PricewaterhouseCoopers, the leading international professional services organization, announced on Wednesday that Sahar Hashem has become its first female Saudi national employee to pass the Saudi Organization of Certified Public Accountants (SOCPA) fellowship examination. The exams are widely viewed as the highest possible achievement within the Saudi accountancy profession and Hashem is only the fourth female Saudi to achieve the SOCPA accolade, the company said in a statement. Hashem, an associate based in the Jeddah office, has been supported by five Saudi national partners and benefited from the international best practice and local expertise that is present throughout the firm. Professional development is paramount within PwC and the mixture of professional qualifications and experience gained on a daily basis provides employees with a great opportunity to learn and develop. “There is a genuine need for more Saudis to take leading roles within professional service firms and we're delighted to support the raw talent, and ambition, we see across the Kingdom,” said Ron McMillan, PwC country senior partner for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Middle East Assurance Leader. “The Saudi market is a key focus for us and Saher's outstanding achievement will help us further drive our Saudization program. Once again we would like to extend our congratulations to Miss Hashem.” Sahar said: “The last two years have been peppered with moments of incredible achievement and challenges that at some points seemed almost insurmountable. The support I received from colleagues throughout the PwC network inspired me to push through and I'm delighted that the hard work and commitment has resulted in such an accolade, none of which would be possible without their continuous support and encouragement.” PwC has one of the largest professional service practices in Saudi Arabia, and across the Middle East region, with 135 partners and 2,500 people.
