Prior to that, he founded and managed a number of companies in Jordan, mainly in the industrial sector. Al-Salem also has an extensive record of public service that spans over 12 years starting as a Member of the Board of the Central Bank of Jordan in the year 2000 and as the Minister of Labor, Minister of Finance, and a Senator in the Upper House of the Jordanian Parliament.
Today, Al-Salem continues to serve on the boards of several organizations in the private and public sectors such as Queen Rania Foundation and University of Jordan. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College – UK