When Abdul Latif Jameel established his trading business in 1945, Saudi Arabia looked vastly different from the nation it is today. Yet the principles he embedded in that venture have guided its evolution into a multinational organization operating across more than 35 countries.

The business now employs over 11,000 people from more than 80 nationalities, spanning sectors from mobility and financial services to renewable energy and healthcare. The family-owned enterprise marks its 80th anniversary this year.

Abdul Latif Jameel began his career at the Customs Office, working his way up from an apprentice position. Those early experiences shaped his understanding of ordinary citizens’ struggles and opportunities. When he later succeeded as a merchant and trader, he recalled those formative years and began giving back to society.

Building Communities, Not Just Companies

The founder’s approach extended beyond conventional business practices. He built quality homes for employees’ families alongside healthcare facilities and social clubs, establishing communities with a family spirit. His business became the first private company to establish a vocational and management training facility.

Recognizing the personal and economic freedom offered by transportation, Abdul Latif Jameel pioneered installment-based sales for Toyota vehicles in the early 1960s. This innovation predated the formal consumer financial services market in Saudi Arabia and led to the foundation of Abdul Latif Jameel Finance in 1979.

The 1955 distribution deal with Toyota Motor Corporation proved transformative. That partnership, now spanning 70 years, helped mobilize Saudi society and transform the nation’s infrastructure from unsealed roads to modern highways and international airports.

Mohammed Jameel, son of the founder and current chairman, has guided the business while maintaining its core values. Under his leadership, the organization solidified four fundamental principles: respect, improve, pioneer and empower.

These values, known as The Jameel Principles, have helped the business navigate decades of technological revolution, globalization and societal change.

Technology as Pathway to Progress

The founder viewed technology as a means to improve life for everyone, not just a commercial opportunity. That philosophy continues through investments in cutting-edge ventures.

The family became founding shareholders in U.S.-based electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. Recent announcements include a memorandum of understanding with Joby Aviation to explore establishing a distribution agreement in Saudi Arabia for up to 200 electric air taxis, potentially valued at approximately $1 billion.

Abdul Latif Jameel made a strategic investment in Greaves Electric Mobility in 2022, one of India’s leading electric two and three-wheeler manufacturers. The agreement offers prospects for affordable and sustainable mobility in the world’s most populous nation.

The mobility sector expansion now includes distribution of Chinese brands MG Motor, GAC Motor, Changan and Geely Auto, extending the geographic automotive footprint to Australia, Poland, South Africa, UAE, UK, Italy and Iraq.

Renewable energy represents another major focus. Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV), part of Jameel Energy, manages a portfolio of solar photovoltaic renewable energy and battery storage projects across the Middle East, Australia, Europe and Latin America. FRV-X explores new technologies including green hydrogen, green ammonia and AI-powered energy efficiency solutions.

Almar Water Solutions, part of Jameel Environmental Services since 2016, operates major infrastructure projects from Chile to Australia. The portfolio includes one of the world’s largest desalination plants at Shuqaiq on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Coast, providing over 450,000 cubic meters daily to nearly 4 million people.

Philanthropy Embedded in Business Model

Mohammed Jameel founded Community Jameel as an independent global organization advancing science to help communities thrive. The organization has developed collaborations with MIT across four major centers: the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, whose co-founders won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics; the Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab; the Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab; and the Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health.

Community Jameel also co-founded the Abdul Latif Jameel Institute for Disease and Emergency Analytics with Imperial College London to combat disease threats worldwide. The Jameel Institute led critical modeling of COVID-19 spread.

The Jameel Clinic has driven breakthroughs including discovery of new antibiotics halicin and abaucin, and development of clinical AI tools such as Mirai and Sybil. Researchers at MIT CSAIL and Jameel Clinic recently announced the open-source release of Boltz-2, a biomolecular foundation model achieving best-in-class accuracy in predicting molecular structure and binding affinity.

The Jameel family’s job creation initiative, Bab Rizq Jameel, has secured opportunities for more than 1 million people across the MENA region, serving over 1,400 employers and providing 3 billion Saudi riyals in microloans to small and medium enterprises.

Mohammed Jameel serves as an MIT Corporation life member and received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II for philanthropic activities and support for arts and culture development.

The business philosophy remains rooted in the founder’s belief that serving others constitutes essential work. “Some people think their lives are made for them only,” Abdul Latif Jameel said in a 1981 newspaper interview. “They do not know that serving others is a huge, good deed.”

His children and grandchildren now run the business: Mohammed Jameel as chairman; Fady Jameel as vice chairman, international; Hassan Jameel as vice chairman, Saudi Arabia; along with Faisal Alsamannoudi and Hisham Hamza leading other divisions.

The versatile structure spanning multiple industries has allowed the organization to stay at the forefront during unprecedented global development. From a modest trading operation in 1945 to a diversified international business in 2025, the trajectory reflects both adaptability and unwavering commitment to foundational values.