Al-Qassabi declared that Saudi Arabia’s inclusion in MSCI’s emerging market is recognition of its efficiency in satisfying global markets’ needs Al-Qassabi was born in 1959 in Jeddah to one of the biggest real estate owners in the Kingdom Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qassabi is the minister of commerce and investment in Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, the minister declared that Saudi Arabia’s inclusion in MSCI’s emerging market is recognition of its efficiency in satisfying global markets’ needs. He also highlighted the importance of seizing the day with milestones like these by expanding the liquidity of Saudi’s financial markets through an increase in investments and creating diverse opportunities for investors and traders. Al-Qassabi was born in 1959 in Jeddah to one of the biggest real estate owners in the Kingdom. He received his schooling in Jeddah, before he earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Portland, Oregon, in 1981. He then received two master’s degrees: Engineering management from the University of Missouri in 1983 and civil engineering from UC Berkeley in 1982. After that, he returned to Missouri to pursue a doctorate in engineering management in 1985. The current minister became a professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah for 11 years, before serving as the secretary-general of Jeddah’s Chamber of Commerce in 1998. In 2002, he was appointed as the director general of the Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud Foundation, then became an adviser to the crown prince’s court in 2010. Al-Qassabi sits on many boards and serves as a member of major Saudi charities such as the Council of Saudi Ports Authority Management, the High Commission for the Development of Hail, the Centennial Fund and the Supreme Economic Council.