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Nawal Hadi: A trailblazing woman entrepreneur
ABHA: NADIA AL-FAWAZ
Published — Thursday 26 June 2014
Last update 26 June 2014 1:06 am
A Saudi businesswoman who chose to invest in a non-traditional field of business has broken new ground in a male-dominated industry, distinguishing herself as the first Saudi female to invest in improved asphalt products.
Nawal Al-Hadi has converted the Women’s Business Center in the Eastern Province into a mobile workshop between the various industrial countries of the world.
“Saudi women entrepreneurs generally distance themselves from investing in industrial projects compared with other investments fields,” he said. “However, they have proved themselves to be distinct and competitive in the commercial and services sectors in local markets.”
She pointed out that the productive families’ projects that many Saudi women take part in are mostly classified under small enterprises.
“We do not have the exact figures on the proportion of Saudi men and women who invest in the industrial sectors across the Kingdom,” she said. “Nonetheless, it is very clear that the gap is wide, mainly in the giant industrial projects.”
She argued that Saudi businesswomen and entrepreneurs are mostly present in industrial family companies as partners or have a seat on the board of directors, but do not work independently.
“My personal experience in the industry has proven to be successful,” she said. “I am a member on the board of directors of the Sanad Plant for Bitumen Products (Sinopec Technology). I entered into this field with full conviction, while my husband, Ibrahim Badawi, chairman of the Yanbu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, supported and encouraged me. I had the chance to get to know and participate in the meetings that brought together many partners from outside the Kingdom. All this gave me the experience I needed to succeed in my work.”
“The most important form of encouragement came from Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman during his last visit to the chamber, where he was the patron and inaugurated the project’s developmental projects and the opening of the women’s project exhibition,” she said.
This visit, she explained, was the main reason behind the increasing number of women projects in the region, which all complied with Islamic laws and values.
“Most of our products focus on the byproducts of petroleum and petrochemicals. Such projects enjoy high comparative advantages in Yanbu and the region itself has developed industrial infrastructure, which gives it an economic comparative edge.”
She said industry nowadays is the pillar of every country’s economy and the reason for its renaissance. “In addition to its geographic location on the Red Sea, our Kingdom has all the factors that guarantee success in every field.”
“We look forward to building a prestigious investment entity that is capable of managing, maintaining and operating the various industrial projects, in addition to the tourism industry, of course, where Saudi women can excel, especially after the completion of the seafront project in Yanbu,” said Hadi.
Saudi businesswomen in the Eastern Province and other regions, where industrial cities are established, are very fortunate because the existing industrial environment is excellent for the growth of industries, she pointed out. “A Saudi woman can choose to invest and work in any industry that matches her abilities and characteristics,” she said.
“Among the many industries that women can choose to invest in are cosmetics, small and medium-sized plastic industries, home appliances and packaging. Such industries have high success rates and are relatively immune to the risks and pitfalls of the market. They also enjoy high marketing opportunities inside and outside the Kingdom.”
Saudi establishes camel milk firm in California
JEDDAH: ARAB NEWS
Published — Wednesday 2 July 2014
A young Saudi has established a company selling camel’s milk in the United States, despite the animals reportedly being the source of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.
According to a report in a Los Angeles newspaper, Walid Abdulwahab, 23, set up the company as part of his class project at the University of Southern California.
The lighthearted slogan of his company, Desert Farms, is “Make every day a humpday.”
Supplied by seven small camel farms, most of them owned by Amish, the Santa Monica-based company recently sold camel milk of $100,000, as it spreads its claims of nutritional and health benefits, the report stated.
“What we know about the camel milk is that, in terms of health, it outperforms every other dairy beverage,” Abdulwahab reportedly said.
With no appreciable difference in taste from cow’s milk, camel’s has 50 percent less fat and about 40 fewer calories per cup. It also has about the same amounts of other nutrients. Desert Farms sells milk raw or pasteurized, with the pasteurized version in most stores, the report stated.
But it doesn’t come cheap. A pint, or almost 500mls, costs $16 to $19 online (SR60 to SR71).
The report stated that Abdulwahab’s project was inspired by a visit home to Saudi Arabia. After investing his own funds to launch in January, he now supplies camel’s milk to stores in Northern California, in addition to selling it online.
Around 80 percent of its products are sold to families that have autistic children, because camel’s milk apparently helps to improve the motor skills of these children.
“Camel milk has been used for centuries in the Middle East by nomads and Bedouins, and they swore by it,” he said.
“That’s why people have faith in it, it’s a historical product.”
While researching his class project, he learned that some farms in the West and Midwest, mostly owned by Amish, milked camels. He approached them, and soon seven small farms began supplying milk for Desert Farms, the report stated.
According to Abdulwahab, cows outnumber camels by about 18,000 to 1 in US, making cow’s milk less pricey.
“Nobody has tested camel’s milk scientifically,” said Jay Gargus, director of the University of California Irvine Center for Autism Research and Translation.
After partnering with Christina Adams, a writer who has reported success with camel milk and her own son, the Irvine labs began tests this month to “see if there’s some basis to it,” he reportedly said.
Khalid Alsulami, THE ENTREPRENEUR
Amazing electrical engineering student (KFUPM) and entrepreneur. With the right incubator and mentoring, he made it! No wonder if I saw him one day soon as a key player contributing to the Saudi economy especially in knowledge transfer field.
