Othman Al Omeir
Othman Al Omeir is a Saudi-born British businessman, journalist and editor. He is considered to be close to several Saudi rulers, including the incumbent King Salman and former rulers King Fahd, King Hassan II and Hassan bin Talal.
Early life and education
Al Omeir was born in Al Zulfi in 1950. His father was a Qutab teacher for a mosque in Al Zulfi. Al Omeir is a graduate of Madinah University.Journalism
Al Omeir began his career as a junior sports correspondent for Al Jazirah newspaper in Saudi Arabia in the early 1970s. Soon, he became managing editor and London correspondent of the paper. During his time as the London correspondent, he studied the English language, and his tenure lasted until 1983. He then began to serve as editor-in-chief of The Majalla magazine from 1983 to 1987. Next, he became editor-in-chief of Alsharq Alawsat and worked in this post for ten years. Both The Majalla and Alsharq Alawsat are owned by the Saudi Research and Marketing Group. He also worked as the editor-in-chief of Al Yaum and was a member of the board of directors of Al Jazirah. During his journalism career, he interviewed major world leaders, including George W. Bush, Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Kohl, Jacques Chirac, Mikhail Gorbachev and King Fahd.On 21 May 2001, he launched the first independent Arabic e-newspaper, Elaph, based in London. London was chosen as the center of the website to be free from the censorship rules of Saudi Arabia and also to offer liberal viewpoints, particularly in opposition to religious radicalism. Al Omeir continues his interviews in Elaph. In July 2013 he interviewed Bahraini ruler King Hamad.
In September 2021 Al Omeir launched the Arabic version of How to Spend It, a weekly luxury magazine by Financial Times. HTSI Arabic is also published in London like Elaph.