Veteran Saudi publisher and media pioneer Mohamed Ali Hafez passed away on Sunday afternoon after a long career of influence and innovation that helped shape modern journalism in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.
Together with his brother Hisham Ali Hafez, who died on Feb. 26, 2006, Mohamed Ali Hafez was regarded as one of the leading figures in the publishing industry in the Middle East. The two brothers played a central role in taking Saudi media to unprecedented global horizons and establishing one of the region’s most influential publishing institutions.
Mohamed Ali Hafez belonged to the Hafez family, whose name became closely tied to the rise and development of Saudi journalism. The family’s media journey began with his father and uncle, Ali and Othman Hafez, who founded Al-Madina newspaper on April 7, 1937.
Considered one of Saudi Arabia’s earliest newspapers, Al-Madina became a true reflection of the aspirations of the Kingdom’s youth and the generations that accompanied its modern renaissance. Ali Hafez served as editor-in-chief until 1962, and the newspaper became a journalistic school that produced Mohamed and Hisham Ali Hafez, along with a generation of Saudi journalists.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Mohamed Ali Hafez assumed the editorship of Al-Madina after undergoing journalistic training in Egypt at the Akhbar Al-Yom publishing house under the supervision of its founder, Mustafa Amin.
At the age of 25, he became the youngest editor-in-chief of a Saudi newspaper, serving in the position until 1964.
Like their father and uncle before them, Mohamed and Hisham Ali Hafez formed a journalistic partnership that contributed significantly to the development of Arab media and publishing. The brothers succeeded in injecting a modern spirit into Arab journalism.
The defining turning point in Mohamed Ali Hafez’s career came when he decided to take Saudi media beyond local and regional boundaries and establish a media industry capable of competing with the world’s leading press institutions, not only in the Arab world. He also sought to break the monopoly of traditional Arab capitals over regional media influence.
That vision materialized with the launch of Asharq Al-Awsat from London as the first international Arabic-language newspaper to be printed and distributed simultaneously in several world capitals, a milestone that elevated Saudi media into the ranks of major international institutions.
The launch of Asharq Al-Awsat was preceded by the founding of Arab News, the first Saudi English-language daily newspaper.
Under the umbrella of the Saudi Research and Marketing Group - now the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) - which he helped establish and served on its boards, Mohamed Ali Hafez and his brother built a vast publishing network that issued dozens of publications in multiple languages, including Arabic, English and Indian languages.
His entrepreneurial vision also extended to establishing supporting companies in printing, marketing, advertising, media services and technology.
SRMG went on to become the largest integrated Arab media group and one of the world’s leading media institutions, providing publishing, broadcasting, distribution, printing, advertising and intellectual production services targeting audiences across the Arab world and internationally.
With the group’s major expansion since 2022, SRMG forged global media partnerships, most notably with Bloomberg and The Independent, alongside the launch of Asharq News and several digital platforms focused on news, sports, entertainment and technology.
Mohamed Ali Hafez was a journalist by instinct and a media visionary by intuition. He possessed an exceptional ability to recognize defining moments that shape events.
His initiative with his brother to establish Saudi publications in London in the mid-1970s was followed by the creation of an integrated media network that remains among the largest media institutions in the world.
Despite his extensive administrative and founding responsibilities, Mohamed Ali Hafez never abandoned writing. Readers knew him as a distinguished columnist with sound judgment through his famous daily column “Sabah Al-Khair” (“Good Morning”), which appeared in the pages of Al-Madina, Okaz, Asharq Al-Awsat and Aleqtisadiah newspapers.
