Women in procurement professional roles network and hear from business leaders on the future of the profession

The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply MENA (CIPS MENA) welcomed female procurement and supply chain professionals from the KSA region (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) at Sofitel Al Khobar, to the first Women in Procurement event in the region.

The event was attended by 37 professionals from a number of high-profile organisations including Saudi Aramco, Sadara Chemical Company, Emerson, National Guards, Ministry of Health, Siemens, KAUST and Amiantit.

The meeting shared a number of insights and delegates heard presentations from:

• Sara Abdul Latif Omer FCIPS - Account Director at Tejari / BravoSolution, speaking on ethics in procurement and supply management
• Muna Abdulla Bin Zoubaa MCIPS - Head of Supply Chain Management,  Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management, on The Procurement Journey and Opportunities for GCC Nationals
• Lubna Ahmad Al Mohammedi - Supply Chain Trainer, on the Future of Procurement in KSA

Sara Abdul Latif Omer, the first female Fellow in the MENA region, has over 17 years’ of experience in procurement and supply chain consulting as well as a BSc in Chemical Engineering.  She is also a CIPS Congress member representing MENA and Europe.

Ms Latif Omer presented on understanding ethics in the profession, the types of procurement risk as a result of unethical behaviour, CIPS ethical codes, and risk mitigation techniques. Asked why she agreed to present, she said that the event was a rare chance to network with women procurement practitioners in KSA and that women in the profession had many of the same challenges as men. These included, the need for recognition, and to influence the organisations they work for so they understand the value that procurement can bring. Perhaps cultural backgrounds, beliefs and religious views also played a part in the challenges experienced by business.

Ms Latif Omer also highlighted that women contribute a great deal to the profession, including their abilities such as attention to detail, multi-tasking and tackling fraud and corruption. She also mentioned that she has experienced personally the necessity of being 'twice as good’ to prove her capability to gain the appreciation of her peers and her senior colleagues.

When asked about equal pay, she said, “I would have loved to say yes, but I don’t think that’s the case unfortunately. I don’t think so. The way to change things is to form women networks and forums, raising the profile and the presence of women in leadership positions that would raise the profile of women practitioners overall, might be a good start. It will not be easy but it’s a good way to start.”

Ms Latif Omer’s thoughts around supply chain risk in the region also stirred discussion as she believed risk had gone up. “Yes, very much so. The commitment with first, second and third tier suppliers and providers is no longer concrete due to cancellation of projects and the reduction of spend overall. The sustainable business relationships between stakeholder organizations and suppliers are being tested, strained and challenged in such circumstances.”

Muna Abdulla Bin Zoubaa MCIPS spoke about how she started her career in procurement and the steps she took to climb up the ladder to get to head up the supply chain department.

Lubna Al Mohammedi spoke about how the procurement and supply chain profession is progressing in KSA. She also commented on the KSA’s commitment to increase the private sector’s contribution to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) from 40% to 65% and to increase women’s participation in the workforce from 22% to 30%.

When discussing business issues, the attendees were also asked about whether there was an increase in supply chain risk in the region. Ms Maha AlMenieir from Saudi Aramco replied, “Of course.”
 

Ms Sahar Jehairan from Women Development & Diversity Division at Saudi Aramco said, “The event was very inspiring and the speakers were motivating and very informative.

“It was interesting to see ambitious and successful ladies lead in a very male-dominated field and excel at it. It was inspiring to see the amount of knowledge-sharing and support at the event.

“The lessons learned applies to all disciplines, and that is to be knowledgeable, to learn as much as you can from experts, sit with them, see what they do, ask questions, be curious, be inquisitive. That will give you the power you need to succeed in any career of your choice.

”I would recommend these events to other women. The amount of knowledge being shared and the support given from the experts was incredible. It is an amazing opportunity to network with professionals from all around the world.”

Ms Maysar Al Rweili, Contracts Representative at Saudi Aramco said, “The event was a very effective gathering for the professionals in the supply chain and contracting profession.

“The beauty of it is that it gave those professionals a chance, for the first time, to network and learn from their colleagues in the same career but from different industries and companies. I believe such events have an empowering and inspiring impact on the attendees.

“Women are venturing into new areas of business in Saudi Arabia and supply chain management is one of them. Holding such events would have a very positive impact on their careers and future.”

Ms Maha AlMenieir also commented: “It was interesting to hear enthusiastic females about the profession and I will have more confidence in the future. This is a good profession for women because it leverages communication and decision-making skills, but women need to be developed more to succeed in business.

“I would recommend this event to other women because it opens up horizons.”

Planning for the next Women in Procurement event is already underway.

To register your interest please contact: Diya Nasereddin - diya.nasereddin@cips.org

For further information contact:
CIPS

Diya Nasereddin

Country Manager – KSA

E: diya.nasereddin@cips.org;

T: +971 (0)4 3116505;

M: +971 (5)64460463

The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply

The Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) is the world’s largest procurement and supply professional organisation.  It is the worldwide centre of excellence on procurement and supply management issues.  CIPS has a global community of over 115,000 in 180 different countries, including senior business people, high-ranking civil servants and leading academics.  The activities of procurement and supply chain professionals have a major impact on the profitability and efficiency of all types of organisation and CIPS offers corporate solutions packages to improve business profitability.

www.cips.org