“ They cannot just get a job because they are a family member . We are cascading this value down , so as to demolish entitlement . If you work hard , you will get rewarded ”
office and being active on deals and projects became normalised .
Once that happened , people in the industry started judging their peers based on their performance rather than their gender .
“ They cannot just get a job because they are a family member . We are cascading this value down , so as to demolish entitlement . If you work hard , you will get rewarded ”
Normalising women in leadership Dr Basma and Nouf Al Zamil , both senior leaders at Zamil Group Holding Company , further attest to the power of family business in powering normalisation .
As members of the third generation in the Zamil Group Holding Company , a centuryold family-run Saudi business operating in traditionally male-dominated industries like manufacturing , construction and real estate , the cousins were the first women to join the company , in 2011 – trailblazing not just for their family but for future Saudi generations .
Like all family members , they began working in the business ’ s factories and plants , before taking an active role in hiring women to fill the food factory floor at Zamil Food Industries . This saw Zamil become the first company to have women working in factories in Saudi Arabia and soon pushed other companies across the Kingdom to follow suit .
Dr Basma says that in the beginning people couldn ’ t believe they were hiring women to work on factory floor , but now other companies are hiring women for similar positions .
“ They are not hiring them just because they are females – they believe they can deliver better than men , especially in certain jobs ,” says Basma , who has worked her way up to HR leader .
As trailblazers for their family , the company , and society at large , Basma and Nouf are happy to see women join the
Nouf Al Zamil Director of Corporate Communications and ICT , Zamil Group Holding Company
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