JEDDAH, 13 May 2003 — I had the pleasure of being one of the panel presenters for women in the media at the second annual Effat College Career Day on Sunday. I was joined by two distinguished ladies from Saudi Radio, Samar Fatani and Dalal Dhia, who truly represent a generation of Saudi women we can consider as media role models.
I was impressed by the organization of the event, especially by the opportunities it offered graduating students. Besides a panel for women in the media, there were panels for women in business and banking, women in marketing, women in training and education and women in health and humanitarian services. At each panel presentation, the students showed great interest and enthusiasm for the career options available to them and those which will become available to them in the future with the right education and determination.
The keynote speaker was Lubna Olayan, the chief executive officer of Olayan Financing Company, an eminent business leader and prominent executive of a company that is opening additional opportunities for Saudi women. She spoke about her experience in the business world and gave the students what she considers to be the ingredients for success: Vision, good work ethics, entrepreneurship, integrity and technical skills; other skills they can learn and develop with training. Other important qualities include intellectual honesty, leadership skills and being able to work as part of a team.
Lubna spoke about the challenges of balancing a career and family for any working woman and noted the importance of family support and encouragement. As for the challenges facing a Saudi businesswoman in an environment dominated by men, she said that she did not have problems dealing with Saudi men; on the contrary, it is sometimes women who are not very supportive of each other.
At the end of a long question period, she emphasized the crucial role women play in society. “No way can a country progress when women, who represent 50 percent of its population, do not work,” she said.
The feedback I heard from the recruitment fair participants was very positive. Sultana Alireza, founder and chief executive director of Jeddah Institute for Speech and Hearing (JISH), was very impressed by the level of training the students receive at the college and, since all instruction is in English, by their English language skills.
She took part in last year’s Career Day and there were some differences. “There is more excitement in the air and the girls are more aware of what is needed in the job market and they are very well prepared,” Sultana Alireza said. At JISH there are openings for speech pathologists and she was looking for the necessary qualifications among the girls she met.
Hanan Abu Saud, assistant marketing research manager at Unilever, also thought the event was successful. “We told the girls about Unilever and the opportunities available to them there,” she said. Although she agrees that Saudi women are generally limited in their employment options and opportunities, she also believes that things are improving.
“Marketing was not an option for girls five years ago but now it is. At Unilever, for example, there was no female marketing department but now there are six of us in the department which has been open only a year,” she explained.
