Saudi business woman closes firm over male boss rule

A prominent Saudi businesswoman has announced she is shutting her IT firm in protest at a new government rule that requires her to appoint a male director general, it was reported on Monday.

A circular sent to all businesses in the country two months ago from the undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry made it a mandatory requirement for every Saudi company owned by a woman to appoint a male director-general.

Aliya Banaja, who owns 2 The Point, has been at the forefront of a campaign to get Hossan Aqeel’s dictate overturned, according to UAE daily Gulf News.

Banaja has now said she will close her company, which is the first Saudi IT firm to be run and staffed exclusively by women, in protest and has urged other businesswomen to follow suit.   
 
In an interview with Al Watan Arabic daily printed on Monday she said her decision would take effect immediately.
"It is not possible for businesswomen to carry out their business activities together with a male commercial agent. We have spoken a lot about this difficult problem. For five years, we have been waiting for the decision taken by the Council of Ministers revoking the requirement to be implemented. But nothing has happened," she said.

Banaja added that she had told other leading business women of her decision, but it was not reported how many other firms could be affected.

However, figures collated by the Khadeeja Bint Khowailed Centre, which is part of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, estimates that there are around 20,000 companies run by women.

The report did not say how many men and women are employed at these firms but estimated that the firms had a total capital investment of more than SR60bn.

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