Saleh Kamel

Saleh Abdullah Kamel (1941 - 2020) is a Saudi businessman, media person, and economist. He invested in the field of media and was the owner of the Arab Radio and Television Network (ART).

Saleh Kamel was born in Makkah al-Mukarramah. He was enrolled in al-Kuttab (elementary schools). He then enrolled in formal education until he completed general secondary education and joined the College of Business Administration at King Saud University in Riyadh.

He entered the world of business at an early age. He used to sell Balila and children's toys he used to make. He also worked as a Tawaf during the Hajj season. He worked as a merchant later. He used to sell sports apparel and scout tools to students. He worked in photocopying and printing university notes. During his university studies, he opened a small shop in the vicinity of the university to sell notes to students.

Upon graduating from King Saud University, Saleh Kamel was appointed at the Ministry of Finance for ten years. He established Dallah in 1969 in Riyadh City. He entered the field of operation and maintenance and contributed to operating several government projects, including the mobile mail services project between Saudi cities, where he was a contractor for the Ministry of Post, Telegraph, and Telephone. He also operated electrical and mechanical equipment at Jeddah Port, the projects of cleaning the Two Holy Mosques, and the project of cleaning Jeddah City, among others. Saleh Kamel established several Islamic banks in many countries. He launched the annual al-Baraka Forum for Islamic Economy.

Saleh Kamel managed more than three hundred companies, banks, and establishments in forty-five countries, including Dallah al-Baraka Group, which is a group of major companies operating in real estate, tourism, and investment, al-Barakah Banking Group, and al-Tawfeeq Financial Group. He was the chairman of the board of directors of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce for two terms and the chairman of the board of directors of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture. He was a member of the board of trustees of King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity (Mawhiba) and the deputy chairman of the board of trustees of the Arab Thought Foundation. He established non-profit institutions to serve the economy and technology in the Kingdom and abroad. He launched the Arab Radio and Television Network (ART) and Iqraa channel broadcasting in three languages.

Saleh Kamel has received several medals, awards, and honors, including the Order of King Abdulaziz (First Class) for Distinguished Businessmen, the Order of the Two Niles from Sudan, the Order of Independence from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Medal of Independence from the Kingdom of Morocco, and the title of Dato' Sri from Malaysia.

He died on May 18, 2020, at the age of eighty.