The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Al-Watan newspaper, Hisham Abdul Rahman Al Rais, issued a decision appointing Faisal Al-Ali as editor-in-chief of Al-Watan newspaper, within the framework of the newspaper’s strategy for media transformation and development, which aims to continue enhancing institutional performance and expanding the areas of journalistic and digital work in line with the aspirations of the next stage.
The Board of Directors also approved a number of new leadership appointments based on what was submitted by Managing Director Moaz Busaiba. The decisions included the appointment of:
• Salman Al Wardi, Director of Operations
• Issa Al Ustadz, Director of Corporate Communications.
• Zahraa Habib, head of the editors department.
• Nasser Mohammed, head of visual production.
• Abdullah Mal Allah, supervisor of digital platforms.
The Chairman of the newspaper’s Board of Directors stressed that these appointments come as an embodiment of Al-Watan’s approach to empowering national competencies and providing the opportunity for young leaders to assume positions of responsibility, within the framework of the continuous development and modernization process that the newspaper is implementing to enhance its presence and influence in the national media scene.
He added that the next stage will witness qualitative steps in the path of digital transformation and expansion of specialized content, which reflects the newspaper’s vision of providing balanced and purposeful modern media that enhances its national message, and is in line with the Kingdom’s trends in innovation and media modernization.
For his part, Managing Director Moaz Busaiba confirmed that these appointments come in implementation of the development plans approved by the Board of Directors, and represent a new phase of institutional work based on efficiency and team spirit, noting that the newspaper is proceeding at a steady pace in implementing the comprehensive transformation plan that aims to improve editorial, digital and administrative performance.
Busaiba explained that Al-Watan’s development strategy is based on empowering young Bahraini talents and providing a work environment that stimulates creativity and excellence, which contributes to achieving the newspaper’s goals and its future vision to be a model in professional and responsible national media.
In turn, Editor-in-Chief Faisal Al-Ali stressed that the next stage will witness strengthening integration between the editorial and production departments within the framework of the comprehensive development plan, noting that the newspaper will continue to provide professional national content that reflects the confidence of the reader, and supports the Kingdom of Bahrain’s directions towards a renewed and responsible professional media.
Faisal Al-Ali is considered one of the Bahraini media professionals with extensive experience, as Al-Ali held a number of positions in the Ministry of Information Affairs and the National Communication Centre. He was also seconded for several years to participate in covering official visits and high-level conferences inside and outside the Kingdom of Bahrain within the national media delegations, in addition to his membership in the Board of Directors of the Bahrain Journalists Association and his presidency of the Media and Artificial Intelligence Committee.
During his period of managing digital content, Al-Watan newspaper achieved the Prime Minister’s Award for Journalism for the year 2025, in recognition of its efforts in developing digital media performance and enhancing the national media’s presence on modern platforms.
