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DE RUEHRH #1665/01 3571213
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P 231213Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY RIYADH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2111
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INFO RUEHZM/GCC COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 RIYADH 001665 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/P Greg Behrman and NEA/ARP Josh Harris 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: ECON EAID PGOV SOCI XF SA
SUBJECT: FULL BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATIONS FOR SAUDI 
ENTREPRENEURSHIP SUMMIT NOMINEES 
 
REF: A) STATE 112486 
 B) RIYADH 1584 
 
¶1. Mission Saudi Arabia provides the following expanded background 
and justifications for its nominations for the President's summit on 
entrepreneurship (nominees previously submitted ref B).  Please note 
one replacement from our previous submission:  Ms. Maria Jamal 
Mahdaly, who was recently named one of the top 30 student 
entrepreneurs in the world, was substituted for Mr. Tariq Al-Tamimi. 
 
 
Nominees with background and justification: 
 
------------------- 
Ms. Rasha El Hoshan 
------------------- 
 
¶2. Rasha El Hoshan was born on November 6, 1971.  She received her 
bachelors degree, in international politics, from American 
University in 1994 and a masters in exhibit design from the Pratt 
Institute in New York in 1998.  In 2000, she opened Hoshan Design, 
independent from the Hoshan Group, her family's business. 
Originally a landscaping and related accessories showroom, Ms. El 
Hoshan expanded her offerings to include modern furniture, 
influenced by her days in New York.  Her showroom reached a turning 
point when it secured the exclusive brands Fendi Casa and B&B 
Italia.  It has since been integrated into the Hoshan Group. 
 
¶3. In 2002, she was introduced to a major art patron, Rifat Sheikh 
Al-Ardh, who asked her to design an exhibition at the King Abdulaziz 
Public Library for Prince Faisal Bin Abdullah Bin Mohamed, entitled 
"Al Furussiya" (the art of horsemanship).  She began to focus on 
preserving Saudi art and culture through museum and exhibition 
design. 
 
¶4. Ms. El Hoshan is a member in the Chamber of Commerce and was 
invited to be a member of a 40-member special delegation to discuss 
the most important issues facing Saudi Arabia today with King 
Abdullah. 
 
¶5. Justification:  A rising star in the Saudi business world, Ms. El 
Hoshan started her own business and made that business a success 
without the help of her family's company.  She is a frequent speaker 
at international business conferences and an important example for 
aspiring Saudi businesswomen. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Mr. Khaled Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Abdulkarim 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. Born January 20, 1958 in Dammam, Khaled Al-Abdulkarim is the 
Chief Executive Officer of the Al-Abdulkarim Holding Company, a 
major industrial firm in the Kingdom's Eastern Province.  He is also 
the president of Naizak, an IT consulting firm with operations in 
both Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 
 
¶7. Mr. Al-Abdulkarim serves on several prominent boards, including 
that of the Al-Sharqia Chamber of Commerce and the Saudi Cement 
Company.  He is a member of the National Center for Family Business, 
of the National Committee for Accreditation of the Saudi Arabian 
Standards Organization, and of several Saudi business councils 
(including the Saudi - U.S. Business Council). 
 
¶8. Justification:  A prominent Saudi business leader, Khaled 
Al-Abdulkarim has been at the forefront of job training for Saudis 
in the Kingdom.  Through his company's partnerships with prominent 
international firms, he has brought important opportunities for 
young Saudis to develop their skills. 
 
-------------------------- 
Mr. Walid Ahmad Al-Juffali 
-------------------------- 
 
¶9. Walid Al-Juffali, along with his two brothers, runs the Al-Jafali 
Group.  Since the late 1940's, the Al-Juffali Group has played a 
major role in the development of Saudi Arabia.  It has also 
committed itself to training Saudi youth for various areas of 
employment.  One of the group's first major projects was to help 
develop Saudi Arabia's infrastructure through the building of 
electric power utilities.  They moved on to extend their activities 
to telecommunications, transportation, information technology, and 
air conditioning. 
 
¶10. The group operates joint ventures with numerous high-profile 
international partners, including IBM, DuPont, and Dow Chemical. 
Walid Al-Jaffali has also set up his own business, separate from the 
family conglomerate, W Investments Limited, with the goal of 
developing new business prospects. 
 
