Recognizing the rights of Saudi women, the Ministry of Commerce has given them permission to contribute in family companies as board members. Addressing “Woman in Family Companies” symposium at Khadijah Bint Khowailid Center at the Jeddah Chamber of Commercial and Industry (JCCI) here on Monday, Dr. Adli Ali Hamad, lawyer and JCCI legal consultant, said Saudi businesswomen have a right to attend the annual board meetings of the family-run companies. There are about 3,500 family-run companies in the Kingdom. The aim of the symposium was to enhance the role of Saudi women in managing family companies as partners and to remove all the obstacles faced by them in this regard. “The Ministry of Commerce will play an important role to train the commercial basics in Saudi women in order to prepare them for leading their family enterprises,” added Dr. Adli. He said Saudi businesswomen have been allowed to open more than two branches of her establishment. They have also been granted permission to open their own clinics provided its staff is all-female. The major obstacle faced by Saudi businesswomen, he said, is the demarcation of family and commercial expenditures in family-run companies. “This causes confusion and interruption in the accounts,” he said. Participation of women in the family-run companies with legal rules is an improvement that will develop them to be considered as the best companies in the Kingdom, Dr. Adli added. __
