Wikipedia

Badr Jafar

Badr Jafar
بدر جعفر
Badr Jafar at COP28
Born (1979-08-09) August 9, 1979 (age 46)
Sharjah, UAE
CitizenshipEmirati
Alma materEton College
Cambridge University
SpouseRazan Khalifa Al Mubarak
RelativesMajid Jafar (brother)
Websitebadrjafar.com

Badr Jafar (Arabic: بدر حميد جعفر‎; born 1979) is an Emirati businessperson[1] and appointed Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy for the United Arab Emirates.[2][3][4][5] He is the chief executive officer of Crescent Enterprises, a UAE-based conglomerate.[6]

Early life and education

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Badr Jafar was born and raised in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.[7] In 1994, he continued his education at Eton College and graduated from the University of Cambridge with a master’s degree in engineering and additional studies in astrophysics. Jafar subsequently attended the Cambridge Judge Business School.[8][7]

Jafar is a member of the advisory boards of the Cambridge Judge Business School,[9] the American University of Beirut,[10] the American University of Sharjah,[11] and a member of the board of trustees of Zayed University.[12] He is a foundation fellow of Eton College[13][14][15] and holds an Honorary Fellowship from London Business School.[16][17]

Career

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Badr Jafar is the chief executive officer of Crescent Enterprises, a conglomerate headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. He is the president of Crescent Enterprises’ sister company Crescent Petroleum, chairman of Pearl Petroleum, which develops natural gas assets in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and chairman of the executive board of the port and logistics operator Gulftainer.[18][19][20][21]

In 2011, Jafar was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and is a member of its stewardship board.[22] He also serves as the chairman of Endeavor UAE[23] and is an advisory board member of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre (Sheraa) and Gaza Sky Geeks.[24]

In 2015, he was appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to the High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing,[25] and was subsequently appointed to UNESCO’s Futures of Education International Commission that was established in 2019.[26]

He served as the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) Special Representative for Business and Philanthropy and chaired the inaugural COP28 Business & Philanthropy Forum.[27][28][29]

In May 2024, he was awarded the First Class Order of Zayed II by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.[30][31]

In September 2024, he was appointed as a Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy for the UAE by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.[32][33][34][35]

Other activities

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Jafar is the founder of the Pearl Initiative, a non-profit organization launched in 2010 at the United Nations, which promotes corporate governance across the countries that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council.[36][37]

In 2011, he partnered with music producer Quincy Jones to create Global Gumbo Group to develop music and arts ventures in the Middle East.[38] The group launched Dubai Music Week in 2013.[39] They produced a charity single titled Tomorrow/Bokra (Arabic: بكرا) to raise funds for educational arts projects for displaced youth in the Middle East.[40][41]

In 2011, Jafar launched the Middle East Theatre Academy (META), a non-profit theatre academy to discover talent from marginalized communities in the region.[42][43][44]

In 2014, Jafar launched the Arab World Social Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with Ashoka.[45] In the same year, the Kennedy Centre honored him with a gold medal in the Arts.[46][47]

He is on the board of advisors of the International Rescue Committee (IRC),[48] the US-based Milken Institute for strategic philanthropy,[49] the Middle East Institute, and the board of directors of the International Peace Institute.[50][51]

In 2018, Jafar and his wife joined The Giving Pledge, a philanthropic initiative launched by Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett.[52] He is also the Founding Patron of the Centre for Strategic Philanthropy based at the University of Cambridge.[53]

Personal life

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He is married to Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, the managing director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and the current president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They have two children.[54][55][56]

