JEDDAH — In another first, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman appointed Shihana Alazzaz as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers on Sunday. Alazzaz has been serving as secretary general and general counsel of the PIF Board of Directors since August 2018. Alazzaz joined PIF as head of transactions in the Legal Division in 2017. She is also a member of the PIF's Management Committee and other executive committees. She chairs and serves on several boards and board committees of PIF portfolio companies. Alazzaz holds a Bachelor's degree in law with honors from Durham University in UK. Prior to joining PIF, Alazzaz was a practicing lawyer for nine years with multiple international law firms. She obtained her license to practice law by the Supreme Court of New York in the United States and by the Ministry of Justice. After graduation, Alazzaz worked as an associate at law firm Baker McKenzie for over three years and then she joined Vinson & Elkins, where she served as a senior associate for almost five years until 2016 when she was promoted to counsel. After leaving the firm, she joined PIF as head of transactions in 2017. Alazzaz is considered as one of the first female lawyers in Saudi Arabia. She participated in many conferences and seminars aimed at motivating and supporting young people, including the annual conference of international affairs at the American University of Colorado. She also delivered the keynote speech at the first German-Middle Eastern conference for young professionals in Berlin, besides giving lectures at several American universities, including Harvard University in Boston. Alazzaz was named as "The Deal Maker" in 2016, and was chosen among the 100 Most Powerful Women in 2020 by Forbes Middle East.
