FaceOf: Bandar Reda, secretary-general of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce

Bandar Reda
Updated 11 March 2019
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FaceOf: Bandar Reda, secretary-general of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce

Bandar Reda has been the secretary-general and executive chairman of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) since December 2018. 

He has also been the Saudi commercial attache to the UK at the Ministry of Commerce and Investment since August 2017. 

He was the Saudi commercial attache to Italy between 2013 and 2017. Reda led the Saudi commercial and trade team in Italy and acted as the main point of contact for the Kingdom in developing a structured commercial diplomacy agenda.

For eight years, he worked at the Saudi British Bank (SABB), an associate company of the HSBC Group. 

At SABB, he served as senior business banking development manager, relationship manager at the Business Banking Unit, and premier relationship manager.

Reda attended the one-year Junior Officer Development Program at SABB, which aims to develop the bank’s future leaders. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business administration from Rollins College in the US. 

The ABCC recently hosted a roundtable meeting on the development of the sports, media and entertainment sectors in all Arab states, particularly Saudi Arabia. At the meeting, Reda stressed the importance of strengthening relations between Arab countries and the UK by exchanging experiences in all fields of trade and the economy.

He said the meeting was a major preparatory stage for the organization of an Arab-British conference on the sports, entertainment and hospitality industries as important economic sectors.

ABCC is a membership organization that exists to promote trade and investment relations between the UK and the Arab countries.


Over 4.8m captagon pills found hidden in Jeddah charcoal shipment

Updated 09 January 2026
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Over 4.8m captagon pills found hidden in Jeddah charcoal shipment

  • Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in illicit factories

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority foiled an attempt to smuggle more than 4.8 million captagon pills through Jeddah’s port, hidden inside a shipment of charcoal.

The authority’s spokesperson Hamoud Al-Harbi said that a shipment arrived at the port, which, after being assessed by customs authorities, was found to contain a large amount of the illicit drug, hidden inside charcoal bags, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

After the pills were seized, the authority coordinated with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control to ensure that the intended recipients were arrested.

Al-Harbi added that ZATCA is working to tighten customs control on Saudi imports and exports and stands ready to combat smuggling.

He called on members of the public to contribute to the fight against smuggling.

ZATCA may be contacted for security reports by phone from inside the Kingdom at 1910, outside the Kingdom at +9661910, or by email at [email protected].

The authority receives reports related to smuggling crimes and violations of the customs system in complete confidentiality and offers financial rewards to any reports that are accurate.

Captagon is an addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in illicit factories.

It is simple to produce compared to other narcotics, and drug smugglers have found a market for the substance in the Gulf states.

Syria under Bashar Assad was one of the largest producers of captagon in the region.

When his government was overthrown in December 2024, one of the first steps taken by the new President Ahmed Al-Sharaa was to crack down on the production of captagon in Syria.