References

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  1. ^ Saeed, Saeed (2014-08-05). "We speak to Badr Jafar, the celebrated Emirati executive who mixed his passion for the arts and business skills to create the Middle East Theatre Academy and Dubai Music Week". The National. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  2. ^ Hope, Bradley (3 December 2009). "Crescent's Badr Jafar has world at his feet". The National. Retrieved 5 Nov 2021.
  3. ^ "UAE appoints Badr Jafar as Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  4. ^ "Unlocking Frontier Markets: Private sector leadership key to reshaping global development". Arab News. 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  5. ^ "Badr Jafar named UAE special envoy for business and philanthropy". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  6. ^ Hope, Bradley. "Crescent's Badr Jafar has world at his feet". The National. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  7. ^ a b "Supporting diversity and innovation". gulfnews.com. 2 December 2016. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  8. ^ "UNITED ARAB EMIRATES : Badr Jafar - the businessman 2.0 taking hold in the UAE". Intelligence Online. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
  9. ^ "How to avoid the common mistakes when doing business in the Middle East". Cambridge Judge Business School. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  10. ^ "International Advisory Council". www.aub.edu.lb. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  11. ^ "Sharjah Ruler attends launch of Cambridge Judge Business School Middle East Leadership Research Centre". American University of Sharjah. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  12. ^ "Badr Jafar". UAE-UK Business Council. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  13. ^ "International Advisory Council (IAC)". American University of Beirut. Archived from the original on 2014-08-12. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Advisory Board". Cambridge Judge Business School. Retrieved 2021-12-24.
  15. ^ "Sharjah Ruler attends launch of Cambridge Judge Business School Middle East Leadership Research Centre". American University of Sharjah. 2014-05-14. Retrieved 2022-01-06.
  16. ^ "Badr Jafar receives honorary fellowship from London Business School". Gulf News. July 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "Badr Jafar awarded Honorary Fellowship by London Business School".
  18. ^ Saeed, Saeed (2014-08-05). "We speak to Badr Jafar, the celebrated Emirati executive who mixed his passion for the arts and business skills to create the Middle East Theatre Academy and Dubai Music Week". The National. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  19. ^ Hope, Bradley. "Crescent's Badr Jafar has world at his feet". The National. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  20. ^ "Badr Jafar receives honorary fellowship from London Business School". Gulf News. July 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Plenty of 'exciting' opportunities in US ports, infrastructure, says Badr Jafar". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2018-10-14. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  22. ^ "INTERVIEW: Dubai-based CEO Badr Jafar moves the needle at Davos". Arab News. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  23. ^ "UAE : Badr Jafar, the businessman 2.0 taking hold in the UAE". Intelligence Online. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  24. ^ "Badr Jafar to be keynote speaker at SUCCESS 2020 event". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  25. ^ "UN appoints panel to address humanitarian funding gap". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  26. ^ "UAE based Badr Jafar appointed to the UNESCO's Futures of Education International Commission". Gulf News. 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  27. ^ Thomas, Aby Sam (2024-03-01). "A Decade In Review: Badr Jafar, CEO, Crescent Enterprises". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  28. ^ Sun, Daily (23 May 2024). "UAE President honours global dignitaries for contributions to success of COP28". daily-sun. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  29. ^ "UAE President honours global dignitaries for contributions to success of COP28". www.mohamedbinzayed.ae. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
  30. ^ Badam, Ramola Talwar. "Climate champions awarded for efforts to ensure success of Cop28". The National.
  31. ^ "UAE President honours global dignitaries for contributions to success of COP28". www.mediaoffice.abudhabi.
  32. ^ "H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Appoints Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy". www.mofa.gov.ae. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  33. ^ "UAE appoints Badr Jafar as Special Envoy for Business and Philanthropy". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  34. ^ "Badr Jafar named UAE special envoy for business and philanthropy". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  35. ^ "Unlocking Frontier Markets: Private sector leadership key to reshaping global development". Arab News. 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  36. ^ "Badr Jafar | Gulf Business". 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  37. ^ Booth, Harry (2025-05-20). "TIME100 Philanthropy: Badr Jafar". TIME. Retrieved 2025-07-04.
  38. ^ "Arab music stars, Quincy Jones produce charity record". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  39. ^ "Dubai World Trade Centre - Now that's a Wrap! Dubai Music Week 2013". dwtc.com. 2022-08-29. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  40. ^ Elwazer, Schams (2011-11-28). "Quincy Jones Arab charity song goes viral". CNN. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  41. ^ "'Tomorrow/Bokra' to be relaunched with new collaborations". Gulf News. 2021-11-10. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  42. ^ Saeed, Saeed. "Badr Jafar: Changing the face of performing arts in the UAE". The National. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  43. ^ "Kevin Spacey theatre workshops in Sharjah". Time Out Abu Dhabi. 2015-01-13. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  44. ^ "Kevin Spacey to open academy in Dubai". www.emirates247.com. 2011-02-07. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  45. ^ "Ashoka launches Gulf platform for social entrepreneurship". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  46. ^ "Crescent Enterprises CEO Badr Jafar honoured for bridging cultures". thepeninsulaqatar.com. 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  47. ^ Jafar, Badr (2014-07-13). "Crescent Entreprises CEO Badr Jafar On Helping Sharjah's Future Entrepreneurs". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  48. ^ "Badr Jafar: Milken Institute". milkeninstitute.org. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  49. ^ "Badr Jafar: Milken Institute". milkeninstitute.org. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  50. ^ "LEADERS Interview with Badr Jafar, Chief Executive Officer, Crescent Enterprises". www.leadersmag.com. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  51. ^ Jafar, Badr. "Badr Jafar - Author Biography". Entrepreneur.
  52. ^ "UAE businessmen donate half their wealth to Bill Gates' Giving Pledge". www.arabianbusiness.com. 2018-05-31. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  53. ^ "Cambridge University philanthropy school to focus on Middle East, Asia and Africa". The National. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  54. ^ "TIME100 Philanthropy Celebrates Leaders Shaping The Future Of Giving | Press Release Network - News distribution & media monitoring service". 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  55. ^ Bourke, India (2021-10-27). "IUCN's Al Mubarak: the conservation leader who says we can work with oil majors". New Statesman. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
  56. ^ "H.E. Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak". www.ead.gov.ae. Retrieved 2025-06-23.
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