GE hosted its second Saudi Women Development Forum, a three-day intensive workshop, to strengthen the skillsets of GE’s top female talent to accelerate learning and help prepare them for fulfilling careers. This is in line with the goal of Saudi Vision 2030 to strengthen female participation in the Saudi workforce and to enhance their role in the Kingdom’s economic and industrial diversification initiatives.
Launched in 2016 by Hisham Albahkali, GE’s President & CEO for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, the Saudi Women Development Forum aims to achieve successful gender diversity at GE while also creating a strong talent pipeline of future Saudi business leaders by strengthening their skills, workforce inclusiveness and talent development.
Hisham Albahkali said: “The first Saudi Women Development Forum was a remarkable success, which enabled us to identify young female talents for careers in GE, and to open doors for high quality job opportunities for the participants. With the second Forum, we are further building on its success with a focus on building their personal credentials to become future business leaders.”
“This highlights our commitment to Saudi Vision 2030 to provide equal opportunities and encourage more Saudi women to become part of the workforce, equipped with strong leadership and business management skills. The Forum serves as a strong platform to identify new talents who can build rewarding careers across our different GE businesses and functions.”
Khulood Alruwaii, Senior HR Manager, GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain, said: “The intensive workshop for women is among the first of its kind in the Kingdom that aims to empower and develop their skills, and encourage them to pursue successful careers. The program was carefully curated to help Saudi female employees understand their work style, how to work in teams, prioritize their tasks and achieve multiple career goals in addition to building their leadership skills. The Forum underlines GE’s commitment to be an equal opportunity organization, and is one of our key regional programs to fast-track their career development.”
The Saudi Women Development Forum complements GE’s belief that achieving successful gender diversity is a long and demanding journey that requires committed investments in nurturing female talent, with global research findings highlighting the importance of creating more diversified careers and leadership opportunities for women. With Saudi Vision 2030 setting female employment as a top priority, the GE initiative is timely and helps unlock the true potential of Saudi women in the workforce.
The Forum hosted multiple speakers, including Dr. Selwa Al Hazzaa, one of the 30 women appointed to the Majlis Al-Shura by the late King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, in a landmark move that allowed women to be part of the Kingdom’s formal advisory body for the first time.
Dr. Al-Hazzaa is a Consultant of Ophthalmology since 1993 at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (KFSHRC) in Riyadh, and Head of Ophthalmology since 1997, the first Saudi female physician to hold this position. She is also the Chairman of Ophthalmology since 2015, in addition to serving as an adjunct Clinical Professor in University of Southern California.
GE undertakes diverse initiatives to strengthen women’s participation, especially with a focus on digital industrial solutions that can help achieve business transformation through higher levels of productivity and efficiency.
GE has over eight decades of partnership in the Kingdom. With three offices and six facilities, Saudi Arabia accounts for the largest GE workforce in the Middle East with a 2,000-strong workforce. — SG
