Saudi businessman Dr. Ghassan Al Sulaiman has been appointed as Governor of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises.
Dr. Ghassan Al Sulaiman (biography), a prominent Jeddah businessman, is the chairman of a large number of companies in Saudi Arabia and abroad including Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Development Company, Ghassan Ahmed Al Sulaiman Furniture Company (IKEA), Saudi Venture Capital Investment Company, and Bahrain-based Venture Capital Bank.
Born to a prominent family from Central Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ghassan Al Sulaiman is a grandson of Sheikh Abdullah Al Sulaiman, the first Saudi minister of finance, and a nephew of billionaire businessman Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sulaiman (biography).
Dr. Ghassan received a PhD in Business Administration in 2004 from Hull University, an MBA with honors from University of San Francisco in 1980, and a BSc in Business Administration from Menlo College.
The General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises is a new government agency whose mandate is to develop and support small- and medium-size enterprises in Saudi Arabia. It takes over the functions of the SME units of the Saudi Credit and Savings Bank and the Ministry of Commerce and Investment.
The appointment of Dr. Ghassan Al Sulaiman was announced by H.E. Dr. Majid Abdullah Al Kassabi, the Minister of Commerce and Investment and Chairman of the Board of the General Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises.