Belief in herself and family support helped her climb the ladder SAUDI women cannot make a difference unless they push themselves to work hard and prove that they can compete in fields that are often dominated by men. This is what Nashwa Abdul-Hady Taher, a leading businesswoman and a former member of the board of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), believes has been the key to her successful career. Taher, 49, was one of the first women to stand for election against businessmen and win a seat on the JCCI board. The mother of a 26-year-old son, Taher is proud to be a Muslim woman who made a change in Saudi society by being one of the first female JCCI board members. Feeling that Saudi women were qualified to be a part of one of the most important organizations in Jeddah, Taher entered the election in 2005 as part of the LE-Jeddah group preferring not to stand alone. The group at that time was the only one with female candidates which was a new experience in itself. “I was afraid that the group would lose because it had female members. But we won because we worked together as one group,” Taher explained. She explained that what helped them succeed was having a clear vision and knowing whom to target. “People supported us and gave us the confidence to go on.” Taher who has always been interested in the world of business was supported by her family especially her father and husband in her business career. “When I graduated from college in 1985, my father gave me a separate office in our family business in order to provide me with the best environment for my entry into the business world,” Taher said. “After I got married, my husband and I started our own international catering and trading company, and by that time, I already had a clear idea of how business is run.” “Although our business faced failure at a certain point because of family issues, we survived and got back on our feet stronger than before. We learnt from our mistakes. We used to have only one product to sell, but now we have more than 57,” she explained. According to Taher, it was her business that first led her to the JCCI to file complaints about the obstacles that she used to face. “At that time I began attending business training courses and workshops. Finally, a women's committee was established under the supervision of the JCCI,” she said. “We wanted such a committee because businesswomen found that many obstacles were placed in their way when they tried to conduct their business,” she added. After graduating from Dar-Al-Hanan, a private high school in Jeddah, Taher went to the United States to attend college. She studied at the University of California at Santa Barbara for two and one half years and then got married and returned to Saudi Arabia. She then finished her bachelors degree in accounting at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. “I was an independent woman and I knew exactly what I wanted,” she said. “My father had a great influence on my personality, and he used to push me and always advised me to explore new things.” Taher's father sent her to seminars and training courses outside the Kingdom in Switzerland and the US. “He always made me feel that I should depend on myself in order to succeed,” she added. Being married at the age of 21 to Saudi businessman Mahmoud Al-Maeena and giving birth to her son Omar did not stop Taher from achieving her goals. However, it did make her realize that she must organize her priorities. “My first priority has always been my family. When my son Omar was young, I only went to work when he was at school. That is why he never felt that I was away,” she said. Taher is grateful to the Saudi government and King Abdullah whom she feels have supported Saudi women and have given them the chance to prove that they can be as successful as men. “If King Abdullah had not given us his support, none of this would have been possible,” she said.
