Shaping Saudi Retail: The Female Dimension

How has your personal journey influenced your leadership style?

I’ve always been incredibly passionate about fashion, retail, and consumer behavior, and I believe that this is reflected in the decisions I’ve made throughout my career. When you love what you do it shows, and it naturally influences your approach to leadership. It’s important for me to transfer the knowledge and skills that I’ve acquired to my team, and to empower them to realize their full potential.

What steps have you taken to support female empowerment?

As a woman and a leader, I fully acknowledge the significance of fostering female empowerment, not only within our company but also within the retail industry. Women have a key role to play in the realization of Saudi Vision 2030 and the government has stressed the need for companies to create more employment opportunities for women. At Cenomi Centers, we are dedicated to supporting the fulfillment of this objective. Women make up nearly 50% of the workforce in retail and I have personally expressed my commitment to filling at least 40% of leadership positions in our organization with women by 2025.

We have also taken proactive steps towards achieving our inclusivity ambitions by offering new opportunities to women, implementing fair pay, delivering training programs, and collaborating with organizations that advocate for women’s empowerment. This commitment has been publicly acknowledged, as Cenomi Centers has been named as a “Best Place to Work” in Saudi Arabia.

With over two decades of experience in the shopping center and real estate industry, what has been the most rewarding aspect of your career so far?

Supporting talented female employees to rise through the ranks is always a rewarding aspect of my job. Equally, I’m proud to drive business growth, which further fuels the evolution of retail towards becoming an even greater and more resilient industry. All this said, I believe that some of my biggest achievements are yet to come. I hope that under my tenure, Cenomi Centers will become synonymous with retail in the Kingdom and that we will continue to create malls and communities that celebrate the Kingdom’s rich heritage whilst looking forward to its promising future.

What advice would you give to women who aspire to reach leadership positions in the industry? My advice to young women is to never give up learning. The moment you cease to learn is the moment you become complacent. I would also advise women to seek out mentorship from people they admire. By learning from those who have already walked their path, ambitious women can better understand how to navigate the challenges and opportunities that their own careers present. Finally, cultures are not imposed but built, and I urge all women to build the work culture they want and need in order to shine.