JEDDAH: A 10-member executive council for young businesswomen, which is first of its kind in the Kingdom, has been set up at Asharqia Chamber in the Eastern Province. The council will encourage young women to set up their own businesses.
The council was formed during the annual conference of Businesswomen’s Center at the chamber attended by nearly 800 women in the presence of Princess Jawahir bint Naif, wife of Eastern Province Gov. Prince Muhammad bin Fahd.
Ayla Ashadawi, assistant to the chairman of Al-Falak Electronic Equipment & Supplies Co., has been named president of the council. Its members are: Areej Al-Saihati, Wajdan Al-Saeed, Dunya Al-Faris, Aala Al-Hariri, Amal Al-Eidi, Mashael Al-Shalwi, Muneera Al-Zamil, Mai Al-Jamie and Hana Al-Moaibed.
Speaking about the council, Princess Jawahir said it would help young businesswomen to work together and transfer their experiments to others. Hind Al-Zahid, director of the Businesswomen’s Center, also backed the council saying it would provide the much- needed guidance to young women investors to promote their businesses.
Ashadawi said her organization would try to remove the obstacles facing young women investors and encourage them to manage their businesses efficiently. “Our goal is to inject a pioneering spirit among young women and encourage them to make innovations and take initiatives.”
She emphasized the need to enlighten women about available opportunities, strengthen their competitiveness and create a healthy atmosphere for their businesses.
Al-Saihati, who is director of human resources development at Saudi Engineers Group International, said about 50 young women have already joined the council, which will hold its first meeting tomorrow to work out future plans.
She said the council would hold a divaniya after every two weeks to exchange ideas. Its members will also visit schools and universities to enlighten girls on the importance of working, without sitting idle at home. “We have to create jobs for ourselves and need not wait for a company to give us jobs,” she said.
Al-Saihati said the council has a long-term program to strengthen the capabilities of women. “We’ll also invite successful businesswomen and men to talk about their success stories and how they overcame their difficulties,” she added.
“We want to tell our women that there is nothing impossible.”
The formation of the new council comes in the wake of the government’s efforts to empower women. Arab News has been publishing an annual supplement named “Saudi Businesswomen Top 20 Companies” to highlight the achievements of successful businesswomen in the country.
