Lubna Olayan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lubna Olayan is a Saudi business woman. She is the youngest daughter of Sulaiman S. Olayan. Olayan is one of the most influential businesswomen in the Middle East and was listed as one of the world's 100 most influential people of 2005 by Time magazine.

Olayan is chief executive officer and chairperson of the Olayan Financing Company (OFC), the Saudi investment and operations arm of the Olayan Group, one of Saudi Arabia's biggest businesses. Since December 2004, she has been on the board of Saudi Hollandi Bank, the first woman to be appointed a board of a Saudi Arabian company. She is also on the board of the multinational communications company WPP.

She has also acted as a spokesperson for women's rights in the Middle East. She was the first woman to speak at a 'mixed' conference in Saudi Arabia - the Jeddah Economic Conference in 2004 - attended by Bill Clinton, Queen Rania of Jordan and others. According to the "Arab Business Magazine" - "Olayan was indirectly blasted by the grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, who also denounced all calls for greater women's rights, declaring the mixing of unveilled women with men at the Jeddah Economic Forum as a violation of Islamic teaching. Still this has not belittled her power or influence."

From her speech: "My vision is of a country with a prosperous and diversified economy in which any Saudi citizen, irrespective of gender who is serious about finding employment , can find a job in the field for which he or she is best qualified. Leading to a thriving middle class and in which all Saudi citizens, residents or visitors to the country feel safe and can live in an atmosphere where mutual respect and tolerance exists among all, regardless of their social class, religion or gender."

Olayan co-chaired the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2005. She received her BSc in Agriculture from Cornell University; later she received an MBA from Indiana University.

She is married to Mr. John Xefos, a senior partner in the law firm Baker & McKenzie. They live with their three daughters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.