How are the Kingdom’s young people preparing for Vision 2030?
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Saudi Arabia has always pioneered campaigns that fit with the country’s national ambitions to establish itself as a global hub of innovation. The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 social and economic reforms, designed to empower the country’s future workforce and institutions are embraced by Procter & Gamble’s.
Our joint partnership with Saudi Arabia is one drawn by mutual values, in our 70-year collaboration. From our humble beginnings in Saudi Arabia in the mid-1950s, we have grown and expanded our local footprint to strongly contribute to the country’s growth. Our campaigns and initiatives contribute to the Thriving Economy and Vibrant Society included as Vision 2030 pillars.
A thriving economy
P&G has experienced strong growth in Saudi Arabia, with manufacturing plants in Dammam and Jeddah. Our Saudi presence puts us in a strong position to drive new chains of production in line with Vision 2030. Operating across the Kingdom and becoming a regional supply hub, we continue to develop local talent in line with the Saudization policy to empower the Kingdom’s youth.
P&G Saudi Arabia is already undertaking steps to advance the Saudization program as it continues to increase the employment of Saudi nationals in its partner operations. Currently, we employ around 800 people of whom 75 percent are Saudi nationals. Our contribution towards local talent development has helped to position the Kingdom as the least dependent on foreign labour among GCC countries.
Moreover, we commit to bringing campaigns to life that inspire talent to pursue rewarding careers — particularly in science, technology, engineering and maths — as we prepare young people for the ongoing digital transformation in manufacturing. In that process, we joined forces once again with Saudi Arabia through the She Can Do It campaigns, for female students with a background in engineering, IT, data science and data analytics or computer science to take part in week-long industry training courses at our bureaus.
A vibrant society
The first two women leaders on manufacturing lines are part of our Saudi Arabia operations team, Malak Mously and Rawan Baik.
We also obtained the first license to employ women in manufacturing, with 25 percent of our leadership team comprising Saudi female nationals today.
P&G remains committed to stepping up as a force for good, beginning with our contributions towards hygiene, cleaning products and personal protective equipment to further support the effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. We leveraged our existing site operations to manufacture essential protective items we’ve never produced before, such as masks. As a result, we were able to support the Saudi Health Endowment Fund as part of our Protect our Heroes campaign, where we donated one million masks, including other cleaning and hygiene products to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
For 70 years our collaboration with Saudi Arabia has demonstrated that ambitious endeavours can bear fruit with proactive foresight. The growing potential of digital transformation will provide Saudi young people with the necessary incentives to boost their skills as they prepare for Vision 2030.
• Mohamed Faheem is senior vice president at Procter & Gamble Saudi Arabia.
