Sea Change: The Inspiring Women At The Forefront of The Red Sea Project

Rawan Rahbini, Reem Abu Zeid and Yara Khalid Aldrees share how they’ll be supporting Saudi’s ambitious new tourism development, which boasts equal opportunities at its very heart…

The Red Sea Project will be one of the most stunning destinations in the world on completion in 2030, stretching over 28,000 km² of pristine land on Saudi Arabia’s west coast, and featuring a vast archipelago of more than 90 islands, mountain canyons, dormant volcanoes and ancient heritage sites.

The area will become a luxury haven, housing 50 hotels, 8,000 hotel rooms and around 1,300 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites.

Behind the project is The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC), which prides itself on the highest sustainability standards, as well as being an equal-opportunities employer – with women accounting for a quarter of its staff. Furthermore, 50 per cent of all employees are Saudi nationals, in line with TRSDC’s commitment to creating opportunities and providing top-tier training for locals. So what’s it like to work on this exciting new venture? Three Saudi women, who have found their dream jobs at the pioneering company, explain all…

Rawan Rahbini

The 33-year-old lives in Riyadh and is Director of Legal Counsel at TRSDC. She has worked with the company for two and a half years, and brings nine years of experience to the role.

“I was offered the role while I was still working in private practice as a banking associate. I was told that The Red Sea Project will be developed in a special economic zone (SEZ) which consequently meant the drafting of some tailored regulations to the project. That sounded very appealing to me and made me want to be part of it. Every line of business requires a legal department, however, we get to have a little bit more fun in our line of work because it revolves around creativity and tourism. My role involves providing legal advice at the strategy, negotiation and documentation level, contract review and drafting, regulatory review and drafting, and ensuring TRSDC consistently meets its compliance requirements. The best thing about my job is that I get to have an overall view on almost all work streams of the project happening across the different functions. Such exposure allows us to interact with people from different sectors, with diverse mentalities, and a range of professional backgrounds.

Given the fast pace and recent changes in the Kingdom over the last decade, more female lawyers seem to be entering this workforce. In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework, and the global UN SDGs, our goal is to increase women’s participation within TRSDC, and provide equal opportunities to both women and men. Of course, some areas of our business are typically dominated by men, but almost every single department within TRSDC includes female members who are qualified to be part of that team. More females are leading at the top of the pyramid within the company, and the TRSDC management continues to empower women through training and development to eventually become future leaders.

The TRSDC culture is focused around high values such as respect, collaboration, passion and responsibility Practicing these values has created a very pleasant and favourable environment for all employees, especially women. While we have attracted great talent from several countries around the world to form part of the TRSDC culture, it is of course imperative that TRSDC maintains a high percentage of Saudi employees – it truly is the heart of social responsibility to do so. TRSDC is fully aware that one of the pillars and the drivers of Vision 2030 is to lower the rate of unemployment in the Kingdom.”

Reem Abu Zeid

Living in Riyadh, the 36-year-old has worked as Associate Director of Architecture at TRSDC for two years. She brings 13 years of experience to the role

“Having grown up in Jeddah, I’ve always had a fascination for design and architecture and this inspired me to pursue design and architecture studies and eventually go after a career in this field. Architecture has been a traditionally male dominated field and it is only recently that women have started to receive widespread recognition. However, I hope that we at TRSDC can serve as an inspiration for women in the arena, to show that there is a path to follow for success. TRSDC has been continuously at the forefront of promoting opportunities for women at all levels of seniority and across various disciplines. We have women in roles spanning the various sectors of our company, including design, legal, business, and marketing to name a few.

My principle role is to manage the design process for our projects to ensure that our future guests are able to have a truly unique and memorable experience. The best thing about my job is the people; our goal at TRSDC is to work collaboratively to achieve ambitious ends, and this would not be possible without the dynamic and passionate group of people that I am proud to call colleagues.

TRSDC provides its employees with various opportunities to develop our careers; on the architecture side, a number of employees have pursued Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design training courses and accreditation which is helping us gain new insights into the possibilities of sustainable and green design. There is a particular focus on building competencies linked to sustainable development, which I believe is the future of both tourism and architectural design in the Kingdom, and indeed the world.

TRSDC is a vibrant and collegiate environment working towards a common goal. There is a palpable sense of purpose amongst the team and we constantly strive to bring the best out of each other to deliver on our vision for a sustainable, one-of-a-kind experience for our future guests.

My advice to anyone starting out in my field would be: Don’t be afraid to explore your creativity, but never lose sight of the human element. Architecture may be an art, but you should always remember that architecture serves its occupants.”

Yara Khalid Aldrees

The 25-year-old lives in Riyadh and has been working as an Environment and Sustainability Specialist for TRSDC for the past year. She has a Master’s degree in Environmental Science and Engineering, and after two years of internships in the field, was selected for TRSDC’s Elite Graduate Program

“My role involves bid review, performance management and environmental audits of contractors to ensure that they comply with company and national environmental requirements. I got my job by applying for TRSDC’s Elite Graduate Program, which identifies young leaders that can aid in achieving the company’s vision and commitment to set new standards in sustainable development. I applied to the program one year ago and was chosen to work in my specialty field: Corporate Environment and Sustainability. This has given me the opportunity to achieve my dream of protecting the environment, especially at a critical time like this when the world needs it most. This means I’m playing a role in shaping the future of tourism, not just here in Saudi Arabia, but globally. Protecting the environment will always be the company’s number one priority and I am currently involved in developing several environmental awareness content campaigns to be used on site and in our offices.

TRSDC offers excellent training opportunities to help build employees’ skills and perspectives. I am fortunate enough to be mentored by a team of remarkable individuals who helped make my transition from the academic world to the corporate world as seamless as possible. They challenge me to achieve greatness and always remind me to love what I do and have fun while doing it.

Internationally, this role is typically male dominant but given the recent opportunities that were opened up for females in Saudi Arabia, the presence of women in the field here is becoming more visible. The percentage of female workers at the company is increasing remarkably, and this motivates me to continue working hard and encourages me to strive for higher positions. TRSDC has hired a pool of intelligent and bright women that I look up to and feel honoured and privileged to work alongside. The best thing about my job is the ability to drive change and contribute to the introduction of tourism in Saudi Arabia, all while protecting its fauna, flora and other natural treasures.”

From Harper’s Bazaar’s December 2020 issue