VIENNA, VA – October 11, 2019 – The U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council hosted an executive roundtable discussion with a visiting delegation from the Arab Institute for Women’s Empowerment (Nusf) in Washington D.C. at the offices of Mayer Brown.
The program encompassed a substantive and engaging discussion on the challenges and opportunities for equipping the next generation of women leaders in Saudi Arabia and shared U.S. corporate experiences. Further, the session explored methods which empower women to succeed within the various levels of the employment pipeline: hiring, training, retention, and promotion.
“Diversity is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. As Saudi Arabia aligns itself to global standards under the auspices of Vision 2030 we will see more and more women not only joining the workforce, but taking a seat at the leadership table. And this change isn’t just a future endeavor, it is happening now. As the demand for women in the workforce grows, Nusf will be there to fill gaps in training and mentorship”, commented Ms. Mae Mozaini, Founder and CEO of Nusf.
Founded in 2019, Nusf is the premier women’s executive leadership company focusing on helping Saudi and Arab women develop professionally, lead in the corporate world, and make a lasting positive impact on society. Nusf aims to increase women’s participation in the workforce from 22 to 30 percent in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan.
“While over 50 percent of university students are women, only 18 percent participate in the workforce. Nusf works to advance women’s professional development and empowerment in order to bridge the gap. Building a diverse personnel pool is a priority for U.S. corporations, working to train and grow the women’s workforce in Saudi Arabia is a perfect example of the new synergies being created through Vision 2030,” added Susanne M. Lendman, Acting CEO of the Business Council.
“We at Mayer Brown were proud to host Nusf. Having a professional as well as personal interest in workforce diversity, I was pleased to learn more about what our organization and clients can do to increase women’s participation in Saudi Arabia. As studies have shown, diversity improves business performance in the short to long term. I believe we are seeing a new Saudi Arabia,” stated Charles Hallab, Partner at Mayer Brown and Council board member.
Attendees included representatives from Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc., Boston Consulting Group, Bechtel Global Corporation, Citigroup Inc., The Ford Motor Company, and Westinghouse Electric Company, among others.
The roundtable is part of the annual series of networking activities that the Business Council hosts both in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia to highlight new developing issues and opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
For more information, please contact:
Jay Ennis
Director, Communications and Information Services
U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council
Tel.: 703-962-9300
Email: jennis@us-sabc.org
About the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council
Established in 1993, the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council is the premier bilateral business-promotion organization linking the American and Saudi Arabian business communities. On an annual basis, the work of the Council informs, influences, and assists hundreds of its member companies in both countries, as well as thousands of Saudi and American non-member companies, in building successful partnerships. Through trade missions, business development services, conferences, networking opportunities, and publications the Council organizes and produces, these partnerships have resulted in tens of millions of dollars in new business for the U.S. and Saudi business communities. The Council has offices in the Washington, D.C. region, Houston and, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. For more information, please visit www.us-sabc.org.
