Business & Money | Wednesday 6 February, 2019 12:30 pm |

Hatoun AlOtaibi, a Saudi female student from King Saud University, was announced as the EY KSA Corporate Finance Woman of the Year (CFWY) at an award ceremony held at the EY office in Riyadh. Hatoun won from among a group of 10 finalists who competed at the national level in Saudi Arabia. As the winner of the Saudi competition, Hatoun will now have the opportunity to compete at the global level against the country winners from Australia, Germany, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

 

The CFWY competition, held for the first time in Saudi Arabia this year, is an initiative created by EY to encourage the next generation of female transactions professionals to consider careers in the private sector while also showcasing the caliber of Saudi female talent in the country. 

 

Hatoun AlOtaibi, the 2019 Saudi Arabia winner of the ‘EY Corporate Finance Woman of the Year’ title and a student of King Saud University says: 

“I found the EY CFWY competition to be a unique opportunity for young Saudi female students such as myself to expand upon our business and finance studies and explore the world of transaction advisory services. The chance to learn directly from EY professionals was truly educational and has broadened my understanding of potential career opportunities. As the CFWY winner, I am proud to be the first person to represent Saudi Arabia at the global competition in London this month.”

 

As the winner of this year’s competition, Hatoun AlOtaibi, have been invited to conduct an internship with EY and to join the Graduate Program upon her graduation from university. 

 

The 10 finalists who participated in the final round of competition include: 

Afaf Alsubaie from Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Areag Aljarbou from Princess Nora University, Hala Rajab from Dar Al Hekma University, Hatoun AlOtaibi from King Saud University, Lama AlAbdulkarim from Zayed University, Layan Alnujaidi from Prince Mohammed Bin Fahd University, Lubna Al-Fehaid from King Saud University, Lujain Abutaily from King Saud University, Nouf Almana from King Saud University, Razan Alhusseini from University of Business and Technology.

 

The Corporate Finance Woman of the Year competition received applications from numerous universities across Saudi Arabia. As part of the application process, the candidates had to submit their thoughts on how they would create a lasting legacy as a future Saudi leader and also offer their point of view on a recent business transaction in Saudi Arabia that was of interest to them. 

 

During the Saudi Arabia finalists competition, each student presented their answers as well as participated in group workshops and one-to-one interviews with regional leadership and Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) professionals from EY.

 

Rana Sanyoura, Partner, Transaction Advisory Services (TAS), UAE CFWY Sponsor, EY, said: 

“We at EY were truly impressed with the level of confidence exhibited by these inspirational young ladies during the CFWY competition and the points of view they shared about local and global business, economic, and technology topics. It was a privilege to hear of their ambitions for Saudi Arabia and offer insights on the career opportunities available to them in transaction services and corporate finance across both the public and private sector. EY is proud to offer a platform to Saudi females to not only expand their knowledge, but also empower them to build a better working world.”