 
RIYADH 00001665  002 OF 004 
 
 
¶11. In 2006, Walid Al-Jaffali became the frontman for a Middle East 
Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) show called "The Investor."  The show 
highlights business opportunities for young entrepreneurs in the 
Middle East. 
 
¶12. Justification:  Walid Al-Jaffali runs a major business that 
focuses on training Saudi youth, including through the Juffali 
Training Centre established by Walid's father in 1976.  Working with 
MBC, he has taken on an active role promoting entrepreneurship to 
young Saudis and is a prominent fixture in the Saudi business 
community. 
 
-------------------- 
Ms. Loubna Al-Olayan 
-------------------- 
 
¶13. Lubna S. Al-Olayan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Olayan 
Financing Company (OFC), the holding entity for the Olayan Group's 
operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East. 
Founded in 1947 by her father, Suliman S. Al-Olayan, the Olayan 
Group is a private multinational enterprise engaged in distribution, 
manufacturing, services and investments. OFC operates or actively 
participates in more than 40 companies, often in partnership with 
leading multinationals. OFC is also one of the largest investors in 
the Saudi and regional stock markets. 
 
¶14. Ms. Al-Olayan credits her success to her father, who encouraged 
her to join the family company in 1983 after a stint working in New 
York, at a time when few women were welcomed in Saudi corporations. 
 
¶15. In December 2004, Ms. Al-Olayan was elected to the Board of 
Saudi Hollandi Bank, a publicly listed company in Saudi Arabia.  In 
September 2006 and April 2007, Ms. Al-Olayan joined the 
International Advisory Boards of Rolls Royce and Citigroup 
respectively.  She is a member of the International Business Council 
of the World Economic Forum, and the International Advisory Board of 
the Council on Foreign Relations. 
 
¶16. Justification:  Lubna Al-Olayan is arguably the most prominent 
and successful Saudi businesswoman.  She has been very active in 
promoting women's issues in the Kingdom and serves as a role model 
for female entrepreneurs trying to break into a realm still largely 
dominated by men. 
 
-------------------------- 
Mr. Abdulrahman Tarabzouni 
-------------------------- 
 
¶17. Abdulrahman I. Tarabzouni is currently leading Google's 
expansion into emerging markets in the Gulf.  Prior to Google, Mr. 
Tarabzouni's prior work experience included work for both startups 
and large corporations in the fields of information technology, 
financial trading, product design and strategy consulting.  He held 
positions at Microsoft, Oracle, Morgan Stanley, and Atos Origin.  As 
an entrepreneur, Mr. Tarabzouni founded Mubadiroon, a hybrid venture 
capital fund and incubator for tech startups, Aitech, a technology 
development and consulting firm, and Syphir, an MIT-based startup 
that won the MIT $50K Arab Entrepreneurship Competition in 2009. 
 
¶18. Mr. Tarabzouni founded SETLA (Saudi Entrepreneurs and Technology 
Leaders Association) in which he co-organized the first MIT Global 
Startup Workshop (GSW) in the Middle East, held in Abu Dhabi in 
¶2005.  He held a seat on Microsoft's Board of the Future where he 
advises Microsoft on future market trends and knowledge-based 
industries, and was a member of the Saudi Aramco's Innovation 
Leadership Advisory Board. 
 
¶19. Mr. Tarabzouni is a fellow of the Young Arab Leaders and is the 
Gulf Ambassador to the "Innovation for Peace" program sponsored by 
the United Nations and the World Summit for Innovation and 
Entrepreneurship.  He has also been named by Arabian Business as one 
of the most influential 30 young leaders in the Arab World on the 
annual "30 under 30:  The Next Arab Generation Leaders" list. 
 
¶20. Justification:  Abdulrahman Tarabzouni personifies 
entrepreneurship among young Saudis.  He has demonstrated that Saudi 
entrepreneurs can compete against the best in the world and come out 
ahead.  He also serves as a leader outside of his business 
activities through his work with the Young Arab Leaders and with the 
United Nations. 
 
