JEDDAH, 12 April 2006 — Despite a shortfall in organization and some minor internal conflicts, the second annual Gulf Businesswomen’s Committee Forum achieved its main goals. Now, businesswomen are eager to see solid outcomes built on that success.
“The feedback we got from the participants who came from neighboring countries was very positive. They did not expect such a large number of businesswomen and such harmony. They are looking forward to the next forum and the next step for us as Gulf businesswomen,” said Ulfat Qabbani, member of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry board of directors. She gave an inspiring speech on businesswomen’s progress and contributions to Jeddah’s society and business community. That was part of a session on the experiences of businesswomen in the GCC countries. “It was an opportunity to learn from each others experiences and expand our participation in the federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce,” said Ulfat.
The forum was organized by the GBC, which was formed under the umbrella of the federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry two years ago in Oman, and in cooperation with the JCCI. There were some initial organizational missteps and internal conflicts between businesswoman Hessa Al-Oun, who was one of the two businesswomen representing Saudi Arabia in the GBC, and the other organizers, but the JCCI businesswomen members managed to pull things together at the end. “We proved that we are capable of taking on the responsibility of organizing such a large scale event and with success. Which means we as Gulf businesswomen are capable of providing a high standard of business relations and organization,” said Ulfat to Arab News.
What is next for the Saudi and Gulf businesswomen after the success of the second forum? “As a concept, this forum is necessary and valid and we businesswomen benefited from it in terms of networking but I wished it was more organized,” said businesswoman Ghada Ghazzawi.
