FaceOf: Hisham bin Mohammed Kaaki, chairman of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Hisham bin Mohammed Kaaki
Updated 20 July 2018
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FaceOf: Hisham bin Mohammed Kaaki, chairman of the Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Hisham bin Mohammed Kaaki is the chairman of the board of directors at Makkah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), an organization that operates and regulates businesses in Makkah.

Its latest project was the signing for a smart food city with a specialized office in real estate development and investment.

The chairman said that such projects increased career opportunities due to the millions of pilgrims and visitors that Makkah receives each year. Smart food cities are developed to cope with population growth and gain resources to deal with climate change and socioeconomic strife.

Hisham Kaaki was born in Makkah in 1977 and spent his younger years there until he graduated from King Faisal School. He moved to the US for five years to pursue a bachelor’s degree from California State University in San Diego.

After marrying, Kaaki moved to Jeddah, where he worked as a page editor for the local and then cultural page at Okaz newspaper, before he pursued his master’s degree in media administration from King Abdul Aziz University.

He was appointed editor-in-chief of Al-Nadwa newspaper, before serving as editor-in-chief of both Al-Nadwa and Stars of the Football Stadium for three years.

Kaaki was then accepted into the official media delegation accompanying the then-crown King Abdullah, and then crown prince, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, to 15 European and Arab capitals, meeting kings as well as presidents including Hosni Mubarak and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He then moved to start as editor-in-chief of Al-Hayat newspaper in the western region, establishing his own business in trade and real estate after 10 years in journalism.

Kaaki is a board member of the Council of Saudi Chambers, and on the board of directors of Makkah Media, Kaaki Industries and Hills of Development.


Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi

Updated 30 January 2026
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Saudi scientific organization celebrates 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Omar Yaghi

  • King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology honors him with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh
  • Yaghi, the first Saudi recipient of a Nobel Prize, shared the Nobel Prize with 2 other scientists for their pioneering work in molecular chemistry

LONDON: King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with a reception at its headquarters in Riyadh on Thursday.

Yaghi is the first Saudi scientist awarded a Nobel Prize. He received it in December, alongside two other scientists, for their pioneering work in the field of molecular chemistry, and for contributions to energy, the environment and advanced materials.

He is also supervisor of the Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, a collaboration between KACST and the University of California, Berkeley.

Munir Eldesouki, the president of KACST, said that the Kingdom is keen to recognize its scientific talents, in keeping with Saudi Vision 2030 and its goals relating to the fostering of scientific research.

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh honored Omar Yaghi, the Saudi scientist and recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. (SPA)

Yaghi said he appreciated the support he had received from Saudi leaders during his career, and praised them for creating an enabling environment in which scientists are able to pursue world-class research, development and innovation.

Investment in national talent has created a research ecosystem that positions Saudi Arabia among the leading scientific nations, he added.

Thursday’s event, attended by the organization’s staff and students, also honored the winning teams from the recent “GenAI for Materials Discovery Hackathon,” which KACST organized in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley, and Academy 32, a nonprofit Saudi organization dedicated to research, development and innovation.

The celebration concluded with an interactive discussion session during which Yaghi talked with students and researchers, reflected on key milestones in his scientific journey, and shared insights into the factors that helped shape his career, the Saudi Press Agency reported.