on the
المجلس الاستثاري الدولي، ومجموعة بلاكستون، وشغلت منصب مديرة في شركة “مورغان أند ستانلي”.
She currently continues to serve on the international advisory boards of many organizations, including the Brookings Institution and the Carnegie Endowment, among others. As for Hayat, she is a member of
the Olayan Group and is perhaps the least “active” among them; little information about her is available.
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منتجع السمراء
قبل سنوات دخلت مجموعة العليّان، شريكاً في مشروع “منتجع السمراء” البالغة كلفته 200 مليون ريال، في منطقة حائل السعودية.
ومجموعة “العليّان للاستثمارات التجارية والصناعية والزراعية”، هي إحدى المجموعات الرائدة في منطقه حائـــل، وذات خبرة طويلة في التجارة
والصناعة والزراعة، وتملك مجموعة رائدة في خدمة وتطوير المشاريع في منطقة حائل وضواحيها.
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Real Estate Assets in the West
The Olayan family, one of the Kingdom’s largest business groups, has acquired a significant number of assets in Europe and the United States.
These real estate assets have strengthened the family’s standing among business groups in the West. They include eight properties in Paris and nine apartment complexes in Maryland.
وإلى جانب ما سبق، فلقد استطاعت عائلة العليّان، أن تستحوذ على حصة كبيرة في شركة “اتحاد الخليج للأغذية والعصائر”.
أما عن المشاريع المستقبلية للعائلة، فقد تنوي تطوير مدينة الملك عبد الله الاقتصادية، وتحويلها إلى مدينة ذكية.
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استثمار في مصر
تواصل الشركة الاستثمار في مصر، عن طريق شركة “أواسس ايجيبت” التي تستثمر فيها نحو 200 مليون دولار وتم تأسيسها مع مجموعة ماجد
Al Futtaim Holding and Orascom Telecom. Olayan and Majid Al Futtaim each own 30% of the company, while Orascom Telecom owns the remainder. This is the first time
The first alliance of its kind, involving three companies of this size in Egypt.
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Lubna Al Olayan, bank chairwoman
وقادت عائلة العليّان الثرية، ثالث اندماج مصر، في في السوق السعودية، على إثر إعلانين صادرين من البنك السعودي البريطاني “ساب”، والبنك الأول
through siblings Khalid, who chairs SABB’s board, and Lubna, who served as vice chair of Alawwal Bank’s board,
فتحول اسمه إلى “ساب الأول”، واصبحت السيدة لبنى العليّان، رئيسة له في سابقة هي الأولى من نوعها في المملكة.
