Reem Al-Sharekh

A Saudi Arabian feminist and entrepreneur who pioneered women's economic empowerment in the Gulf region.

Biography

Reem Al-Sharekh, born in 1975 in Saudi Arabia, is a sociologist and founder of Women in Business Network. Her work since 2005 has focused on dismantling barriers for women entrepreneurs in a region where female labor participation was historically low. Al-Sharekh's initiatives predate the 2019 Saudi Vision 2030 reforms, making her a trailblazer in gender equality.

Key Initiatives

She established the first women-owned venture capital fund in the Gulf, investing in tech startups led by Saudi women. Her 2020 partnership with UN Women expanded microfinance access. Al-Sharekh also created the 'SheTech' accelerator, mentoring over 200 female engineers and programmers.

Challenges & Impact

Despite facing cultural resistance, her network now includes 12,000 members. Al-Sharekh's 2018 TEDx talk Why Saudi women need their own economy has over 1M views. Her advocacy contributed to the 2021 law allowing women to own businesses without male guardians' approval.