A champion of women's rights in Saudi societyIN 90 days, Dr. Nadia M.S. Baeshen was instrumental in turning a 105-page proposal into reality with the creation of the Khadija Bint Khwalid Center for Saudi businesswomen, which enabled women to stand for election to the board of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) for the first time in history. Having been assigned by the JCCI board to create the Center, her success helped to realize the dreams of Saudi businesswomen, who for a long time had fought for the right to be represented on the JCCI board. “The JCCI board members gave me their full support which made it possible to set up and staff the center in only three months,” Dr. Baeshen said. “After a lot of hard work, we started the center with a soft opening that was patronized by Late Prince Abdul Majeed Bin Abdul Aziz, the then Emir of Makkah, who was well known for his support of businesswomen. It was under his direction that the first Saudi businesswomen's committee was formed under the supervision of Princess Adela Bint Abdul Aziz,” she explained. “Being a member of this committee was one of the main reasons that the JCCI board chose me to set up the Khadija Bint Khwalid Center,” she added. The center made it possible for Saudi businesswomen to take part in activities that were closed to them in the past, such as receiving international delegations which visit the Jeddah chamber and participating in JCCI elections. Dr. Baeshen worked hard to make her voice heard by the decision-makers in the government trying to convince them that women had the right to take part in JCCI board elections. “Unexpectedly, the government approved the participation of businesswomen in the election process and that was the starting point that eventually gave women the right to be JCCI board members,” she said. For her efforts, in 2005 Dr. Baeshen received an award from the minister of labor for supporting the employment of Saudi women. She said that the employment situation of women in the Kingdom has increased dramatically in the last 20 years. “The last five years have been especially good for Saudi women because of the support of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,” she said. “Saudi women still have a long way to go to take their rightful place in society, but in order to do so, we need to think about reaching our objectives as a group and to stop thinking on a personal level.” Team sports, she feels, would help train women to work together to achieve a common goal rather than to be interested in the personal spotlight. “We have achieved a lot, but there is still so much more to do and we will not be able to succeed if we continue to personalize our problems and situations,” Dr. Baeshen said. Apart from her successful efforts in the business world, Dr. Baeshen finds great satisfaction in teaching young people. “I feel great happiness when I help my students, adding to their knowledge by sharing with them my 25 years of experience,” she said. “While working on my Ph.D. in the United States, I volunteered to teach my advisor's classes, which enabled me learn to listen to students' ideas and to discuss matters with them.” Dr. Baeshen is active in areas other than business and education. In 2008, she became a member of the higher council of family affairs for the Makkah region headed by Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah, and she is also a chief adviser to the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT). Dr. Baeshen, who received a Masters of Science in business administration from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in human resources planning and development from the same institution, said that one of her main goals is to foster the concept of social responsibility which she said is generally misunderstood in Saudi society. “Social responsibility in the Kingdom is often thought of as either charity work or marketing, and it is important that people learn what it really means and how it applies to our society,” she said.
