Al-Ayed wants smart goals for JCCI

Women can contribute a great deal to the work of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), according to a female candidate competing in the upcoming elections for a position on the organization’s board of directors.
Sarah Al-Ayed is one of nine women standing as candidates in the elections. This is the third time women are contesting board positions in the 21 years elections have taken place.
Al-Ayed said she has worked with the chamber for a long time, having served on the first committee for Jeddah businesswomen and worked for the Jeddah Economic Forum for four years. She is currently on the Jeddah young businesswomen’s committee. “So I know the chamber very well and there is so much opportunity to do more and contribute further,” she said.
She said the JCCI has come a long way. Previously women’s meetings were held in the building behind the JCCI headquarters. Now there are women on the board.
Many women are now working at the chamber, with a number of initiatives and programs taking off. “There are lots of opportunities. There are changes not only on the outside but on the inside as well.”
She said men have welcomed the nomination of the nine women. “We are not enemies going against each other. It is an opportunity to represent a certain entity, a certain business sector. They have welcomed women’s nominations and participation,” she said.
Al-Ayed said her agenda is about being effective, ensuring results and “working with smart goals” in mind. She does not want to delve into the gender issues too much, but would rather identify and tackle the main challenges.
“We feel that we can help build the message of the chamber. We meet part of the needs of the business community,” Al-Ayed said.
She said that in the absence of guidance and information, many women wind up doing traditional work. Many women are looking for new avenues of work instead of doing the same thing such as dressmaking. “There is much more that can be done,” she said.
She said the “wakil” system no longer exists, so women do not need male managers to represent them at government departments. This was the result of lobbying done by the Khadija bint Khuwailid Businesswomen’s Center, including women leaders Lama Sulaiman, Nashwa Taher, Olfat Kabbani and Madawi Al-Hassoun, she said.
“There is a lot of change. It is progressive and what we need to do is keep on pushing that momentum at the same time to ensure the needs of the business community are met,” Al-Ayed said.
She said ministries want to create jobs for Saudis in the private sector because there are only a limited number of government jobs.
Al-Ayed said she is fighting this election alone. Each person is running his or her own campaign.
Asked if there is a quota for women, she said: “I wish there was a 50 percent quota because it ensures their participation. Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn’t, it depends on the situation.”
She said it was important for people who vote to understand the campaign of each nominee. “We really want people to come down and vote. At the end of the day, if they are not happy with something then they didn’t vote for the right person or didn’t vote at all. So voting is important,” she said.
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