Business information company naseba will host The Kingdom Women in Leadership (WIL) Forum, a business networking and experiential knowledge-sharing platform for successful businesswomen, in Jeddah next month.

Dedicated to women and their development in the community, the WIL is being held in partnership with the STAR Group (Saudi Trading and Resources Company) from December 7 to 8 at Park Hyatt.

Princess Lolowah Al Faisal, vice chair and general supervisor of the board of trustees of Effat University, Jeddah, will deliver the opening speech at the forum. She is known for her involvement and dedication to women’s education, social and family welfare.

Announcing her patronage for the WIL, Princess Lolowah said, “This is an excellent opportunity to create economic roundtables where women can examine their role in the economy and develop entrepreneurial skills as well as their input in family businesses. I truly believe that such forums will help pave way for future of women in the Kingdom.'

The forum is based on five essential pillars, all central to the development of women in leadership in Saudi Arabia: government, finance, knowledge, commercialisation and support.

It will unite an inspirational line-up of influential women from across the Kingdom to discuss and celebrate their emerging role in today’s competitive society, she noted.

Based on the 5 elements, the forum will touch on a number of topics to outline success strategies for women in entrepreneurship and family business.

Sophie Le Ray, naseba’s chief executive officer, said: “By focusing on laws and legislation that encourage women to succeed, discussing finance options, emphasising the importance of diversifying women’s education to include science and engineering, and opening up training opportunities, whether in market economics, selling skills, or building business plans to execute a profitable business, the Kingdom WIL Forum will give women the confidence and tools they need to go further.”

The WIL will cover a broad range of topics including successful entrepreneurship, leadership styles, business finance and wealth management, expanding the role of women in society to build powerful economies, life coaching and the art of negotiation, enhancing the role of women in the community, innovative marketing and PR, best practices in HR, micro-credit financing for economic prosperity, globalisation of leadership knowledge through education, creating gender balanced businesses, establishing an identity for Saudi women in the global business world, and the contribution of women to the family business.

The forum will also host Kingdom WIL Awards that will recognise leading women from across the Kingdom. Nominations for the awards are open to women in leadership positions, Le Ray said.

In addition to the Jeddah event, the Women in Leadership Forum is being held in the UAE, India and Malaysia, she added.-TradeArabia News Service