Kardashian-linked socialite tied to Saudi $300B fund
Carla DiBello is working with Saudi Arabian officials to help them make high-priced deals
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Florida businesswoman Carla DiBello has been seen and photographed with celebrities and influencers such as Kim Kardashian and Maria Menounos.
The Sarasota-based executive has worked as a contributor for Harper’s Bazaar Arabia, where she writes a column titled “A Very Modern Role Model.”
From left to right, Larsa Pippen, Kim Kardashian West, Maria Menounos and Carla DiBello pose for a selfie on July 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/WireImage)
Kris Jenner and Carla DiBello attend the Legacy International announcement launch party at Jean-Georges Dubai at Four Seasons Resort on April 12, 2016 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images)
But DiBello, who runs an advisory firm that works closely with the Middle East, has most recently made headlines for a different reason: she’s reportedly become an asset to Saudi Arabian officials.
The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg recently reported DiBello is working with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to advise officials on high-priced deals, such as the acquisition of Premier League’s Newcastle United soccer team, according to Bloomberg.
A PIF-backed group is reportedly considering buying the soccer team from U.K. billionaire Mike Ashley in a deal that could cost the Saudi consortium approximately 340 million pounds, or $440 million, Bloomberg reported.
A biography posted to DiBello’s personal website details how DiBello "personally secured and closed over a quarter billion dollar’s [sic] worth of transactions, representing international companies within the Middle East" and continues to do so.
DiBello runs CDB Advisory, “a full-service, client-focused boutique advisory firm specializing in bespoke consulting that bridges connections across private sectors throughout the Middle East and North America,” according to the company’s password-protected website.
DiBello serves as an intermediary between Saudi officials and international companies interested in making deals, setting up meetings or putting the two parties in touch with one another, according to the Journal.
The PIF – the “largest sovereign wealth fund in the world,” according to its website – was created to improve economic diversity in the Saudi region. The fund handles assets worth approximately $320 billion, the outlet reported.
She told people she had a hand in Saudi Arabia’s $15 billion deal with India-based Reliance Industries Ltd., according to the Journal, and is reportedly close with the PIF's top executive, Yasir al-Rumayyan.
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In the U.S., she is said to have facilitated a hard-to-get meeting between Rumayyan and an exec at Juul Labs Inc, the Journal reported, noting that the fund did not ultimately end up investing in the e-cigarette company.
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Her website describes how she’s worked in film and television production and has most recently been linked to documentaries being produced in the Middle East.
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DiBello's social media shows she often travels to Saudi Arabia and also portrays her glamorous, star-studded lifestyle. She's frequently photographed rubbing elbows with the Kardashians, boxer Floyd Mayweather, rapper Drake, model Bella Hadid and superstar entertainer Jennifer Lopez.