Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

SIDF chief stresses importance of increasing women’s labor market roles

SIDF chief stresses importance of increasing women’s labor market roles

The CEO of the Saudi Industrial Development Fund expects an increase in the number of women occupying leadership positions in the fund.
In an interview with Arab News, Ibrahim Almojel stressed the importance of policymakers, government organizations and enterprises creating environments that contribute to empowering women.

“Improving the status of women in the labor market is an economic and social necessity, and the Kingdom cannot achieve its comprehensive goals for economic and social transformation unless it invests in the capabilities of all segments of society,” he said.

“One of the most important strategies of the SIDF is to raise the skills of female employees in order to enable them to assume leadership positions in the fund in particular and the industrial sectors in general. In this regard the fund was keen at the same time to increase the women’s participation in its workforce and to reduce the gender wage gap,” he added.

“Women leaders in the SIDF benefited from an internal training program and a (Unique Women Leadership) program implemented by the Women’s Leadership Center at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University,” Almojel said.

The SIDF Academy, in partnership with Stanford University and its Center for Professional Development, offers a four-week training program for women’s leadership at the fund.

“The program provides basic tools and practical training to enhance women’s leadership in the industries system within the framework of developing the national industrial and logistics sector, through research insights from Stanford University and experts from Silicon Valley,” Almojel said.

SIDF Academy, which was established in 2019, aims to develop the human capabilities of the fund and the private sector workers from the fund’s clients and those interested in the industrial sector in society.

The Unique Women Leadership program seeks to sponsor Saudi female talents through skills training and mentoring to enhance their potential to become leaders in enterprises, in addition to enabling them to deal with challenges related to the labor market in the Kingdom.

As for the number of women working in the SIDF, the percentage of new female appointments for the year 2020 was 42 percent, and the total percentage of female employees in the workforce in 2021 was 22 percent, 24 of whom held leadership positions in the fund.

“The SIDF effectively contributes to the expansion of economic opportunities throughout the Kingdom, and it provides an enabling environment for national female talents, in addition to supporting projects that positively affect the promotion of economic opportunities for women in the country,” Almojel added.

“The fund provides a package of financial services and logistical support for start-ups, small and medium-sized companies, to help them expand their growth and employ more workers, along with supporting major companies in order to motivate them to localize their supply chains, and support building human capabilities in these bodies,” he added.

“We have a transparent and effective career progression path within the fund backed by specialized training and mentoring programs and opportunities to continue postgraduate studies, while enhancing skills and knowledge among the fund’s leaders, employees and clients from the private sector through the SIDF Academy,” he concluded.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×