Hilton has announced that it will provide support to female staff in Saudi Arabia to get their driving license. The announcement follows the news that Saudi women will be allowed to drive in the kingdom for the first time from June 24, 2018.
 
Hilton will provide paid time-off for women to attend driving lessons, as well as reimbursement for a standard set of driving lessons and the license issuance fee. For female team members who already hold driving licenses from other countries, Hilton will also assist with the license conversion cost. The support package will be available to Hilton’s female team members until the end of December 2019.
 
“We welcome the move to allow women to drive in Saudi Arabia. In line with Vision 2030, this is another step to open up the country that will encourage more women to join the workforce,” said Julia Miller, director of Compensation and Benefits, Middle East & Africa, Hilton. “At Hilton, we are always looking for ways to empower our team members and create world-class rewards and benefits. We have a fantastic group of female team members in Saudi Arabia and we are pleased to be encouraging them to take advantage of the new driving rules in the kingdom.”
 
Fawaz Moumina, regional director of Human Resources, Saudi Arabia, Hilton, said: “As a Saudi national and Hilton team member, I am very proud to be part of a company supporting Saudi women at such a landmark moment. At Hilton, we aim to empower our female talent and inspire them to work towards leadership roles.”
 
Hilton is committed to supporting female team members and aims to increase the number of female leaders. As part of this commitment, Hilton held a ‘Women in Leadership’ conference for its team members in Saudi Arabia in April. Last year, the company also announced the introduction of a minimum of 12 weeks’ fully-paid maternity leave for team members in the Middle East and Africa.
 
Saudi Arabia is Hilton’s largest development market in the Middle East with 11 properties in operation, expecting to grow to more than 40 properties in the country within the next five years. - TradeArabia News Service