‘A society that doesn’t have women playing a role is doomed to failure,’ says veteran Saudi editor

RIYADH: The inaugural Women Economic Forum KSA ended on Tuesday, having brought together more than 1,000 participants, among them business leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, NGOs, artists and students for interactive discussions, inspiring keynotes and high-level networking.
Under the theme “Let’s talk about tomorrow,” the dialogues throughout the two-day event focused on the transformative role that companies, foundations and individuals can play to support the achievement of the Vision 2030 economic goals through focusing on five main pillars: economic empowerment, innovation, Saudization, diversity and inclusion, and entrepreneurship.
Khaled Al-Maeena, a political and media analyst, who was a keynote speaker, gave valuable advice. A veteran in the Saudi media and also a women rights advocate, he said: “Saudi women are more mature than Saudi men. I say this with experience. Women should get together and start working on educating themselves. That is the key to success.
“My advice is to try to gain as much power as you can in your framework. Try to have allies in your fields. It’s amazing what so many Saudi women are doing under the radar.
“Many women don’t want to be administrators because they feel they will serve the community better. My advice is to acquire more power by reaching out to each other. That’s the main issue. We will have women ministers and ambassadors, but to have power to do what they want in their framework.”
“A society that doesn’t have women playing a role is doomed to failure.”
Dr. Salim Aziz, a cardiovascular surgeon, gave an example of women’s commendable teamwork: “Everyone works well together, for example when a female is pregnant, then all of them chip together to help her.
“I think Saudi women have made a tremendous contribution, and in higher fields, in cardiology. There is an increasing role they can participate in. Women are compassionate and they are good at time management.”
Faysal El-Hajjami, country general manager of DHL Express Saudi Arabia, a sponsor of the forum, said: “In terms of salaries, there is no reason why they should be different through gender.
“Yes, there are roles that are more difficult, for example delivering 300 shipments in a day, and we’ve able to cover such a barrier in other countries … then why not in Saudi Arabia?
“We have an objective — that there is a woman in every function. We have women in middle management and next year in senior management in Saudi Arabia. Mobility can encourage women in the workforce, and it’s coming in Saudi now — bridging the gap in education and the corporate world.”
Sophie Le Ray, founder of the forum, said: “We have as many men as women in this forum! I’m really truly honored! It’s been beyond my expectations. The largest companies are here, and that says a lot.”

‘A society that doesn’t have women playing a role is doomed to failure,’ says veteran Saudi editor