The Luxury Network International Magazine Issue 12

TLN
News
Al-Johara:
A Network For
Extraordinary
Saudi Women
On March 27th, two weeks after
the International Women’s
Day, Al-Johara hosted its
inaugural event: a formal dinner at
the Four Seasons in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia. Both the location and timing
of the foundational dinner was central
to its goal of bringing influential
Saudi women together to build a
network where they can share their
expertise on wealth creation, their
experience in bridging wealth and
philanthropy, and their understanding
of how women can make a social
impact globally.
Al-Johara emerged from a need
for international connection. The
founders, Katie Partridge and Nada
Bundakji, recognize the strengths
and value of female leadership in
education and business sectors, and
together, they created Al-Johara to
empower women and address social
issues perpetuated by global gender
imbalances through education
and mediation, philanthropy and
giving, and wealth creation. These
three pillars form the foundation of
the organization, and they were the
principal focus of the event. Founders,
Katie Partridge and Nada Bundakji,
opened the evening by introducing
the Al-Johara concept and
how the three pillars define the organization’s
mission. Following the
introduction, inspirational women
from around the world shared their
stories and expertise relating to education,
philanthropy, and wealth
creation.
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H.H. Princess Noura bint Mohammed
bin Saud Al Saud the Guest of
Honour for the event and Princess
Awatif bint Abdullah Al Sheikh supported
the initiative and was in attendance
for the evening. Princess
Noura applauded Al Johara for all
their efforts and commitment to
inspire Saudi women through this
international initiative which enables
them to become truly global
citizens. She expressed how she was
“very pleased to meet all the initiative
partners and looks forward to a
continuous relationship”. Her Highness
is personally an active sponsor
and contributor to initiatives
and programs supporting women’s
professional and personal development
and empowerment; the latest
of which has been the event in celebration
of the Saudi National Women’s
Day. She has also pioneered
efforts to elevate educational and
cultural support of Saudi women
across growth sectors, particularly
in their early education stages.
The UN Secretary-General’s High-
Level Panel on Women’s Economic
Empowerment identifies one of
seven drivers of women’s economic
empowerment as “strengthening
visibility, collective voice and representation”.
Al-Johara’s board of
advisors include some of the most
influential women from the UK, US,
and Canada. By growing a network
of inspiring women from the Middle
East, Europe, and North America,
Al-Johara has the transformational
potential to re-write narratives on
international female leadership to
include powerful Saudi women.
Much of the success of this event is
due to Al-Johara’s corporate sponsors:
The Luxury Network International,
Irwin Michell, Almacantar,
Saphira Group, Corinthia Hotels,
Lightfoot Travel, and Desert Technologies.
Currently, Al-Johara is
planning its next event, which will
be held in London later this year.
www.aljohara.org
Nada Bundakji:
nada@saudigulf.com
Katie Partridge:
kp@saphiragroup.com
Written by: Riley McNair