----------------------- 
Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair 
----------------------- 
 
¶21. Dr. Omair is currently the Executive Director of Khadijah Bint 
Khouwailid Center for Businesswomen (KBKC), an umbrella organization 
for social advocacy groups organized under the Jeddah Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry.  Founded in 2007, Dr. Omair restructured the 
 
RIYADH 00001665  003 OF 004 
 
 
center to make it the first lobbying center that systematically 
reviews Saudi laws to identify discriminatory practices within the 
government and lobbies to change these laws.  It also works to 
promote social change and to empower women economically and 
socially.  As a result of KBKC's efforts, major changes were 
introduced to labor laws that now allow women in Saudi Arabia to 
work in a mixed gender environment. 
 
¶22. Prior to her current post, Dr. Omair was a consultant for 
American University in Washington, DC, and the Global Peace 
Organization, where she assisted in evaluating the education system 
in Iraq in 2003.  She is also a board member at the Social Economic 
Circle for the Mecca Region, and a member of the Young Arab Leaders. 
 
 
¶23. Justification:  Dr. Omair's has the potential to play a major 
transformational role in the Saudi society through her leadership of 
KBKC.  Her participation in the conference is consistent with 
President Obama's Cairo Speech goal of expanding women's rights in 
the Muslim World, and the Mission's objective to advocate democratic 
participation in the decision-making process in Saudi Arabia. 
 
-------------------- 
Dr. Lama Al-Sulaiman 
-------------------- 
 
¶24. Dr. Al-Sulaiman is the president of Khadijah bint Khouwalid 
Center for Businesswomen (KBKC), part of the Jeddah Chamber of 
Commerce, an influential businesswomen's centre in Saudi Arabia. 
She made history in 2005 when she became one of the first Saudi 
women to win elected office as a board member of Jeddah's Chamber of 
Commerce and Industry (JCCI).  Re-elected to the board in late 2009, 
she was also elected first deputy chairman of the chamber, the first 
woman to hold this position. 
 
¶25. Dr. Al-Sulaiman has been recognised as a Young Arab Leader by 
the World Economic Forum and is currently a director of Rolaco 
Trading and Contracting, the National Institute of Health Services, 
the National Home Health Care Foundation, and the Economic and 
Social Circle of the Mecca Region. 
 
¶26. After earning her B.Sc. in Biochemistry at King Abdulaziz 
University in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Al-Sulaiman pursued postgraduate 
degrees in nutrition from King's College in London, receiving both 
her M.Sc. and her Ph.D. 
 
¶27. Justification:  Dr. Al-Sulaiman has raised the bar for Saudi 
women in business governance.  Her elevation to the deputy chairman 
position in the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry has set a 
new standard for Saudi businesswomen and serves as an inspiration 
for a generation of young Saudis. 
 
----------------------- 
Ms. Maria Jamal Mahdaly 
----------------------- 
 
¶28. Ms. Mahdaly, a native of Jeddah, began working at age 15 and 
founded FAINAK (slang Arabic for "Where are you?"), a youth-focused 
social-networking and information site when she was only 19.  She 
was recently named one of the top 30 student entrepreneurs in the 
world in the annual Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition 
(GSEA), part of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (www.eonetwork.org). 
 In addition to her recognition by GSEA, she has also participated 
in global conferences such as the Youth Alliance Summit and The Two 
Kingdoms Dialogue Forum.  Through her efforts with FAINAK, Ms. 
Mahdaly has received more than ten awards for her achievements and 
community service.  She also received a university scholarship. 
 
¶29. In only 2 years as a businesswoman -- and while pursuing 
full-time academic studies -- Ms. Mahdaly developed FAINAK from the 
ground up.  FAINAK is an English-language site (www.fainak.com) with 
over 30,000 members and rapidly growing, connects businesses, from 
multinational corporations to small and medium sized enterprises, 
with Saudi youth, who represent approximately 70 percent of the 
country's population. 
 
¶30. Ms. Mahdaly is a student at the prestigious Dar Al-Hikma College 
in Jeddah, KSA. 
 
¶31. Justification:  At age 21, Ms. Maria Jamal Mahdaly is not only 
Consulate General Jeddah's youngest contact but also one of our most 
dynamic and has the greatest overall potential for reaching young 
Saudis.  Ms. Mahdaly is currently developing a social 
entrepreneurship program in collaboration with organizations for 
young adults in Jeddah.  She is pursuing her higher education in 
business, with a focus on entrepreneurship. 
 
