40 years of the Saïd Foundation in the UK celebrated

Scholars, alumni, partners and friends of the Saïd Foundation gathered on 6 June to mark 40 years since the Foundation’s establishment in the UK.

The Karim Rida Saïd Foundation, founded by Mr Wafic Rida Saïd and Mrs Rosemary Saïd in memory of their son, was registered in the UK as a charity in 1986, and renamed as the Saïd Foundation in 2008.

The Foundation’s 2026 annual lunch celebrated the generosity and commitment of Mr and Mrs Saïd. After more than four decades, they have this year retired from the board of the Foundation, taking up new roles as the organisation’s Founders and Patrons.

To mark the occasion, the Foundation commissioned a short film showcasing its activities and achievements, including contributions from around 20 people involved in its work over the past 40 years.

Introducing the film, Mr Khaled Saïd, Chair of the Foundation, paid tribute to Mr and Mrs Saïd and said that he and Dr Rasha Saïd, Deputy Chair, hoped to emulate their leadership and vision as they took forward the work of the Foundation.

Since its establishment, the Foundation has funded scholarships for well over a thousand students from Syria, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan in the UK and the Middle East. It has also provided more than 860 MBA and DPhil Scholarships at Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford for students from around the world.