Sara Al-Sayed was appointed deputy minister for public diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia on Sunday following a decision by Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Prior to her recent appointment, Al-Sayed served as assistant deputy minister for international collaboration at the Saudi Ministry of Health since 2019 and had assumed the position of director-general of international collaboration two years prior.
Over the course of her career, Al-Sayed acquired more than 20 years of experience in different fields including managerial banking, military contracting and international collaboration for companies and government organizations in the US and Saudi Arabia.
In April 2017, Al-Sayed joined the Ministry of Health, where she managed collaborations with international entities, including the G20 and the World Health Organization.
Al-Sayed also managed international media outreach and facilitated the availability of health data that highlighted the Kingdom’s achievements in healthcare globally.
Before joining the ministry, she was the regional director for Houston Methodist Global, where she provided consultancy services in various areas of healthcare for critical institutions within the Kingdom.
Al-Sayed also managed international collaboration with King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital within the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University campus in Riyadh.
This collaboration included building partnerships with several institutions across the world, structuring the collaboration process within KAAUH and facilitating legal and business transactions.
Al-Sayed spent 15 years of her educational and career life in Washington, during which time she assumed the position of contracting officer at the Armed Forces Office of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia for three years.
She also served in various managerial positions within the banking industry in the US for over 12 years. She has extensive experience in personal banking, business and commercial banking, mortgage banking, portfolio management, audit, insurance and risk management. She was also selected to lead acquisitions and mergers of various institutions.
Al-Sayed holds a bachelor’s degree in science from George Mason University in Washington, US. She also studied for three years for an undergraduate degree in physical therapy at King Saud University in Riyadh.
