Mastercard partnered with Saudia and Blossom Accelerator for the third season of its “Her Voice” mentorship program, empowering female entrepreneurs to attain lasting success.
The entities hosted three workshops across Jeddah, Riyadh, and Alkhobar, with more than 100 participants across all the cities. Each workshop enabled the opportunity to foster connections among women from across the Kingdom, offering participants access to all-important learning and networking. A competition held at each workshop also provided the opportunity for one winner from each city to be granted the mentorship program.
Reima Sras, founder of Buthoor Tech; Munirah Alkadi, founder of Mawsim; and Sarah Albaiz, founder of Qantara Studio; were selected as the competition’s three winners, each being enrolled in the innovative “Her Voice” program facilitated by Blossom Accelerator.

Each participant was evaluated based on leadership, product viability in the market, business model strength, and other key criteria.
“As more Saudi women take the reins of leadership and drive the future of the Kingdom’s SME space, we must work to ensure that we continue pioneering innovative programs that bridge the entrepreneurship gender gap,” said Maria Medvedeva, country manager, Saudi Arabia, Mastercard. “At Mastercard, we believe collaboration is crucial to launching the effective platforms required to accomplish this goal, and we are pleased to have partnered with Saudia and Blossom Accelerator to empower even more women for Season 3 of ‘Her Voice.’ We look forward to seeing our mentees grow, flourish and thrive, realizing their considerable potential and serving as champions of Saudi female excellence.”
Essam Akhonbay, vice president of marketing at Saudia, said: “As Saudi Arabia’s national flag carrier, we are deeply invested in the nation’s future and believe women are central to its success.”
Through ‘Her Voice,’ we empower female entrepreneurs to thrive, inspiring future generations and creating pathways for small businesses to prosper. By showcasing their remarkable stories on our in-flight entertainment system, we not only highlight their achievements but also reinforce Saudia’s commitment to promoting local content that fuels economic growth and social progress.”
“At Blossom Accelerator, we are proud to be a global leader in driving inclusive innovation, recognizing that diverse perspectives are key to unlocking economic potential and maximizing investment returns. Our mission is to empower female-led startups across the globe, equipping them with the essential tools and resources to excel in the competitive digital economy,” said Emon Shakoor, CEO and founder.
This season focused on connecting people to their passions, with each episode exploring a different passion point, namely: gaming, tech, sustainability, culinary, and sport. Over the course of each interview, guests recounted their personal and professional journeys in their own voices in conversation with the host, renowned Saudi actress and broadcaster Danyah Shafei.

Budget Saudi, the Kingdom’s leading car rental company, has been commended for its commitment to delivering world-class transportation and logistics services.

It bagged four honors at the 2024 World Business Outlook – Endorsing Excellence Awards, spotlighting the company’s ongoing efforts to transform the Saudi transportation sector.

Budget Saudi received the award for “Best Customer Experience Services in Transportation and Logistics in Saudi Arabia.”

Three members of the company’s leadership team were also recognized with individual leadership awards.

The honor highlights Budget Saudi’s ongoing work to curate memorable journeys and experiences for its customers and consumers around the Kingdom.

Leveraging a state-of-the-art fleet of over 38,000 vehicles and an extensive network of close to 100 retail stations across 30 cities, Budget Saudi is firmly established as the largest rental and leasing network in the Middle East and North Africa.

Held on Nov. 2 at Marriott Marquis, Queen’s Park in Bangkok, the ceremony brought industry leaders from around the world together to celebrate the outstanding achievements of exceptional leaders across a diversity of markets and sectors. 

The gathering also shone a light on the accomplishments of Budget Saudi leadership team.

Fawaz Danish, president and Group CEO, received the “Excellence in Transformational Business Leadership in Saudi Arabia” award.

Dr. Mohammed Ravish Tatli, Group CFO, was named the “Best CFO in Merger & Acquisition in Saudi Arabia.”

Anil Mathew Abraham, VP Operations, Sales & Marketing, was commended as the “Most Efficient Marcom Leader in Saudi Arabia.”

Fawaz Abdullah Danish, president & Group CEO, Budget Saudi, said: “With our history in Saudi Arabia tracing back nearly five decades — being the first publicly traded car rental company in the Kingdom — we are as deeply rooted in the country as we are deeply committed to empowering the people, communities and businesses we serve with world-class services.

“We are so pleased to have been recognized by the World Business Outlook – Endorsing Excellence Awards. Not ones to rest on our laurels, we look forward to raising our standards even more and contributing to the development of the Saudi transportation industry. We are honored, thankful and inspired to do even better — today, tomorrow and in the years to come.”

Budget Saudi said its success at the awards builds on the company’s recent acquisition of Auto World — one of the major car leasing companies in Saudi Arabia.

Budget Saudi said that it “underlines the company’s commitment and leadership team’s drive and vision to achieve unprecedented growth, creating a legacy of innovation in the transportation industry.”

To learn more about Budget Saudi and its sustainability initiatives, visit: https://www.budgetsaudi.com