Faisal Abbas

Editor-in-Chief, Arab News

Faisal J. Abbas is the Editor-in-Chief of the Riyadh-based leading Middle East English language daily, Arab News. He has held this position since September 2016. He also serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Saudi Journalists Association (SJA) in January 2024.Under his editorship, Arab News (established in 1975) relaunched with a more global, more digital direction. It has expanded its international presence through several new editions including Japanese, French and Pakistan.  

Prior to joining the Arab News, Abbas has been the Editor- in-Chief of the Dubai-based English language news site of Al Arabiya News Channel, where he still serves as an editorial board member. 

Abbas is a renowned columnist on Arab-international affairs, he also appears regularly as a political commentator on CNN International, BBC World and Sky News (UK).

Throughout his career, he has interviewed several world leaders; among the latest were Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, Pakistani President Arif Alvi, Coptic Pope Tawadros II of Egypt, Former Japanese Foreign and Defense Minister Taro Kono.

He has previously written for Newsweek, Foreign Policy, The Huffington Post and worked with both Asharq Al Awsat and Al Hayat leading pan-Arab daily newspapers.

Abbas is associate fellow of the Cambridge Union Society and a member of the British Society of Authors. He is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders network, and an alumnus of the US State Department’s Edward R. Murrow International Visitor Program for Journalists.

He has been the recipient of many media awards, including the UK’s Next Century Foundation’s Cutting-Edge Award (2009) for efforts in bridging the communication gap between the West and the Arab World, and British Council’s UK alumni “Social Impact” award in Saudi Arabia (2017).

Abbas holds a master’s degree from the University of Westminster and a bachelor’s degree from the Lebanese American University. He is also a graduate of the Executive Education Program of the Harvard Kennedy School, where he studied Global Leadership and Public Policy; and has completed a Leadership module at the Judge Business School of the University of Cambridge.

In 2024, Abbas published ‘Anecdotes of an Arab Anglophile’ (Nomad Publishing – UK). The book has been described as “an elegant dance between anthropology, history, satire and autobiography” by legendary Saudi journalist Othman al-Omeir. It was also described as a “treat which furthers much needed cross-cultural understanding” by Chris Doyle, Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) and has been endorsed by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the UK HRH Prince Khalid Bin Bandar bin Sultan and the Rt. Honorable Alistair Burt, Britian’s former Middle East Minister.