JEDDAH, 13 October 2004 — The first Italian all-women delegation of businesswomen and academics met with Saudi businesswomen at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) yesterday.
Syeda Khadija bint Khuwailid Center — a center for Saudi businesswomen — organized a brief lunch/social event bringing together Italian and Saudi women after their visit to Riyadh.
The delegation was drawn from education, telecommunication, pharmaceutical and architecture sectors. They were eager to establish business and communication links with Saudi businesswomen; this represented a unique opportunity.
Ghassan Sulaiman of the JCCI welcomed the group. Dr. Nadia Baeshen, the general manager of Syeda Khadija bint Khuwailid Center, gave a presentation about the history and development of Saudi businesswomen, the JCCI and the center.
The delegation and the Saudi businesswomen exchanged details of specialties which included fashion, health and beauty, art, education, gourmet shops, flower shops, furniture, PR, and chocolate.
Dr. Baeshen gave another brief presentation on the city of Jeddah and its history. Italian Consul General Lelio Crivellaro said: “This is an opportunity for better understanding and communication between the people from both countries. It opens channels of communication and removes some of the misunderstandings and fears.
“There is no clash of civilizations. It is a matter of taking every single opportunity for exchanging information, understanding and experience.”
As part of their brief tour of Jeddah, the delegation, the consul general and the commercial attache visited the Arab News office in Jeddah and met with the staff in an informal setting.
Sara Al-Otaiby of Sayidaty magazine, a sister publication of Arab News, attended the meeting. She told the delegation, “Saudi women have been in the media for 45 years. The first editor in chief of Sayidaty magazine was a woman and that was 25 years ago.”
Among the questions the delegation asked was whether there was a public association for journalists and whether women were members.
Marialina Marcucci, the managing director of Ultima Communication and Business Research, said: “One of the reasons of their visit is to establish connections with the Kingdom.”
Randa Eid, publisher of specialized magazines and books, told Arab News that “Italians were fascinated by the Arab female journalists who visited Italy recently as part of an exchange program.”
