After seven years of striving, Dr. Naelah Al-Attar, Board member of Consultant Offices committee in Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Board member of Saudi Business and Professional Women's Association, has succeeded in starting the first session of Jeddah Works Forum on Thursday July 3, 2008 in Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry. JCCI consultant committee has tried so many times to start the first session of the Jeddah forum for business, but without any positive result until Dr. Al-Attar joined the committee last year and helped them to launch the first business forum. Accordingly, the forum's board members hired her to be the first Saudi woman to preside over the scientific committee. “After seven years of planning, we have finally started our project. I joined the authority a year ago after the government allowed women to participate in such authorities,” added Al-Attar. Women's participation in organizing the forum is still limited, she said. “I felt myself alone in this forum although I am a businesswoman, and I have my own projects that make me coordinate with several men. But I still need more participation from women in such events. That's why I nominated my colleague Dr. Maha Ishaq to be a member in the committee as well.” The purpose behind this step is to show the Saudi woman' ability in presenting successful work in several fields, said Al-Attar. According to Al-Attar, the forum themed “Consolations' Industry in the New Economic Age” that aims to get more sessions about the consultative work, and the international skills that is required to evaluate the consultative work. “There are no specific requirements for the women rather than the common problem facing both male and female consolations' sections.” added Al-Attar, “the only problem that the women specifically have is issuing a license for starting a consultative office.” The forum looking for attracting the biggest number of businesswomen as well as men, where both of them are required to have the same consultative skills. Many speakers are going to attend the forum from King Abdulaziz University such as Dr.Habiballah Turkistani, Dr.Ablah Bukhari, Dr.Ayman Fadel, Dr.Fahed Al-Itani as well as Dr. Fuad Bukery, Head of the Media Committee, and Head of Office for Consultative Studies. The forum will include about four workshops, two for women and two for men under patronage of MSD Management Consultant Firm. “Several trainers are going to attend the workshop such as Dr.Abdullah Al-Shamely, Dr.Fawziyah Ashmakh,for the consolidation experts , and Mohammed Dridir and Nahed Al-Shawa to train the businessmen and businesswomen, as well as Thabet Hijazi for the marketing experts. __
