Saudi wins 'Global Entrepreneurship' award from Queen Rania of Jordan

GTF has been created to reposition perceptions about governance through a global perspective. GTF 2012 was held in Amman, Jordan, (October 7/8) and focused on the role of the modern MENA woman, in the region and globally.

This is a turning point for MENA and many preconceived ideas are changing across Politics, Governance, Business and Society.

The forum under the patronage of her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, also celebrated leaders that have excelled in certain parameters.

Khalid Alkhudair, the founder of Glowork - a women employment portal in Saudi, was honored with the "Excellence in Entrepreneurship" award in front of over 200 delegates.

Alkhudair described the award in his remarkable speech as a dedication for Saudi women and he committed to ensure that Glowork continues to strive and enable women in the workforce as well as create a success story for Saudi when it comes to women employment.

"Women deserve an equal opportunity to showcase their talent in the labor market, we have to give them that chance and we will do all that we can to enable it," he said.

Glowork was started last year in the aim of bridging the gap between the education sector and the labor market and has succeeded in creating over 6000 jobs for women in the short time they have been live.

This award is the second award after a remarkable acknowledgment by the United Nations, World Bank and the ILO as the most innovative solution for job creation throughout the globe.

The list also comprised of Dr. Hayat Sindi, Founder and President of i2Institute, for Excellence in Science; Deema Bibi, CEO of Injaz, for Excellence in Positive Change; Sonja Lokar, President of European Women's Lobby at the European Union, for Excellence in Gender Equality; Nabila Ramdani, Journalist, for Excellence in Innovation; Zaha Hadid, for Excellence in Pioneering; and Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director and Senior Analyst of Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, for Excellence in Cultural Understanding.

"I am very proud to be Saudi today and show the world two signs of success, one is that we have the opportunity to be the job creators and excel in entrepreneurship and secondly is that if we want to make a difference, we certainly can. It just takes passion, drive and commitment," Alkhudair said.

In turn, Elizabeth Filippouli, Founder and CEO of Global Thinkers Forum, said, "It was a very special evening that saluted excellence, progress and leadership in the faces of some absolutely marvelous pioneers, trailblazers and thought leaders."