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Kamal Bahamdan

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Kamal Bahamdan, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 11 August 202510 sources
Kamal Bahamdan
Born (1970-02-12) February 12, 1970 (age 56)
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Occupation(s)Entrepreneur, Equestrian athlete
Known forFounder and CEO of Safanad; five-time Olympian in equestrian sports

Kamal Bahamdan (; born 12 February 1970) is a Saudi entrepreneur and a five-time Olympian in equestrian sports.

Early life

Originating from Riyadh, Kamal earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Manufacturing Engineering from Boston University in 1994. His sister, Hanan Bahamdan, is a recognized painter.

Career

Kamal Bahamdan is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Safanad, a global holding company founded in 2009 with support from the Bahamdan Group, where he holds the position of Vice Chairman. The Bahamdan Group was initiated in the 1940s by his grandfather, Salem Bahamdan, in Makkah and later formally established in Riyadh during the 1950s by his father, Abdullah Bahamdan, who served as Managing Director and Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s National Commercial Bank (NCB), once the largest bank in the Arab world. The Group has executed over 250 investments spanning the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and North America.

In March 2014, Safanad, alongside Formation Capital, divested a healthcare real estate portfolio comprising 43 senior living communities and 37 skilled nursing facilities to NorthStar Realty for $1.05 billion.

By June 2014, Safanad collaborated with Ron Packard, founder of the educational firm Stride, Inc., to establish Pansophic Learning. This new entity acquired assets from K12 (company), including curriculum licenses, technological platforms, an international private school, higher education tools, and K12’s operations in the Middle East. Pansophic Learning currently educates more than 50,000 students across approximately 165 institutions primarily located in the United States, Europe, and Africa. In October 2022, Safanad announced an initial $200 million investment aimed at expanding its educational footprint within the MENA region by focusing on charter schools, online learning, early childhood education, and K-12 private schools through partnerships with regional governments.

In addition to his business pursuits, Bahamdan is an active supporter of education philanthropy; notably, Boston University revealed in December 2022 that he endowed a chair dedicated to early childhood wellbeing.

Safanad also owns HC-One, a leading elderly care home provider in the UK. Following a BBC Panorama report raising concerns about private equity’s influence on sectors such as eldercare, HC-One responded by highlighting that since their acquisition, ownership has invested £145 million into upgrading facilities with an additional £115 million planned through 2023—surpassing dividends and fees paid—and confirmed compliance with all UK tax obligations.

Previously, Bahamdan co-established Al-Khabeer Merchant Finance Corporation in 2007 and was Managing Partner and Co-Founder of BV Group, an international investment firm based in Washington DC founded in 1995.

Awards and recognitions

In recognition of his achievements, he was awarded the King Abdulaziz Order of Merit First Class in 2012. Earlier, in 2006, he was selected as one of the Forum of Young Global Leaders by the Forum of Young Global Leaders, affiliated with the World Economic Forum.

Show jumping

Bahamdan has also distinguished himself as an accomplished athlete.[1]

Having begun riding at age seven, he trained annually in the United Kingdom,[2] competing domestically against peers such as Ramzy Al-Duhami and Khaled Al-Eid.[3] While pursuing studies and working within US finance sectors, he participated on the East Coast circuit where he gained attention from Ziyad Abduljawad, managing director of Saudi Equestrian.[3] In 2004, he relocated to Valkenswaard, Netherlands to debut internationally that year while maintaining part-time competition.[3]

His accolades include team and individual gold medals at the 2004 Pan Arab Games as well as team gold and individual silver at the 2011 Pan Arab Games held in Doha.[3] After competing at four consecutive Summer Olympics from 1996 through 2008,[3][4] he committed fully following the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games toward preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London under coach Jan Tops. The Saudi team secured bronze while Bahamdan achieved fourth place individually.[3][4][5][6][7] Subsequently, he joined the Longines-sponsored Global Champions Tour, winning the Riyadh Grand Prix in 2013 aboard Noblesse des Tess.[8]

In 2013, he was appointed to serve a four-year term on the FEI Jumping committee.[9] In February 2014, he earned runner-up honors at the Arriyadiyah Awards for Sports Excellence, presented by Prince Nawaf bin Faisal.[10]

External links

  1. ↑ Yon, Walls (25 November 2014). "Fortitude: Values That Make Leaders on the Sporting Field and in the Boardroom". Business2Community.
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ExpInt
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SEqBio
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named SptsRef
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named BUWOly
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WoSJInt
  7. ↑ "Kamal Bahamdan". BBC Sport. 13 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named GCTour
  9. ↑ "Kamal Bahamdan - new member of FEI Jumping committee" (PDF). horsetimesegypt.com.
  10. ↑ "Sports excellence award for Saudi showjumper Kamal Bahamdan". Horsetalk.co.nz. 27 February 2014.

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