RIYADH — Women empowerment is not only measured by their participation in the economic, political and educational spheres such as employment, access to the labor market, and the number of female legislators, but also their contribution in the cultural field. Despite a recent World Bank report that ranks Saudi Arabia at the top of the list of countries with laws that limit women's economic potential, several Saudi women have made it to the world's most influential people list. The latest addition is Raha Moharrak — the first Saudi woman and the youngest Arab to successfully climb Mount Everest, breaking the taboos women face in the Kingdom. During a talk show on Day 2 of the Talent and Diversity Leadership Forum she said, "I did not set out to be a poster child for anything. I saw a mountain. I wanted to climb it." Moharrak's only hope is that her achievements will help change the perception that Saudi women have of themselves. She and other leaders from the Kingdom, including Rania Rizk, Vice President & Chief Legal Counsel, Middle East & Africa Region at PepsiCo, Dr. Manar M. Al-Moneef, Director Government Affairs and Policy Middle East at General Electric, spoke about their experiences and discussed the importance of women leadership development in both public and private sectors in Saudi Arabia. Endorsed by the Saudi Ministry of Labor, the forum's second day hosted over 200 business leaders from Saudi Arabia. “This forum is an opportunity for all of us to share ideas through keynotes and panel discussions about bringing women to leadership roles and transforming diversity and inclusion into innovation.” said Sophie Le Ray, CEO of Naseba group, the organizer of the forum. Dr. Heidi Alaskary, Director, Employment of Persons with Disabilities Program of Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), also delivered an interesting keynote on ‘Inclusion of workers with disabilities into the Kingdom's talent pool'. She pointed out that globally, unemployment is 2.5 times higher for persons with disabilities (PWD) compared with those without disabilities. “However, there has been a 150 percent increase in the employment of PWD since 2011 — with 40,134 PWD employed in Saudi Arabia in 2012”, Dr Alaskary added. Four interactive think tank sessions led by Dar Al-Hekma College, Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), Al Khaleej Training and Education and The Talent Enterprise concluded the day. — SG
