5 KSA Women Who Inspire Us

International news usually represents Saudi women as victims, but we know better than that. KSA women do amazing things, and here are a few of the incredible Saudi women who inspire us.

By Carla Sertin

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Dr. Khawla Al Khuraya

This trailblazer identified a gene that helps with cancer formation. She leads the field of genomic cancer research, and was the first woman to earn the King Abdulaziz Award for Excellence. She is also the director of the Research Centre at King Fahad National Centre for Children’s Cancer.

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Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran

Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran was the first woman to become a licensed lawyer in Saudi Arabia. But that wasn’t groundbreaking enough – so she started the first Saudi female law firm, which focuses on women’s rights issues. She is known to give a female perspective to legal issues in court.

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Haifa Al Mansour

The kingdom’s first female director, Haifa Al Mansour’s movie Wadjda was the first ever Saudi movie to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. She faced some obstacles while directing – she was sometimes forced to direct the film through walkie-talkies from the inside of a van.

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Dr. Yasmin Altwaijri

Dr. Altwaijri has worked her way up to being one of Saudi Arabia’s most senior scientists. She is considered a pioneer for her work on mental health issues, diabetes and obesity, which have lead the rest of the field. Thanks to her, those health issues are being monitored and studied throughout the country.

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Lubna Olayan

One of the most powerful Arab women in the world, Lubna Olayan is the CEO of Olayan Group, a Saudi-based multinational. Though she inherited the company from her father, her years running the company have shown that women are capable of working in big business.

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5 KSA Women Who Inspire Us

Dr. Khawla Al Khuraya

Bayan Mahmoud Al-Zahran

Haifa Al Mansour

Dr. Yasmin Altwaijri

Lubna Olayan

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