Alwaleed Philanthropies is pleased to announce that Her Royal Highness Princess Lamia Bint Majid Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies Global, has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University for the Creative Arts. HRH Princess Lamia was recognised for her exemplary work in championing women’s equality in the Middle East and abroad, as well as for her role as the first ever UN-Habitat Goodwill Ambassador for the Arab region. This recognition also celebrates Princess Lamia’s dedication to the promotion of arts and commitment to strengthening cultural solidarity, alongside her outstanding contribution to society guided by Alwaleed Philanthropies’ vision to contribute to a world of tolerance, acceptance, equality and opportunity for all.
The President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Creative Arts, Bashir Makhoul, awarded the degree during the 2023 Award Ceremony in London. The Ceremony was attended by other honoraries and the University’s Chancellor, Magdalene Odundo OBE.
The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) is one of the United Kingdom’s most prestigious specialist creative universities, having led the way in advancing creative education and research for over 150 years. It has been recognised as the second largest creative university in Europe supporting over 11,000 students across various courses. Previous recipients on Honorary Doctorates from UCA include world-famous artist Banksy, supermodel Naomi Campbell and British architect Norman Foster.
Commenting on receiving the distinction, HRH Princess Lamia said: “I am honoured to receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University for the Creative Arts. This distinction means a lot to me as it recognises the transformative impact of culture, arts and education in helping to create a world of inclusion and opportunity.”
She added “But as we continue on this journey, we cannot lose sight of the scale of the challenge. Cultural solidarity must be part of a wider commitment to inclusion in all parts of society, in particular for women. And in conjunction with our projects focused on cultural bridging we will continue our efforts to work towards gender equality and to ensure women play a leading role in the future economy and society.”
HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majid Al Saud has served as the Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies since 2016, leading the organisation’s efforts to empower women and youth and promote culture and arts across the Middle East and beyond. She has successfully established strong partnerships with global organisations participating in reducing inequalities including UNESCO, UNICEF, UN Women and the Red Cross. She notably holds a leading position as Global Champion for gender equality with the UN Women and is a member of the Generation Unlimited Champion Committee with UNICEF. She has also launched of the Alwaleed Cultural Network in December 2022, an international network of leading cultural institutions and universities with a shared ambition of strengthening inclusion, opportunity, and cross-cultural knowledge through education and the arts.
