The Gulf Business Women's Committee, operating under the umbrella of the Federation of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry, is currently preparing for the Second Annual Gulf Business Women's Committee Forum to be held under the Patronage of HRH Princess Adela bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The forum is being organized in cooperation with the Jeddah Chamber of Commence and Industry and will take place on April 3–5, 2006 in Abu Dawood Hall located at the Chamber's premises. Held under the theme “Gulf Women and Successful Investment”, the forum is a specialized meeting point for targeted female Gulf nationals that include businesswomen, young entrepreneurs and university graduate students.
The schedule for the three-day forum includes five specialized sessions and workshops that will discuss issues affecting the Gulf businesswomen's community and seek to find ways to expand their work status and opportunities. Over 450 women from the Gulf region are expected to attend the event.
The forum will commence with the opening of an exhibition at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in which forum sponsors and interested companies will participate. A highlight of the first day will be a ladies-only dinner attended by forum speakers and sponsors representatives and graced by the presence of HRH Princess Adela bint Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The second day of the forum consists of three main sessions, of which the first will be on the subject of 'The Main Elements for Success in the Work Place'. At this session Mr. Jamal Al Mutair from KSA will speak on ‘Logical Models and the Successful Investor’, His presentation will be followed by a lecture on 'Administration Skills’ given by Ms. Mona Al Moayyed from the Kingdom of Bahrain. The session will close with the participation of Dr. Nahed Taher from KSA, Ms. Sabbah Al Moayyed from the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Ms. Mona Al Gonaim from Kuwait, who will share their personal experience in the work place.
The subject of the second session will be 'Women's Role as an Active Partner ... Challenges and Opportunities'. Dr. Ibtisam Al Kotabi will speak about 'The Inherited Social System and Implementation Mechanics', Dr. Abdulaziz Al Hor will speak about 'The Educational Curriculum and the Needs of the Work Place', and the session will end with a lecture on 'Getting Capital and Loans in the Gulf States' presented by Dr. Abdulhakim Al Khayat from Kuwait. The third session will be about 'Investment Opportunities' presented by companies from the six Gulf States.
The third day of the forum will open with a lecture on 'Legal Rights for Women in Managing Family Businesses' presented by Mr. Majid Garoob from KSA. The second session is about 'Businesswomen's Experiences with Chambers of Commerce' and will feature businesswomen from different Gulf States who will share their experiences with the Chambers in their countries. The speakers at this session include: Dr. Rawda Al Mutawa from Abu Dhabi, Ms. Afnan Al Zayani from the Kingdom of Bahrain, Ms. Ibtehag Al Ahmadi from Qatar, and Ms. Olfat Gabani from Jeddah.
In the middle part of the third day, workshops for ladies only will be conducted under the headings: 'The United Nation's Program for Business Leaders' presented by Dr. Widad Al Jawdar, 'Comparisons between Investment Opportunities', and another workshop presented by a representative from Knowedge, the specialized women services provider whose goal is to empower and enable women by providing them with the key to acquire knowledge, practice it, implement it and excel in it to shape their future. The forum will conclude with recommendations.
To supplement the third day's programme of events, the Gulf Businesswomen Committee is organizing an umrah trip for participants following the closing of the forum.
The Gulf Businesswomen's Committee was formed under the umbrella of the Federation of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry to oversee the implementation of the recommendation of the 1st Economic Forum for Gulf Businesswomen that took place in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman in September 2004. It is founded on the vision of maintaining the pioneering role of Gulf businesswomen, expressing their ambitions, meeting their requirements, providing them with the services they need to bolster their role and participation in supporting the Gulf economies, and promoting the region as a top-class economic center. Its committee members include: HE Dr. Rawda Abdullah Al Mutawaa, Chairperson of the GBWC, HE Muna Yousuf Al Mouayed, First Vice Chairperson of the GBWC, HE Hussah bint Abdurahman Al Oun, Second Vice Chairperson of the GBWC and the Official Spokesperson, HRH Princess Mashael bint Faisal bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, HE Dr. Ayshah bint Al Sheik Mohamed Al Khazraji, HE Dr. Sheikha Anwar Faisal Al Saban, HE Laila Abdullah Thanyan Al Ghanem, HE Ibtihaj Mohamed Al Ahmadani, HE Sameera Jassem Fakhri, HE Afnan Rasheed Al Zayyani, HE Asseelah Bint Zaher Al Harithy, HE Loujainah Bint Muhsen Darweesh.
