A number of renowned Arab women will be awarded for their achievements at a prestigious event today (Dec. 6) in London. The Arab Women of the Year Awards Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony will showcase the capabilities of Arab women as leaders and will bring together representatives of governments, businesses and civil society.
The 2018 awards are created by London Arabia Organization, and have been supported by the Mayor of London. This year’s event will be held in partnership with Regents University London, the Bicester Village Shopping Collection, Y Asset Management, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and London & Partners. The event also aims to act as an avenue to promote cultural understanding between Britain and the Arab world.
Professor Aldwyn Cooper, advisory board chairman and vice chancellor and CEO of Regent’s University, said: “The last year has seen an increasing focus on the role of women in society all across the world. We have continued to see social change in Arab countries, led and supported by the country leaders, to move from the dominance of men through to the substantial growth of input from women from many countries and many different backgrounds.”
He added: “One of the best ways to form bridges between countries is through trade and by celebrating each other’s successes. This is one of the key aspects of this event, which seeks to recognize the tremendous contributions being made by women in the Arab world as they take on new leadership roles.”
Omar Bdour, chief executive officer of the London Arabia Organization, said: “The awards can act as a way of promoting the achievements of Arab women who have become role models for our children’s generations. Giving recognition to these women can inspire even more to follow in their footsteps.”
He added: “Hosting the awards in London highlights the close relationship between the UK and Arab world. We hope that our event will play a part in helping to end stereotyping of the Arab world and of Arab women, who accomplish so much, despite much of the West’s impression of them.”
Desiree Boiler, Value Retail’s chair and chief merchant, said: “Partnering with London Arabia is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the Middle East — these guests are an integral part of our business, we work hard to ensure they feel at home in our villages and we’re delighted to support an event which promotes cultural understanding of the Arab world.”
London celebrates achievements of Arab women
London celebrates achievements of Arab women
World Defense Show 2026: KPMG highlights human capital as strategic defense asset
KPMG published a series of four white papers as official knowledge partner for the World Defense Show 2026, reinforcing its commitment to supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and the Kingdom’s ambition to build a sovereign, future-ready defense ecosystem grounded in integrated capability development, localization, and digital readiness.
As global defense priorities evolve from procurement-led models toward capability-driven ecosystems, one of the papers in the defense integration series highlights a clear inflection point for the sector. According to KPMG analysis, defense localization in Saudi Arabia has increased from around 4 percent in 2018 to 24.9 percent in 2024, with the Kingdom targeting 50 percent localization by 2030. At the same time, local content across the defense sector has reached 40.7 percent, up from 38.4 percent in 2023, reflecting deeper integration across procurement, industrial participation, technology adoption, and workforce development.
KPMG’s findings emphasize that modern defense power is no longer defined by platforms and equipment alone, but by the ability to design, operate, integrate, and sustain advanced systems at scale. While technology, infrastructure, and capital investment remain critical enablers, the firm’s WDS position paper highlights that defense transformation has a significant human-capital focus, recognizing that skills, data literacy, and local expertise are essential to maximizing the performance, resilience, and sovereignty of advanced defense capabilities.
Christopher Moore, head of defense and security, said: “Saudi Arabia’s defense transformation has a significant human-capital focus, alongside major investments in technology, equipment, and industrial capacity. The progress we are seeing in localization and local content demonstrates that the Kingdom is not only acquiring advanced systems, but also building the skills, institutions, and operating models required to sustain them. Through our partnership with the World Defense Show, KPMG is proud to contribute insight and frameworks that help translate Vision 2030 ambition into operational readiness.”
This human-capital perspective forms part of a broader KPMG defense thought-leadership series developed for WDS 2026, which examines defense transformation through multiple, interconnected pillars. These include accelerating sovereign defense ecosystems, integrating business and technology infrastructure, financing future deterrence through public-private partnerships, strengthening industrial and technological autonomy, and building a future-ready defense workforce — reflecting KPMG’s holistic view of defense as an integrated national ecosystem.
KPMG’s research also situates Saudi Arabia’s progress within a global economic context. International benchmarks cited in the firm’s WDS analysis show that every $1 billion in defense manufacturing output in the US supports approximately 5,700 jobs, while the UK defense sector contributes around £25 billion ($34.2 billion) to GDP and sustains 260,000 skilled jobs. Across the EU, defense industries employ more than 1.6 million people and generate approximately 70 billion euros ($82.9 billion) in annual value. KPMG notes that similar dynamics are beginning to emerge in Saudi Arabia as localization accelerates and private-sector participation expands.
To support measurable progress, KPMG has proposed a Defense Workforce Capability Index — a framework that links workforce outcomes directly to operational readiness. The index tracks localization rates, technical qualification levels in advanced and digital systems, and the share of maintenance and sustainment conducted domestically, aligning human-capital metrics with broader defense performance objectives.
Taking place in Riyadh from Feb. 8 to 12, the World Defense Show will bring together senior government leaders, defense manufacturers, and technology innovators from around the world. The other three papers in the defense integration series focus on sovereignty, financing and technology.
