TheFace: Lubna Abdul Aziz Al-Khalidi, Saudi media personality

Lubna Abdul Aziz Al-Khalidi . (AN photo by Ziyad Alarfaj)
Updated 01 November 2019
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TheFace: Lubna Abdul Aziz Al-Khalidi, Saudi media personality

I am an emerging media figure working for the Eastern Region Channel and a director of corporate communications, public relations and media in a major Saudi investment company.

Born to a Saudi father and an Egyptian mother, I spent the early stages of my life in my birthplace, Cairo. I have four sisters.

My parents were emotionally opposite. My mother was strict, instilling in us the power to make the right choices in our lives. However, my father, a lawyer, was very emotional and affectionate. This may be because he lost his eyesight at a young age. He was able to instil in us many values and principles that helped us realize our dreams in life.

I spent my primary school years between Cairo and Al-Ahsa in Saudi Arabia and completed the rest of my school years in the Kingdom. I specialized in nutrition at university even though I had no practice in the field. After graduation, I followed my passion and worked in public relations and media.

Having a passion for media, I have always believed that I was born to work in this field. In the early stages of my life, I wanted to create media opportunities for myself, even in the most difficult periods when women were not totally accepted.

I began to hone my journalistic and media skills through diplomas and training courses. I also worked with prominent channels and specialized training centers between Riyadh, Cairo and Dubai.

After working in public relations and social responsibility for more than 13 years, I launched my media career as a television anchor more than four years ago by hosting an economic program, “Saweed Na’imah,” on the Saudi Economic channel. After that, I moved to one of the private channels in the Eastern Region to specialize in social media and community issues.

Media work for me is not just a professional job, it is a passion and pleasure in which I find myself, and express my skills and abilities.

The biggest challenges I faced were the conservative mindset of the people in media, which has enormously changed with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. However, a bigger challenge remains, which is developing accurate social content about the Kingdom, reflecting the reality, balance and moderation of all levels in our society in which women play a huge part.

I am endeavoring with the production teams to be honest in conveying the reality about us.

Having come a long way, I think that there is no greater achievement than self-affirmation and achieving your biggest dreams. I made a name for myself on the Arab and Saudi media scene and managed to overcome all the challenges, obstacles and the false perceptions that people have toward this profession. For me this is my greatest achievement.

The secret of many successes in my life is a verse from the Holy Qur’an, which I dearly love: “Call on me; I will answer your prayer.” 


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

Updated 42 min 28 sec ago
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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.