Samer Kurdi is the chairman of the board of Sunbulah Group, a diverse food company with operations in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
He is also the managing partner of Ika, the Kurdi family’s investment arm.
Kurdi, who gained a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from the American University, Washington, DC, in 1999, aims to use his experience to help inspire young entrepreneurs and promote small businesses.
He leads and chairs a number of entrepreneur groups and organizations, including the global nonprofit Entrepreneurs’ Organization. He is also on the panel of investors in the Saudi version of the TV show “Shark Tank,” offering his financial support for creative business ideas.
He has represented the Kingdom in a number of Saudi trade delegations, including the late King Abdullah’s visit to Italy and the Vatican in 2007, and King Salman’s trip to the US in 2015.
As well as the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, Kurdi has been a member of Al-Aghar Group, the Kingdom’s leading knowledge economy think tank, and Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, both of which seek to promote the business community in Saudi Arabia and around the world.
He supports several charity and nonprofit organizations and is a board member of Dar Al-Fikr Schools, one of the leading nonprofit schools in the Kingdom.
He is a member of the economic sustainability committee of the Prince Majed Society for Community Development, one of the most prestigious charitable associations in the country, a board member of the Namaa Al-Munawara Endowment, a pioneering initiative aimed at boosting economic and social development in the Madinah region, and a board member of the National Committee for the Care of Prisoners and Their Families.