JEDDAH — Former Okaz Organization for press and publications General Manager Dr. Walid Jameel Qattan passed away on Friday at the age of 71 after a long illness, leaving behind a distinguished legacy in Saudi Arabia’s media and administrative sectors.
Dr. Qattan was regarded as one of the key figures who played a major role in shaping and modernizing institutional work within Okaz Organization, particularly in the areas of administration, marketing, revenue development and financial sustainability during a transformative period for Saudi media institutions.
Born in Jeddah in 1955, Qattan completed his early education in the city before earning a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Cairo University in 1978, a background that later influenced his understanding of the relationship between media and economics.
Qattan began his professional journey at Okaz in 1980 and spent more than four decades serving in various leadership positions across administration, distribution, public relations, revenue and marketing departments.
He later established Okaz’s marketing division, a move that contributed significantly to diversifying the organization’s revenue streams and strengthening its advertising presence amid rapid changes in the media industry.
Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become assistant general manager, deputy general manager for financial resource development, deputy general manager and eventually general manager of the orgnization in 2002.
His tenure was associated with major institutional development across operations, marketing and resource management, helping reinforce Okaz’s position in a highly competitive media landscape.
During his career, Qattan worked alongside several prominent editors-in-chief and media leaders, including Dr. Eyad Madani, Dr. Hashim Abdo Hashim and current Editor-in-Chief Jameel Al-Theyabi.
He was also considered among the first Saudi media executives to champion the idea of developing sustainable economic models for newspaper institutions while preserving professional and editorial standards.
Beyond his work at Okaz, Qattan represented the organization at numerous regional and international conferences related to advertising, media development and newspaper distribution.
He held memberships in several organizations, including the International Advertising Association, the National Advertising Committee, the Advertising and Promotion Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the GCC Advertising Association Board.
Academically, he earned a master’s degree in quality management in 2007 and a doctorate in newspaper institution quality management in 2009 from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
With his passing, Saudi journalism loses one of its most prominent administrative leaders and one of the figures most closely associated with the institutional transformation of Okaz over the past decades.
Okaz mourned Dr. Walid Qattan and extended its condolences to his family and loved ones, praying for mercy and forgiveness for the late media executive.
Source: Saudi Gazette