JEDDAH: There has been a significant increase in the proportion of women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia in recent years, according to the 2016/17 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM).
“Women entrepreneurs are catching up really quickly in Saudi Arabia — almost 33 percent of the owners of established businesses are women,” said Ignacio de la Vega, director of Babson Global Center for Entrepreneurship Leadership (BGCEL).
The GEM study found that Saudi Arabia has the strongest global ranking in terms of people’s favorable perceptions about becoming entrepreneurs.
“(Saudis) quit their jobs, find their opportunities and make it happen within a few years. There is a lot of optimism, passion and entrepreneurial drive,” said Vega, who is also professor of entrepreneurship at Mohammed bin Salman College (MBSC), which will welcome its first class of graduate students in September 2017.
The GEM study is the largest study of entrepreneurship in the world, with over 1,000 indicators.
“We are interviewing 200,000 (people) every year. We have over 500 researchers, 200 sponsors, many governments involved, more (than) 250 academic institutions,” Vega said.
The GEM study found that the perception of Saudi Arabia’s population toward entrepreneurial activity is very positive.
There are many emerging businesses entering the market in Saudi Arabia.
“The ecosystem in Saudi Arabia is supporting these businesses; the good news is that Saudi Arabia is very well prepared in physical infrastructure, including government programs and support, and the Vision 2030 is also pushing this,” said Vega.
The entrepreneurship atmosphere is however still lacking in some areas, said Vega. Such areas include professional financial support, despite the fact that Saudi Arabia has one of the highest global levels of foreign investment.
Entrepreneurial education in the Kingdom is also a big issue and needs to be improved, Vega added.
“If Saudi Arabia started launching unrelated measures to foster entrepreneurial education, it is not going to work — we need a comprehensive state-wide plan, and this takes a while,” he said.
Vega shared some recommendations for Saudi entrepreneurs: get along with others; create and innovate; and get team members and investors from day one.
“Get financial support from former entrepreneurs or family members and friends until you get professional investors on board,” he advised. “It is much better to have a 20 percent of something big than 80 percent of something small.”
Vega also reassured aspiring Saudi entrepreneurs that there is nothing wrong with failure. Learning and failure are two amazing things everyone should experience, he added.
Alan Chinoda, chief executive and general manager of Lockheed Martin Saudi Arabia, also spoke to Arab News on the sidelines of an event to mark the release of the GEM report.
The global security company formed a partnership with MBSC some years ago. One important area for Lockheed Martin is attracting talent, Chinoda said.
“The new Saudi generation is highly interconnected,” he said. “You have a new smart, innovative generation that asks a lot of questions and wants to accomplish and bring a higher level… this lines up directly with the Saudi government’s goals.”
Commenting on the GEM report, which was released on Thursday at King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), Chinoda said: “Today marks a significant day for all of us here in the Kingdom, as we launch one of the most comprehensive and ambitious reports of the state of entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia.”
Third of Saudi businesses owned by women: Report
Third of Saudi businesses owned by women: Report
Rooted in memory: How Rola Daftardar turns Saudi heritage into living art
- Ma Maison by Rola curates, produces home accessories
- Aim to reflect Kingdom as ‘authentic, layered and artistic’
RIYADH: For Rola Daftardar, creativity is not simply about design — it is about memory, emotion and belonging.
Saudi by birth, originally from Madinah and raised in Jeddah, Daftardar carries a layered identity shaped further by her Lebanese mother. That blend of cultures, she says, taught her early on to see beauty in contrast and turn it into strength.
“My identity has always been a mix,” she said during a recent interview. “It taught me how to appreciate detail, emotion and storytelling through objects.”
From childhood, she was drawn to art and pieces with soul — objects that feel lived with rather than merely displayed. She went on to study arts, history and media, developing a philosophy that creativity is not only aesthetic but deeply emotional.
“Design is a way of sharing parts of myself,” she explained. “It’s storytelling through material, color and scent.”
Four years ago, that philosophy became Ma Maison by Rola — a brand that began as a personal creative outlet and gradually grew, season by season, into a carefully curated world of home accessories and tablescaping pieces.
Each year, she approaches her collections as chapters. “Every season has its own breath,” she said. “Every year carries a new intention.”
Her work comes most alive during Ramadan and national occasions, when gatherings take center stage and homes become spaces of shared ritual. Between winter and summer, ideas quietly bloom. But this year’s message feels especially personal.
Daftardar’s latest collection is deeply rooted in Saudi heritage, inspired by cities including Jeddah, Riyadh, AlUla and Taif — places she sees as emotional landscapes as much as geographic ones.
“With Saudi Arabia opening to the world, I felt a responsibility to present my country as I see it — authentic, layered and artistic,” she said.
Candles became the starting point of that story. More than fragrance, they are tributes to memory. Musk reflects the warmth of Jeddah, rose captures the calm elegance of Taif, and oud represents the depth and strength of Riyadh.
Hand-painted details and carefully chosen colors complete the sensory narrative.
The idea for her foldable side tables emerged during a walk along Jeddah’s corniche. Watching families gather spontaneously by the sea reminded her of the informal spaces that connect people — a feeling she also associates with historic Al-Balad.
“I wanted to create something simple and functional that carries that spirit of gathering,” she said.
The concept expanded to Diriyah — old and new — and to AlUla, where history and futurism coexist.
Yet it is tablescaping that remains closest to her heart. “I never choose pieces randomly,” she said. “I imagine the people around the table, the dishes being served, the conversations happening.”
For Daftardar, every bowl, riser and glass element forms part of a complete narrative. Every table tells a story.
Her ultimate aim is clear: to reflect Saudi Arabia as she feels it — warm, generous and deeply rooted. A place where modernity meets origin, and tradition evolves without losing its soul.
That is where Ma Maison by Rola lives — in the space between memory and modernity — and it is a story she is proud to tell.
