Since its official launch in 2019, PepsiCo has been continuously looking to empower, inspire and guide generations of women in the Kingdom through its “Tamakani” platform. Originating from the Arabic term that translates to “enable,” Tamakani is the company’s women’s empowerment platform with the goal to empower 1 million Saudi women by 2030.

As of 2022, women comprise 35 percent of the workforce in the Kingdom, which is an impressive 18.5 percent increase over the last five years.

“At the heart of Vision 2030’s values and our intrinsic values, empowering women comes as a priority,” PepsiCo said.

“When introducing the initiative, we focused on implementing three main platforms: Amplifying Voices, Facilitating Mentorship and Fostering Entrepreneurship, to bridge the varying gaps we came across in the job market.”

Aiming to equip women with the necessary tools, knowledge, skills and networks to become impactful leaders, PepsiCo has been partnering with associations dedicated to empowering women.

To mark the launch of Tamakani, the company collaborated with Eggdancer Productions — the Kingdom’s first female-owned and managed production company — to create “Rise — The Journey of Women in Saudi Arabia.” It is a documentary that chronicles the changing social landscape of Saudi Arabia through the lens of influential Saudi women. Directed by Danya Alhamrani, it allowed Saudi women to see themselves represented like never before, and the younger generations to get inspired.

Through the Amplifying Voices pillar, PepsiCo’s aim was to give a platform to the unheard stories of Saudi women. In partnership with the Family Affairs Council, the Mozn Podcast was born. The first-of-its-kind in the Kingdom, not only does the platform offer emerging and leading Saudi females the space to shed light on their professional success stories to inspire others, but it also allows their personal stories to come to light.

Some of the most notable personalities to have graced the platform include Dr. Hala Al-Tuwaijri, head of Saudi Human Rights Commission; Dr. Thuraya Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund; and Princess Haifa bint Abdulaziz Al-Muqrin, representative of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO.

Tamakani also partnered with AmCham — a platform for the American business community to connect, grow and prosper in the Kingdom — under the PepsiCo-sponsored Women in Business Committee, to launch the Diwaniya Quarterly event. It offers a safe space for both men and women executives in the Kingdom to come together in an informal setting to discuss business and social issues.

Under the Facilitating Mentorship pillar, PepsiCo collaborated with the largest women’s university in the world, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, to sponsor the “Qudwah” program. 

The program aids Saudi females to take up the mantle of leadership, by connecting them with accomplished leaders to advance their professional goals and leadership potential. 

Through this program, Tamakani has empowered 68 beneficiaries to embark on a rewarding career path and recently welcomed the second cohort of future beneficiaries, with the aim to empower more than 70 of them in 2023.

Under the same pillar, Tamakani collaborated with Al-Nahda Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering Saudi women for almost six decades, to sponsor their innovative “Fursa” and “Himmah” programs. This way, it is empowering more than 50 beneficiaries to be financially independent and secure sustainable employment opportunities.

As for Tamakani’s Fostering Entrepreneurship pillar, the platform partnered with the Atlantic Council to sponsor the WIN Fellowship Program. The council promotes constructive leadership, and in collaboration with it in April 2022, Tamakani supported 33 Saudi women entrepreneurs, to build their leadership and executive capacity to scale their businesses to new heights.

Overall, PepsiCo’s Tamakani initiative has empowered more than 100,000 Saudi women since its inception.