The Al-Dabbagh Group, a family-run holding company with 62 companies around the world employing over 15,000 people, announces the appointment of a full-time leader for its global philanthropic activities.

David McMurtry, an experienced Silicon Valley high tech leader and entrepreneur, will serve as the CEO of Stars Foundation Ltd., which represents the global philanthropic arm of Al-Dabbagh Group. Stars Foundation has the mandate of overseeing, and ensuring total alignment in, the efforts of Al-Dabbagh Group in relation to the various philanthropic projects funded/ sponsored, directly or indirectly, by the Group. These projects include Stars Foundation (UK), the Philanthropreneurship Forum, Philanthropy U Inc. and the Game-Changing Initiatives.  The forgoing projects represent independent philanthropic initiatives that are driven by measurable impact and support the Group's mission to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.

McMurtry comes most recently from Habitat for Humanity International, where he was senior vice president for strategy, overseeing the non-profit housing organization’s global strategic planning and implementation.  He will be based temporarily in Berkeley, CA until a permanent office is established in Oakland, CA in early 2016.

Amr Al-Dabbagh, who most recently founded Philanthropy U Inc., the sponsor and concept developer of the Philanthropy University initiative which provides free online training for NGO staff and leaders around the world, said McMurtry will coordinate all of the Group's charitable projects and initiatives.  This will include Philanthropy University, powered by the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, which in September launched a suite of online classes led by distinguished leaders in the not-for-profit world.

McMurtry also will oversee support for the Stars Foundation, the London-based charitable center through which Al-Dabbagh Group contributes unrestricted support for high-quality local organizations that serve disadvantaged children in the 100 countries with the highest under-5 mortality rate according to Unicef.  His portfolio also will include oversight of the annual Philanthropreneurship Forum, hosted by the Stars Foundation, which brings leaders from business, government, academia and the NGO sector together for a day of deliberation and celebration of advancements in giving around the world.  The second annual Philanthropreneurship Forum takes place outside Paris, at Versailles Palace, on Dec. 12.

McMurtry also will work with the Al-Dabbagh Group companies as they develop and roll out game-changing philanthropic initiatives that bring their business expertise to bear on specific human needs, including housing, food initiatives, health and safety programs and more.

Prior to Habitat for Humanity, Mr McMurtry spent two decades building and working with technology companies including Intuit, Inc and he spent time in West Africa as an advisor to the microfinance organization Kiva.org, helping them expand their operations in Liberia.  At Habitat for Humanity, he brought his technology and management expertise to their $1.5B annual operation in more than 80 countries and drove the creation of the new 5-year strategic plan to increase both scale and impact on the challenge of affordable housing.  He is a Sloan Fellow with a Masters in Management from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and has an undergraduate business degree from California Polytechnic University at San Luis Obispo.

Al-Dabbagh Group is based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and is led by His Excellency Mr. Amr Al-Dabbagh.  The company operates within a corporate ethos of giving, earning and sustaining under which for each dollar distributed in dividends to members of the family that owns it, it donates an equal amount to philanthropy.

Stars Foundation (Al-Dabbagh Group)

Stars Foundation (Al-Dabbagh Group)

Stars Foundation, based in the U.K., invests in organisations and ideas that transform the lives of disadvantaged children and their communities globally. It is at the center of charitable activities of the Al-Dabbagh Group, a 50-year-old family conglomerate headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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