| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Profession(s) | Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, Art Promoter, Columnist |
| Physical Stats | |
| Height (approx.) | 6' (183 cm) |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Pepper |
| Career | |
| Awards, Honours, Achievements | • 2019: Grace Hopper Fellow – Yale University, New Haven, USA • 2016: MEI Scholar – Middle East Institute, Washington DC, USA • 2016: United Nations Foundation Global Journalist Corps, New York, USA • 2015: Honorary Senior Fellow – Regent’s University London, UK • 2014-2016: MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA • 2011: Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar – Aspen Institute, Washington DC, USA • 2010: Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Patron of the Arts Award, Dubai, UAE • 2005: Sheikh Rashid Award for Academic Excellence, Dubai, UAE |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 1 January 1978 (Sunday) |
| Age (as of 2025) | 47 Years |
| Birthplace | Sharjah, UAE |
| Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Hometown | Sharjah, UAE |
| School | Al Maarifa Private School, Sharjah (1994) |
| College/University | • American University of Paris, Paris, France (1998) • European Business School, London, UK (2004) • Stanford Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) (2013) • Yale University (2018) |
| Educational Qualification(s) | • BSc International Business Administration at American University of Paris, Paris, France (1998) • MSc Global Banking and Finance at European Business School, London, UK (2004) |
| Religion | Islam |
| Social Media | • Instagram • YouTube |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Family | |
| Parents | Father- Saoud bin Khaled Al Qassimi (entrepreneur) Mother- Teacher |
| Children |  |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi
- Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi grew up in Dubai.
- At a very young age, he started developing an interest in collecting art pieces.
- From 1998, he has been serving as the managing director and partner at Al Saud Co., Sharjah.
- Sultan has co-founded a few organisations like AX Studio, Dubai (2000) and Meem Gallery, Dubai (2007).
- He started a joint venture, Barjeel Geojit, along with Geojit Financial Services of India in 2000. The company has won Best Performing Financial Advisor in the NRI Category at the CNBC-TV18 Financial Advisor Awards eight times.
- He has started a few firms like Barjeel Securities, Dubai (2001) and Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah (2010).
- He is a well-known columnist, writer, and commentator on topics like art, culture, youth and politics of the Arab world. From 2008 to 2011, he worked as a regular columnist at The National, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He then joined Gulf News, Dubai, as a regular columnist.
- From 2008 to 2010, he was appointed as the chairman of Young Arab Leaders, UAE Chapter, Dubai. Some of his leadership programs are International Visitor Leadership Program, Washington DC (2011), 50th Anniversary International Achievement Summit, Washington DC (2012), The Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program on Democracy and Development Stanford University, California (2013), MELI Fellow- The Aspen Institute- Aspen Global Leadership Network (2016), and World Fellow Yale, Greenberg World Fellows Program, New Haven (2018).
- Sultan has also taught at various universities such as Dubai Men’s College, Dubai, (2008), Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government, Dubai (2009), Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies, New York University (2017), Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, Yale University (2019), and Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University (2019).
- He holds directorships in various companies like Gulf Investments Services, Muscat (2001), Sohar University, Sohar (2001), Geojit Securities, Kochi (2002), and Globinvest Holding Company, Muscat (2002).
- From 2008 to 2012, he served on the advisory board of the UAE University, College of Business and Economics, Al Ain, UAE. In 2010, he was appointed to one of the advisory boards in Art Dubai, Dubai, UAE. Some of his other board appointments are Middle Eastern Circle, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA (2013), Co-Chair of the Global Vision Initiative at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA (2016), Board of Trustees, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, USA (2016), and Academic Advisory Board, Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation, Dubai, UAE (2017).
- He started an art foundation named Barjeel Art Foundation, focusing on art from North Africa and West Asia in 2010.
Art Collection at Barjeel Art Foundation
- In 2010, 2011, and 2016, he was one of the judges at Sheikha Manal’s Young Artist Award.
- He was listed in the 2011 World Economic Forum’s list of Young Global Leaders as the Chairman of Barjeel Geojit Securities.
- Sultan joined the Global Commission on Internet Governance in 2014. In the same year, he became a member of the MIT Media Lab Director’s Fellow.
- In 2015, he started working at Art Dubai, UAE and Kuwait as a co-director.
- In 2017, he was one of the jury members in the Jury and Selection Committee of the Christo and Jeanne-Claude Award.
- He was ranked no. 19 in 2018 by The Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute’s Global Influence list of Arabic thought leaders.
- He has been serving as the Chairman of Barjeel Geojit Securities for a few years.
- In July 2020, his art foundation displayed its collection Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s-1980s.
- His articles have been published by various publications like Foreign Policy, The Guardian, The Independent, and CNN.
- Sultan is an avid animal lover and owns a few pet dogs named Darko, Sally, Kawkab, and Shamsa.
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi and his pet dogs
- He has appeared as a speaker, lecturer, and moderator at various events. His lectures are mainly on topics like unemployment, social media, the Arab Spring, and the politics of Middle Eastern art. Some of his events are:
- Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan: first Arab to deliver the Josh Rosenthal Education Fund Lecture
- The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University: talk on Arab Spring
- A series of talks on Gulf States’ emergence as cultural, scientific, and educational hubs at New York University Abu Dhabi, Middle East Institute in Washington DC, Columbia University Global Centre in Amman, Jordan
- A series of talks on the political undercurrents of major Middle Eastern artworks at New York University, London School of Economics, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Zayed University and the University of Cambridge.
- In his leisure time, he enjoys travelling to various places.
Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi during his vacation
- He is fluent in various languages like Arabic, English, and French.
- He has been featured in various magazines like Time Magazine, Foreign Policy, Forbes Arabia, and Al Monitor.
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