‘Leadership ME, the elite forum for Women in Real Estate’ (Forum) is held in partnership with CBRE, and under the patronage of Dar Al-Hekma College, a private, non-profit institution of higher education for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Muna AbuSulayman, a leading Saudi figure and Arab media personality in the Middle East, is a keynote speaker for the event. As the first Saudi UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, she is widely recognized for her role as the founding and former Secretary General of Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation.
“This Forum will help build the educational needs of women in Saudi with open dialogue and discussion. Women control approximately 22%, or about USD 0.5 trillion of the region’s wealth, and this number is rapidly growing,” Muna AbuSulayman commenting on her participation at this event, said.
“It is clear that Saudi women play a central role in wealth management today and in the future, and as a result we want to ensure that all women have access to investment options in the marketplace. Forums such as these will enable that dialogue to thrive and we are all eager to play an active role in empowering women with this critical knowledge,” AbuSulayman, added.
Dar Al Hekma College will be hosting this forum for business students, alumni, and professional working women. The Forum will help attendees gain knowledge on how to improve their understanding of real estate investment fundamentals, and specifically learning how to invest in dynamic markets of London and the UK.
“As a Shariah bank, Gatehouse has gained extensive working experience in the GCC and over time we have developed a deep network of relationships with an increasing number of professional women clients,” Azeemeh Zaheer, Vice President of Gatehouse Bank, a key presenter at this prestigious forum, said.
“These women are an inspiring segment of the business and investor landscape. At the forum, we hope to add to their understanding of what real estate investment can do for them – to generate and preserve their wealth for the benefit of their family and their own well being. This forum will help boost their goals for long term wealth preservation, while observing their specific needs for security and safety in financial products that appeal to their risk appetite,” Zaheer, added.
Leadership ME was conducted in collaboration with CBRE, a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company that is the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm. Karen Queen, Executive Director of Capital Markets at CBRE, another presenter at the Forum commented,
“We are pleased to be partnering with Gatehouse and Dar Al Hekma at this inspiring forum for women in Jeddah, to discuss real estate fundamentals. London and the UK remain an attractive location for real estate investment, and characteristically more than 37% of potential investors believe that the UK was the best place to spend their money. We acknowledge that women will continue to play an influential role as part of this landscape, and our aim is to empower them with more insights and information to help them access opportunities for wealth creation and preservation.”
Saudi Arabia is home to the second highest number of women on this year’s this 100 Most Powerful Arab Women 2012 list with 12 entrants; they second only to the UAE. A tour de force in the Middle East business and political scene, they are prolific businesswomen, pioneering medical research, executives at the United Nations and philanthropists recognized for changing the lives of the impoverished around the world.