Iyad bin Amin Madani is a Saudi politician who served in different cabinet posts. He was the secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation from 2014 to November 2016. He was the first Saudi official to hold that position.
Madani began his career as general director in a Saudi Airlines administrative office in 1970. Then, he joined media; he was editor-in-chief of Saudi Gazette until 1999, the first editor of the daily. At the same time he served as general director of the Okaz Organization for Press and Publication until his resignation in April 1993. He was appointed to the shoura council as a member. He served there until 1999 when he was appointed hajj minister. He was in office as Hajj minister from 1999 to February 2005. Next, he was appointed minister of culture and information in February 2005, replacing Fouad bin Abdulsalam Al Farsi, who in turn became Hajj minister. On 1 August 2005, Madani as information minister announced the death of King Fahd on state television. Madani was elected as the head of the Islamic International News Agency and the Organization of Islamic Broadcasting in 2007. He was in office as information minister until 2009 when he was replaced by Abdulaziz Al Khoja in the post. During his tenure, Madani drew criticisms from Saudi clerics due to his tolerance towards the publications that were questioning the strong effects of the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia. Then Madani was appointed chairman of the board of directors of Knowledge Economic City in Madinah on 10 March 2012, replacing Sami Mohsen Baroum. He also served as vice president of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Foundation for housing development. In November 2012, Saudi Arabia nominated Madani to the post of secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation at the 39th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of OIC member states in Djibouti. On 2 February 2013, Arab News reported that Madani would replace Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu as secretary-general of the OIC. His appointment was officially announced after the 12th Summit of the OIC in Cairo on 8 February 2013. Madani's term as secretary general of OIC was effective in January 2014. He resigned in October 2016, citing health issues, following Egyptian complaints after he mocked Egyptian presidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi for claiming to have had only water in his fridge for much of his life.
Madani was awarded by the Malaysian government the prize, the Darjah Kebesaran Panglima Setia Mahkota, in March 2009 due to his efforts in reinforcing solidarity of Muslim Ummah and his significant contributions in supporting the Saudi-Malaysian ties.