------------------ 
Ms. Hana Al-Zuheir 
 
RIYADH 00001665  004 OF 004 
 
 
------------------ 
 
¶32. Hana Al-Zuhair is the Director of the Prince Sultan Fund for 
Supporting Women's Small Business Projects.  She has been the 
Director since the organization's inception in 2006.  Prior to that, 
she was the head of the Business Women's Center in the women's 
section of the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 
 
¶33. Ms. Al-Zuhair is not only the driving force behind the business 
ventures of the Prince Sultan Fund, but also the social ventures of 
the Princess Jawaher Center for Research and Development -- an 
institution inside the Fund -- which is on the leading edge of 
women's advancement in the Eastern Province. 
 
¶34. Ms. Al-Zuhair was elected to represent the Eastern Province for 
a meeting with the Majlis Al-Shura (National Consultative Council) 
to eavluate, and provide recommendations related to, the country's 
labor laws.  She brought a group of young women with her to discuss 
the situation of women in the Kingdom and the barriers to their full 
participation in the economy.  Ms. Al-Zuhair was also asked to 
represent the first female Saudi delegation at the UN General 
Assembly in 2007, where she conducted a panel discussion on the 
economic empowerment of women. 
 
¶35. Hana Al-Zuhair holds an MBA with two majors -- Human Resource 
Development and Entrepreneurship -- from Bahrain University, as well 
as a B.A. in English from the College of Arts in Dammam, Saudi 
Arabia. 
 
¶36. Justification:  The 2008 recepient of "Woman Achiever of the 
Year" from the Middle East Businesswomen and Leaders Achievement 
Awards, Hana Al-Zuhair has spent her life expanding opportunities 
for female entrepreneurs in the Kingdom by engaging the Saudi 
government and the international community.  Her work to bring the 
difficulties facing women to the attention of the Majlis Al-Shoura 
and of the United Nations shows that she has crossed that difficult 
transition from succeeding in business to enabling others to succeed 
in business by reshaping the regulatory environment. 
 
----------------------- 
Ms. Samia Ali al-Edrisi 
----------------------- 
 
¶37. Samia Ali al-Edrisi is currently the CEO and Chairman of the 
Board of the first all-female investment company in the Kingdom, the 
Eastern Forum Co. Ltd. for Advancement and Development.  She is also 
a freelance translator and editor for several local and regional 
clients, including Saudi Aramco (Samia recently completed editing a 
134-page study for the UAE Parliament on women's participation in 
parliamentary elections). 
 
¶38. Ms. Al-Edrisi is a founding board member of the Businesswomen's 
Forum in the Eastern Province (BWFEP) and has 35 years professional 
experience in the public and private sectors, in training, planning, 
and public relations.  She joined the private sector in 1996 and, as 
partner, established Sidana Company Limited.  In 2005, she 
unsuccessfully ran for a seat at the Asharqiya Chamber board 
elections-the first time women were allowed to submit a candidacy. 
She has a long record of participation in numerous organizations at 
the regional level, including in the first women's committee at the 
Asharqiya Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dammam; in the newly 
founded Women's Committee of the "Prince Mohammed bin Fahad's 
Program for Human Resource Development;" and as a board member of 
the Saudi Aramco Employee Association (SAEA) from 1988 to 1995. 
 
¶39. On the international level, Ms. Al-Edrisi is a member of the 
Federation of Arab Women Investors.  She was the first female member 
of the Saudi official delegation to the UN Committee on the 
Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva in 2003, a 
member of the Saudi Businesswomen's Delegation to the Women in 
Business International Conference held in London in 2003, and a 
member of the first Saudi businesswomen's delegation to the U.S. in 
¶1998. 
 
¶40. Samia al-Edrisi holds a B.A. in Political Science and Economics 
from the American University in Cairo (1972); and a certification in 
Electronic Tools for Translators and Cultural Knowledge in 
Translation, London Metropolitan University (2005). 
 
¶41. Justification:  Samia Al-Edrisi has shown that women can be 
involved not just in business in the Kingdom, but in financing 
business.  Like Ms. Al-Zuhair above, she has engaged governments and 
the international community on behalf of women seeking greater 
opportunities for economic participation. 
 
SMITH