Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia's minister of culture, has appointed Jasir Al-Herbish as CEO of the Heritage Commission, as part of the ministry’s efforts to organize and develop the heritage sector.

Al-Herbish has rich experience in the heritage field. He was the general supervisor of the National Handicrafts Program (Bari) and participated with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) in the establishment and operation of the program, as well as the implementation of the first phase’s projects, which included the draft of the national crafts system, the launching of the national register of artisans and craftsmen, and approving the establishment of the National Crafts Company. 

He also contributed to founding Torathuna Social Responsibility Company, owned by Saudi Aramco, in addition to playing a part in projects for the documentation, marketing and institutional building of the crafts and handicrafts sector.

Al-Herbish has a master’s degree and a doctorate in computer engineering and sciences from the University of Connecticut in the US.

 The commission will assume a set of tasks and functions to organize and develop the heritage sector. These include building the development strategy of the sector and following up on its implementation under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture, licensing heritage-related activities, laying down regulations for the sector and encouraging financing and investment in areas related to the commission’s work.

It will also provide training courses, in addition to supporting the protection of intellectual property rights in areas related to heritage.

The Ministry of Culture launched the commission as part of its belief in the importance of preserving national heritage and the need to develop it to express the Kingdom’s history.

The commission is one of the 11 cultural bodies launched by the Ministry of Culture to manage the Saudi cultural sector in its various specialties and support Saudi talents across the Kingdom.