H.E. Fahd Bin Abdulmohsan Al-Rasheed, Chairman of Saudi Conventions & Exhibitions General Authority (SCEGA) welcomes the Fortune MPW audience in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with introductory remarks from Fortune CEO Anastasia Nyrkovskaya.
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00:00Transformation in Saudi Arabia created many women who are the first of their kind.
00:18And being first is very hard across multiple sectors, public, private, government, any area of the world.
00:28And to some extent, I'm also first of my kind.
00:32It's an honor to be the first female CEO of Fortune.
00:38And our editor-in-chief, Alison Chantel, is the first female editor-in-chief of Fortune in 95-year history of the company.
00:54So, not an easy job at all whatsoever.
01:01And over the last 30 years, we have been working on Fortune's Most Powerful Women and the community, and building the community.
01:10And in order to build a community, you need to have different things, different thoughts, different cultures, different backgrounds, people who are coming from different journeys in their careers and lives.
01:24And now, Saudi women are part of this community as well, and I'm very happy about that.
01:30Now, we're in good company here, being first.
01:33We're hosting our first, Fortune's first, Most Powerful Women International Summit in the Middle East.
01:42And why are we here is the biggest question.
01:47It's in Fortune's DNA to be at the frontier of the business and business transformation.
01:53So, that's why.
01:56Now, we all came from different walks of life, and I wanted to share my personal journey for a second as well.
02:05I grew up in a small, tiny town right outside of Moscow.
02:10But the town was very unique.
02:13Everybody there was a scientist or an engineer.
02:16So, as I would go to school, my parents would go and build rockets, and it was normal.
02:25We had the most modern electronic particles accelerator.
02:30But meanwhile, our buses were built around World War II, and when you sit on a bus, you never know if you get to your destination or if the bus breaks.
02:39At that point in my life, I would have never thought that I would move far away to New York City and run this iconic brand, Fortune Media.
02:52Truly a privilege and a pleasure, and a lot of hard work.
02:56Now, along those two days, I want you to share your personal stories with each other on stage, at dinner, and during all of the conversations.
03:05Now, as we know, this journey does not happen alone.
03:12Along the way, you have allies, men and women, who help us to get to where we are going.
03:20So, I wanted to introduce a very special man.
03:26Okay?
03:27He is our host, gracious and incredible host.
03:31So, I would like to welcome to the stage, His Excellency, Fahad Al-Rashid, Chairman of Skaga.
03:39Thank you for your gives me any time.
04:00And please speak English language,
04:02the number of people who don't speak Arabic.
04:07Your Highnesses, Excellencies,
04:11our esteemed guests, friends from all over the world,
04:14welcome to Riyadh and welcome to Saudi Arabia.
04:19I want to start by thanking our friends at Fortune,
04:22especially my dear friend Anastasia
04:25who had the bold vision of bringing this great forum,
04:29this great summit to Saudi Arabia.
04:33And you are here at the right time.
04:36Vision 2030 has made Saudi Arabia
04:39one of the most exciting places in the world.
04:43And we have already accomplished so much.
04:46We have done it through a spirit of partnership,
04:50partnering with you and leaders from around the world,
04:56their countries, their corporates.
05:00But it has not been only that.
05:03Most importantly, it has been us as a country working together.
05:08Men and women, side by side, working relentlessly to make this vision into a reality.
05:16And you will meet these women over the next two days.
05:21Incredibly ambitious, bold women who are also capable of getting things done.
05:29They come from all walks of life and they have their own unique stories to tell.
05:34Some of these women come from the private sector.
05:40They have been recognized around the world for decades.
05:44And now they have a table, they have a seat at the head of the table at home,
05:50in the country of Saudi Arabia.
05:52And you have women who are leading government,
05:56who are managing large-scale transformations in every sector and every field.
06:02And they are doing it with empathy and care.
06:05And you have women in sports who have broken down the barriers to this sector
06:12and have already achieved championships.
06:14You will meet women from every field and every sector.
06:20And I hope, in doing so, you will enjoy the next two days,
06:25that you will enjoy the conversation.
06:28Most importantly, that you will make friends and you will build partnerships.
06:32And I hope, I hope, this will not be the last time we do this
06:36and then you will come back to see us.
06:39Now, I do want to recognize the elephant in the room.
06:42I am not one of the most powerful women in the world.
06:47So, if you allow me, I will excuse myself and walk myself off stage
06:51without you pushing me out.
06:53Thank you so much. Enjoy the two days.