NAUF ALBENDAR, known as H.H. Dr Nauf Bendar Al Saud, is an Imperial PhD graduate in clinical medicine and Lahd Gallery's founder. In 2005, in her early 20s, AlBendar broke the Saudi royal tradition by working full-time as an employed genetic researcher at the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and setting up Lahd Gallery as a focal point for women artists from the Gulf.

The gallery soon became a well-known exhibition space on the contemporary art scene, representing emerging and semi-established artists; it brought together the leading contemporary artworks from the MENASA region. AlBendar's primary focus is to promote the talents of contemporary MENASA art exclusively by making it accessible to the public as well as giving women artists of the region a voice and a hub. Today Lahd Gallery is considered a 'Pioneer in contemporary MENASA Art'. It was involved with several charitable events and organisations, including the Bobby Moore Foundation, Not On Our Watch, Marie Curie and the Caspian Arts Foundation.

In addition to her various ventures, AlBendar has been featured in several outlets worldwide, including MBC, Al Arabiya, Al Sharq Al Awsat, Korea Herald, The Brunei Times, Canvas Magazine, Modern Art Asia, Velvet, Arab News, The Guardian, Mayfair Times, The Art Newspaper and many others. She was shortlisted as the Woman of the Future in Arts, Media and Culture at the Women of the Future Awards in 2011 and as the Distinguished Honouree of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals: 2015 Progress Award.

H.H. Dr Nauf AlBendar graduated with a B.A. in Molecular genetics from King's College London and has a PhD in clinical medicine with an expertise in DOHaD from Imperial College London; she has had publications on her topic of interest and considers herself an unconventional artist in her free time.