Tabuk Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company has announced plans to increase its female employee intake in the next 5 years by hiring 200-300 additional females in Tabuk, Riyadh, and Dammam to increase their share of the total headcount to 20%.
Tabuk’s commitment to the employment of Saudi females is aligned with an organization-wide initiative to support gender diversity and increase the representation of women in the workplace. The initiative has three priorities:
- To improve Tabuk’s ability to attract, develop, and retain Saudi women by supporting a variety of internal talent development initiatives (such as training, capability building, internal mobility).
- To encourage female access to the workplace by offering scholarships, apprenticeship, and mentorship to distinguished Saudi female students.
- To participate in external initiatives aimed at fostering female professional development, entrepreneurship, and access to leadership positions.
Additionally, to ensure this is an effective change process, Tabuk works internally to develop a new generation of young Saudi leaders passionate about contributing to developing the female workforce with a long-term perspective.
Tabuk Pharmaceuticals’ CEO, Mr. Ismail Bel-Bachir, said:
“Women play a crucial role as contributors and agents of change in society. They are a unique resource for human development that can be effectively utilized in the national economy. Unlocking the potential of women in the workplace is of significant importance to the company and to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Tabuk Pharmaceuticals has placed itself at the forefront of this change a few years ago. We believe that supporting gender equality in the workplace is not only the right thing to do, but can also have a substantial impact on economic growth and society at large in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. And we reckon that we can make, at our level, a meaningful difference,” he added.
Back in 2011, Tabuk Pharmaceuticals initiated a comprehensive human capital building program for Saudi females. This was in line with the June 2011 Royal decree (A/121) entitling Saudi women to work in the pharmaceutical industry. It included a new hiring plan, extensive training and development courses, coupled with tailored career development pathways.
Females at Tabuk Pharmaceuticals have also started to benefit from creative working arrangements, such as part-time models, remote work, and flexible hours for working mothers — all of which were planned and implemented in accordance with the Saudi labor law and within local cultural and social norms.
Four years later, in 2015, the company employed approximately 200 females in KSA, equivalent to 10% of its 2,000-employee workforce. They operate in a variety of areas such as manufacturing, quality control, quality assurance, administration, finance, and human resources. Their integration into Tabuk’s workforce has been successful on multiple dimensions such as retention rate, productivity, and emergence of top talents.
Dr. Hamad Al Khamees, General Manager KSA Tabuk Pharmaceuticals, stated:
“Saudi female employees are, today, an important and growing segment of our human resources in Tabuk Pharmaceuticals. It is a key priority for us under the Saudization program ‘Nitaqat,’ along with recruiting Saudi males. Our experience with female employment has been a successful one, allowing us to unlock the productivity dividend women have to offer. Furthermore, this is coupled with a high level of loyalty and dedication to the company.”
Dalal Al-Eid, from Tabuk Pharmaceuticals HR Department, said:
“I have always been looking for an opportunity to prove my ability as a working woman. I have always wanted to develop myself, and that is exactly what Tabuk Pharmaceuticals has offered me. It is a wide door of opportunity where every day is a new experience. I have evolved into a confident person, a team player, and a decision maker,” Al-Eid said.