TheFace: Enji A. Al-Ghazzawi, Executive Vice President of Operations, Riyadh Bank

AN photo by Ziyad Alarfaj

• The first lesson we were taught was to never prioritize anything over family; work was important, indeed essential, but family must always precede it

Enji A. Al-Ghazzawi: Quality time spent with family is sacred. This is a lesson my parents taught me from an early age. I was an only daughter, sandwiched between two brothers; my father is an employee of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and my mother, a strong woman, strived to complete her education and degree with three children in tow.
The first lesson we were taught was to never prioritize anything over family; work was important, indeed essential, but family must always precede it.
I was raised as an equal to my brothers, and our parents believed we could accomplish anything we set our hearts to. What mattered, in order to achieve, was a readiness to learn. Growth, they taught us, required us to grab opportunities and not compromise our ethics. It was a life lesson I have clung to in my 20-year career at Riyadh Bank.
Starting off as a translator, I rotated around various departments, gradually gaining more experience. I was hooked, and it gave me the inspiration to drive my way up the company.
I jotted down four words on a note, “Executive Vice President of Operations” (EVP), the visual representation of the role I wanted to achieve, and kept it with me.
Without the drive instilled by my parents, my family’s support and the opportunities afforded to me by Riyadh Bank, I would never have reached it. For 12 years I worked in the operations department, before moving to corporate services, and eventually becoming the EVP of operations four years ago.
My own success is not my only motivation, though. Throughout my career, I made a point of supporting and mentoring fellow Riyadh Bank employees on their own career journeys. Pushing them to gain the right skills and to grow in the organization was a personal goal of mine; I wanted them to achieve their dreams too. To see a young generation reach their potential, to see their happiness and to know I had played a part, was as satisfying to me as seeing the joy of my own children reach theirs.
Despite this, my parents’ mantra, that work is important but family comes first, has stuck with me. Just before my marriage, my mother advised me to always prioritize my family over anything else. “You will be accountable before God for your family,” she said. “Always strive to temper your ambition; happiness will strike the right balance between both.”
My children are my best friends and my pride and joy. My eldest son Faisal is a medical student, and my daughter Lana, though only in 10th grade, is a pillar of support, alongside my husband. We both believe in leading by example, and while raising our children, we hope to install in them the same work and moral ethics our parents gave us.