Bandar Al-Knawy has served as CEO at the Ministry of the National Guard Health Affairs since February 2009. 

Al-Knawy received his bachelor’s in medicine in 1985 from the faculty of medicine at King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah. He then completed his residency training in internal medicine in 1990 and obtained his gastroenterology fellowship in 1992 from Dalhousie University, Halifax, in Nova Scotia, Canada.

He holds a fellowship in internal medicine from the US and Canadian boards, as well as the US board certification in gastroenterology.

Al-Knawy has been the president of King Saud bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences since February 2009.

He served as the general supervisor for the Royal Clinics of the late King Abdullah from 2009 until January 2015.

Between 1996 and 2005, Al-Knawy was the head of the gastroenterology/hepatology division at the department of medicine of the King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Riyadh.

He also served as the director of medical education and academic affairs at King Abdul Aziz Medical City from 1999 to 2004.

During his long career he pioneered the development of the medication safety program in Saudi Arabia, in addition to many patient safety initiatives at the ministry. 

He was also responsible in the commissioning of major health care expansions at the ministry, including the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Abdullah Specialized Children Hospital and King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz International Foundation for Humanitarian Activities, as well as the inception of the system-wide EMR.