Othman Al Omeir (born 1950) (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

:عثمان العمير) is a Saudi-born British businessman, journalist and editor. He is considered to be close to King Salman of Saudi Arabia and former rulers, including

King Fahd Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud ( ar, فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود ''Fahd ibn ʿAbd al ʿAzīz Āl Suʿūd'', ; 1920, 1921 or 1923 – 1 August 2005) was a Saudi Arabian politician who was King and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia fro ...

King Hassan II Hassan II ( ar, الحسن الثاني, translit=al-Ḥasan aṯ-ṯhānī;), with the prefix "Mulay" before his enthronement 9 July 1929 – 23 July 1999) was the King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999. He was a member of the 'Alaw ...

and Hassan bin Talal.

Early life and education

Al Omeir was born in

Al Zulfi Az Zulfi (also Zulfi, Zulfy City or Al Zulfi or Az Zilfi) is a city in Riyadh Province in central Saudi Arabia, about 260 kilometres northwest of Riyadh. It is connected by Roads 418 and 535 which both link with the main Highway 65 which connect ...

in 1950. His father was a Qutab teacher for a mosque in Al Zulfi. Al Omeir is a graduate of Madinah University.

Journalism

Al Omeir began his career as a junior sports correspondent for '' Al Jazirah'' newspaper in Saudi Arabia in the early 1970s. Soon, he became managing editor and London correspondent of the paper. During his London correspondency, he studied the English language, and his tenure lasted until 1983. He then began to serve as editor-in-chief of ''

The Majalla ''The Majalla'', often directly transliterated as ''Al Majalla'' (Arabic:المجلة, "the magazine") is a Saudi-owned, London-based political news journal published in Arabic, English and Persian. The magazine's headquarters in Saudi Arabia i ...

'' magazine from 1983 to 1987. Next, he became editor-in-chief of '' Alsharq Alawsat'' and worked in this post for ten years. Both ''The Majalla'' and ''Alsharq Alawsat'' are owned by the

Saudi Research and Marketing Group Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) (also known as the Saudi Media Group) is a Saudi joint stock company registered in Riyadh. The group mainly publishes, prints and distributes various publications. The company operates in Saudi Arabia where t ...

. He also worked as the editor-in-chief of '' Al Yaum'' and was a member of the board of directors of '' Al Jazirah''. During his journalism career, he made interviews with major world leaders, including

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to 1998. Kohl's 16-year tenure is the longes ...

, Jacques Chirac,

and

Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Comm ...

. On 21 May 2001, he launched the first independent Arabic e-newspaper, ''

Elaph Elaph ( ar, إيلاف; ''Solidarity'') is the first daily Arabic independent online newspaper and is not associated with any established print or broadcast medium. History and profile ''Elaph'' was launched by Elaph Publishing in London in 2001 ...

'' that is based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The reason for choosing London as the center of the website was to be free from the censorship rules of Saudi Arabia and also, offer liberal viewpoints, particularly in opposition to religious radicalism. Al Omeir continues his interviews in ''Elaph''. In July 2013 he interviewed Bahraini ruler

King Hamad Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999. He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...

. In September 2021 Al Omeir launched the Arabic version of '' How to Spend It'', a weekly luxury magazine by ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...

''. ''HTSI Arabic'' is also published in London like ''Elaph''.

Business activities

He established a media company in the United Kingdom, OR Media Limited, in partnership with Abdulrahman Al Rashed. He acquired the

Maroc Soir Group Maroc Soir Group is a pro-government publishing company based in Casablanca, Morocco. Profile The group is the oldest media company in Morocco. It was founded during the French protectorate-era as "Mas presse" by Pierre Mas and Yves Mas. Moulay ...

, a major publisher in Casablanca, in March 2004. The group which is the oldest media group in Morocco owns French-daily paper '' Le Matin'', Arabic daily '' Assahra Al Maghribiya'', English news portal moroccotimes.com, and Spanish weekly ''La Manana''. In November 2005, the group launched a French-language daily, '' Maroc Soir''. In Morocco, he founded Mena Media Consulting in 2004/2005, a public relations firm. He is chairman of the Strategic Communications Group.

Awards

Al Omeir was named as the Media Personality of 2006 by the Arab Media Forum in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

for his contribution to the industry in the Arab world. He is a member of Moroccan Royal Academy. In December 2011, he was nominated for the International Media Awards 2012 by the Next Century Foundation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omeir, Othman 20th-century journalists 20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 21st-century journalists 21st-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople 1950 births Islamic University of Madinah alumni Living people Saudi Arabian corporate directors Saudi Arabian media executives Saudi Arabian newspaper editors Saudi Arabian expatriates in the United Kingdom 21st-century newspaper founders