Riyadh Chamber

Riyadh Chamber, or the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Riyadh, is a non-profit entity that aims to promote various commercial activities across commercial sectors. It also represents businesses in ministries, authorities, and public institutions and works to protect and develop them. The Riyadh Chamber is one of five Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the Riyadh Province within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with al-Majma'ah Chamber, al-Kharj Chamber, az-Zulfi Chamber, and al-Quway'iyyah Chamber. The chamber's headquarters is based in the capital, Riyadh. It is also a member of the Federation of Saudi Chambers.

The Riyadh Chamber was established in 1961 by a decision of the Council of Ministers after a request submitted by merchants in Riyadh for its establishment, similar to the chambers established in Makkah al-Mukarramah, Jeddah, and Dammam.

The concept of establishing the Riyadh Chamber is credited to Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Sulaiman al-Muqrin, who endeavored to do so with the support of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, when he was the Governor of Riyadh Province. Al-Muqrin was the first Chairman of its Board of Directors, formed in the same year the chamber was established.

In efforts to accommodate the development of the business environment in Riyadh to suit its growth, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, inaugurated the Riyadh Chamber's building in 1985 when he was the Governor of Riyadh Province. In his speech, King Salman said: "It gives me great pleasure on this pleasant night that we are here to inaugurate the new chamber building. If one were to travel back in time twenty-five years and ponder how this chamber was created and the difficulties and obstacles it faced, surely Brother Abdulaziz al-Muqrin, the first President of the Chamber, knows that. At that time, there was a lack of understanding of the chamber's goals and objectives, and there were other obstacles that those interested in establishing this chamber managed to overcome."

Among the goals of the Riyadh Chamber's strategic roadmap, the chamber strives to be the most trusted source for the business community in Riyadh by the end of 2024. Additionally, it aims to contribute to the development of a stronger private sector and make Riyadh a more attractive business environment. At the business community level, the chamber works to improve the chamber's image among the business community and increase its influence in the government decision-making process.

The Riyadh Chamber offers a wide range of commercial and industrial services. These services are provided through an information center equipped with a modern library, subscribers services, legal services, inquiry services, entrepreneurship center services, sustainable development support, and tax guidance.

The Riyadh Chamber organizes several community activities, programs, and initiatives, such as the Social Incubators Program, which has launched several projects, including the Patients Friends Committee in Riyadh Province, the King Salman Social Center, the Ensan Charity Committee for Orphans Care, the Saudi Association for Hearing Impairment, the Saudi Organization for Protection from Acquired Immunodeficiency (Manaah), and others. The chamber has also initiated several service projects, including the Chamber of Commerce Park Project and Salam Park, and launched various community activities, such as the Corporate Social Responsibility Award for prominent entities contributing to community service, the Hajj for the Needy Campaign, and the Riyadh Chamber Football Tournament.

The organizational structure of the Riyadh Chamber operates to achieve its objectives through various departments and sectoral committees. This began early on, with the formation of its first twelve-member board of directors in 1961. Currently, the chamber's board of directors comprises eighteen members, including two women and thirteen businessmen, in addition to the chairman of the board and two vice chairmen.

As for the sectoral committees, the Riyadh Chamber includes thirty-seven principal committees and twenty-six subsidiary committees. Among these committees are the Commercial Committee, Agriculture and Water Committee, Logistics Services Committee, Social Services Development Committee, Supply and Food Provision Committee, Renewable Energy Committee, Mining Committee, Industrial Committee, Digital Media Committee, Lawyers Committee, Engineering Offices Committee, Environment Committee, Consulting Offices Committee, Tourism Committee, Culture and Entertainment Committee, Security Services Committee, E-Commerce Committee, Information Technology and Communications Committee, Entrepreneurship Committee, Delivery Applications Committee, Real Estate Committee, Sports Investment Committee, Safety Committee, Financial Sector and Financing Committee, Investment and Securities Committee, Commercial Franchise and Marketing Committee, Human Resources and Labor Market Committee, Private Education Committee, Medical Facilities Committee, Transportation Committee, Exhibitions and Conferences Committee, Provincial Business Development Committee, Businesswomen Committee, Certified Public Accountants Committee, Advertising Committee, and Contractors Committee.

The Riyadh Chamber has implemented several initiatives, including holding the National Industries Exhibition in Riyadh in 1973. It initiated the proposal to develop Saudi Chamber Law and establish a Chamber Council in 1976. Additionally, the chamber issued the first guide for international exhibitions and markets in 1979 and established the first office among Saudi chambers to support the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry during the Iraqi invasion in 1990. In 1993, the chamber endorsed the idea of establishing private university colleges through a feasibility study. Furthermore, the Riyadh Chamber organized the first participation of businessmen in an international exhibition in 1981.

Performance indicators for the Riyadh Chamber have shown increased achievement and performance as its business system expands and develops. As of 2022, the number of committee members reached 886, with 280 meetings held and 695 recommendations made. The total number of projects amounted to approximately 587. In terms of organizing events, the chamber hosted three hundred events attended by 47,907 individuals. Additionally, the chamber conducted three studies and forty-nine opinion polls. On the employment front, 3,155 job seekers of both genders were hired in private sector establishments.

Regarding document authentication in 2022, manual authentications reached 219,964, while electronic authentications totaled 2,462,788. The chamber also witnessed growth in participants and beneficiaries, with approximately 86,202 new memberships, 57,542 renewals, and 76,037 extensions. The number of activated electronic accounts for members reached 67,159. In terms of training and development, the Riyadh Chamber contributed to training 430 individuals and conducting seven workshops.

In 2020, the Riyadh Chamber worked to renew the ISO 10002 certificate (implementing a complaint handling system and increasing customer satisfaction) and the ISO 9001:2015 certificate (quality management systems). During the same year, it obtained the King Abdulaziz Quality Award (silver level). The chamber was also granted the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award in its eighteenth session.