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Over the past few years, Saudi women have achieved exceptional advancements in many sectors, which has enabled them to become pioneers and leading business women in the Saudi economy. Empowering women and enhancing their societal participation to achieve a positive impact is one of the most important goals of Vision 2030.
According to the latest reports issued by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority, the percentage of companies owned by Saudi women reached 45 percent of the total owners of emerging companies in the first half of 2022, which is an indication of the strong presence of Saudi women in the private sector. With many success stories across the Kingdom, we highlight some prominent achievements of Saudi women who are leading their own businesses to learn from their experiences: 1. Nesma Holding "I launched my family business, Nesma, to secure suitable job opportunities for women in the field of sewing and embroidery." says Noura Al-Turki, Vice President of Nesma Holding. Al-Turki began her company's journey to prove to everyone the extent of women's ability to innovate, and to advance the growth and development of communities. Through her work, women in rural areas are becoming financially independent and Nesma Holding is working to replicate the programs in all governorates of the Kingdom to be able to reach a larger number of Saudi women.
2. Nuun Jewels Princess Noura Al-Faisal's love for exploration, along with her great fondness for degrees and spectrums of harmony between shapes and colors, led her towards the Parisian jewelry houses to satisfy her ambition and fulfill her dream of pioneering the world of designing and crafting luxury jewelry. By honing her craft, she launched her brand Nuun Jewels in 2014 and has made her mark among the oldest and most luxurious jewelry stores in the luxury shopping district, Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris.
3. Endeavor Saudi Arabia When talking about emerging companies within the technology sector, it may be surprising to see the results revealed by the Endeavor Insight report, which indicated that the percentage of Saudi women who launched emerging companies in the technology sector is higher than their counterparts in Europe! The participation rate of Saudi women in this sector reached 28 percent during the third quarter of 2022, 10 percent more than the European women's participation rate, which stopped at 17.5 percent during the same period. Lateefa Al-Waalan, Managing Director of Endeavor Saudi Arabia, stressed the need to invest and utilize this success, saying: “It is essential to document this growth and the institutional impact that we have achieved optimally, and work to guide decision-makers, capital owners, and other stakeholders to support Saudi women working in this sector. 4. Alazzouni Fashion Entrepreneur and fashion designer Razan Alazzouni follows her ambition for fashion throughout her studies at the College of Fine Arts at Tufts University in the United States. Her ongoing aspiration culminated in launching her own brand Alazzouni Fashion and she was able to leave a distinctive and innovative imprint on celebrity fashion. Thanks to her series of successes and the strength of her presence in the fashion sector in the Kingdom, she was invited to participate in the campaign to promote Vision 2030.
5. Studio 55 and Tima Fatima Batouq has been working in the world of fitness for more than 15 years and was able to obtain the title of “the first licensed fitness trainer” in the Kingdom. This led her to open the first branch of her health and fitness brand Studio55 in the city of Khobar. Its success pushed her to open a second branch in Jeddah. In 2012, Fatima Batouq launched her second venture, Tima, which is a women's sportswear brand that has proved to be incredibly popular in the Kingdom and the Arab Gulf countries. Tima’s products have also surpassed the region's borders in gaining popularity in the markets of Russia, Singapore and Europe through their e-commerce platform. Saudi women are still at the beginning of the path of achievements, as they have come to play a vital role in creating a sustainable societal impact and being an active participant in the private sector. The biggest testament to the strength of her presence can be seen by numbers, which has been proven by the high rate of issuance of commercial licenses for Saudi women this year by 112 percent! |
