JEDDAH, 27 January 2007 — The first ever newspaper supplement focusing exclusively on Saudi businesswomen was signed into existence last week.
The supplement, to be published annually, echoes the well-established Arab News Top 100 Saudi Companies annual supplement that ranks the performance of Saudi business as a whole.
“This is a real step forward in commercial publishing,” Arab News Editor in Chief Khaled Almaeena said at the signing ceremony here.
“We are proud to add this remarkable publication to the list of firsts that has characterized our publishing history. It recognizes in print the very considerable achievements and contributions that come from women in the Kingdom’s business environment,” he said. Basmah M. Omair and Nashwa A. Taher signed the contract on behalf of the Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“This agreement represents the first step in the raising of the profile of Saudi women in business,” said Taher after the signing.
“The increasing competitiveness of global business and the changing directions of the business world require that the Kingdom draws on the expertise of all business people, male and female,” she said.
The Saudi Businesswomen Top 20 Companies supplement will list companies owned and/or managed by women and will cover companies with commercial registration or licenses not only in Saudi Arabia but in other regions as well. To complement the supplement, Arab News will award prizes to the Top 20 winners at the Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center’s annual conference.
The criteria for ranking the competing companies will be: total revenue of the company, net profit per annum, total assets of the company, and the total number of employees.
The data, collected by the Khadijah Bint Khuwailid Center from chambers of commerce throughout the Kingdom, will be collated and checked by both Arab News and an independent financial consulting company. The final tables and classifications will appear in the supplement, planned for launch in mid-March.
