Atlantic Council names Saudi Arabian, UAE & Bahraini beneficiaries for Women Innovators Fellowship 2023

The eighty-six beneficiaries of the 2023 Win Fellowships for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were revealed on 15^th June by the Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East of the Atlantic Council.

With the assistance of the US embassies in the three target nations, PepsiCo, and Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, the fellows will participate in a year-long programme of executive education, mentorship, and networking opportunities. 

Amjad Ahmad, the head of the empowerMe project at the Rafik Hariri Centre for the Middle East, stated, "We are thrilled to expand the programme to women entrepreneurs in two more countries in addition to Saudi Arabia.” “This transformative journey has generated a great deal of interest, and we hope to expand the fellowship to more Middle Eastern and North African nations," said the organisation.”

The Atlantic Council holds that Arab women, in particular, can significantly influence their communities and economy. The Arab world possesses a great capability for human development. To guarantee that women have the chance to realise their full potential, it is crucial that policies and programmes level the playing field for them.

Twenty-two fellows from Bahrain, thirty from the UAE, and thirty-four from Saudi Arabia were chosen from among the more than 229 applications received this year for the programme. These fellows represent a wide range of industries, including technology and information, entertainment and creative services, healthcare, education, finance, and other service sectors.

"The US mission to the UAE is proud to partner with the Atlantic Council to bring the empowerME WIn Fellowship to the UAE for the first time," stated Daleya Uddin, chief of public relations and outreach at the US Consulate General in Dubai, one of the program's sponsors this year. "The Fellowship promotes women's access to economic opportunities and provides women-owned businesses with the resources, networks, and connections they require to establish and grow profitable enterprises." 

As they increase corporate resilience and flexibility and promote the success of the UAE and the region's economic development via sustainable innovation and creativity, Uddin continued, "We are thrilled to support these inspiring leaders."

In conjunction with the US embassy in Saudi Arabia and PepsiCo, the empowerME Initiative initially introduced the WIn Fellowship in March 2022 to assist Saudi Arabian women entrepreneurs in developing their leadership and executive capabilities and taking their firms to new heights. 

According to Davida MacDonald, cultural attaché for the US embassy in Riyadh, "by investing in these talented Saudi entrepreneurs, the US embassy is not only providing skills to help them grow and scale their businesses, but also to promote, lead, and mentor the next generation of Saudi founders and innovators." "We are confident that the connections these WIn fellows will forge with their American counterparts will result in future collaborations that will be advantageous to both nations."

"The Kingdom is in a unique position to promote female entrepreneurs.  Early 2023 saw Saudi women's employment rise to 37%, the greatest percentage in the nation's history.  According to MacDonald, 45 percent of all small and medium-sized enterprises in Saudi Arabia are currently owned by Saudi women, who are also starting their own companies at a quick rate.

The prestigious Georgetown McDonough School of Business will provide the chosen fellows more than fifteen hours of online executive education, in addition to two full days of seminars for twenty participants who will travel to the US in April to take part in the annual roadshow programme. 

"We are living in such a dynamic time in the Kingdom, which is also having a positive ripple effect on the region at large," remarked Wael Ismail, vice president of corporate relations at PepsiCo AMESA, which is sponsoring the Saudi cohort for the second year in a row. "We hope that this programme plays a positive role in further strengthening local and regional exchange of knowledge, resources, and best practises that would be a facilitator for social, cultural, and economic development." 

“As part of our Tamakani flagship initiative”, Wael continued, "Partnering with the Atlantic Council to sponsor the WIn Fellowship Programme is a great opportunity for us to play our role in fulfilling our commitment to empowering Saudi women, and more specifically entrepreneurs, to lead successful lives and careers and to actively contribute to the Saudi Vision 2030's mandate of advancing the Kingdom's economy to social prosperity.”

The top business leaders in each of the disciplines will be partnered with the participating women leaders. The mentoring programme is seeking national and international business leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs as mentors. These mentors will provide the fellows individualised supervision, support, and advice in order to foster their professional and personal development. 

According to Linda McMullen, public relations officer at the US embassy in Manama, "The US embassy in Manama is proud to partner with Bahraini women entrepreneurs and the Atlantic Council on the WIn Fellowship."  These bright women will get support from this fellowship as they develop new skills to expand and scale their enterprises, network with American peers, and achieve their goals. 

According to McMullen, "Bahrain and the United States have a distinguished history of economic cooperation and partnership that dates back almost a century; this programme is a new and exciting addition to that tradition." 

The graduation ceremony for the inaugural cohort took place in April at the Atlantic Council's offices in Washington, D.C. It was a huge success. A comprehensive programme was provided to the class of 2023, allowing them to advance their executive and leadership abilities. Additionally, they were introduced to US academics, business leaders, and politicians, to whom they offered a distinctive viewpoint on the difficulties and opportunities faced by women entrepreneurs in the MENA area.