Amman, November 2008 – Keen on strengthening its relations with outstanding businesswomen in the region and worldwide, Bidaya for Consultancy & Corporate Communications, represented by Ms. Jumana Twal, founder and CEO, participated in the Women Business Leaders Summit (WBLS) held in Bahrain and Dubai from 26 - 30 October 2008. This comes as Twal's 3rd consecutive participation, having participated in the two previous summits held in Jordan and Washington. This year the summit was attended by a large number of notable Jordanian businesswomen, among them Dima Bibi, Dima Oscar and Doha Abdul-Khaleq, who joined businesswomen from Bahrain, the UAE, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco and Saudi Arabia, as well as from the United States of America.
During the summit, participants met with His Royal Highness Sheikh Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain, Sheikha Hissa Saad Al Abdullah Al Salem Al Sabah, Businesswomen Federation Head, and with Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman of the Women Business Leaders Summit. Participants also attended a reception hosted by the American Ambassador in the UAE Mr. Richard Olson. Mr. Olson discussed with participants major economic developments and the international financial crisis and its impact of businesses and investments. Other topics related to the development of businesses and means of success were also discussed.
Bidaya’s participation in this event was mainly aimed at reflecting a creditable model of Jordanian women’s leadership experience. Ms. Twal, together with her partner Ms. Melanie Brandman, spoke about the successful story of their strategic partnership. Bidaya and the Brandman Agency public relations and event planning company had signed a partnership agreement during the WBLS held last year in Washington, in virtue of which Bidaya became the representative of Brandman in Jordan and the Gulf to facilitate the services provided by the company in these countries. According to the same agreement, Brandman became the representative of Bidaya in the US, Britain, Canada and Australia. This step comes within the context of Bidaya’s expansionist policy, aiming to become a key international corporate communications company elevating the public relations industry standards.
Twal and Brandman explained the importance of this international partnership in providing an integrated business experience which brings together the wide range of skills and experiences of the two companies to provide services tailored to the needs of customers from various sectors, based on a deep understanding of the local, Arab and international markets' needs and trends.
Commenting on this partnership, Twal stressed the importance of continuous communication with elite regional and international businesswomen. This, she said, would enhance the already prestigious position reached by Arab businesswomen, expanding their horizons, contributing to the exchange of expertise and experiences and allowing women to benefit from the various business opportunities. Twal further added: “This step falls within the objectives of Bidaya, which are aimed at developing media consultancy and corporate communications, setting-up high standards for specialized services in this field and increasing the level of awareness on the importance of a good media image for any institution with a high level of developmental aspirations.”
The Women Business Leaders Summit, which was initiated in 2001, held its sessions in Jordan, Latvia, Washington DC, and in Finland. Participants in the summit are representatives of a number of "Fortune 500" companies with more than $600 billion in annual revenue and which employ more than $2 million individuals, in industries such as Technology, Health Care, Travel and Finance.
Bidaya is characterized by its high standard services and performance, tailored to the needs of its customers, who operate across different sectors. Among these are: the Association of Queen Rania Al Abdullah Award for Excellence in Education, Jordan Dubai Capital, Kingdom Electricity Company, Energy Management Services (EMS), Information Technology Association of Jordan (int@j), Al Faris National Company for Investment (Optimiza), Jordan Investment Trust PLC (Jordinvest), Nokia, Pepsi-Jordan and others. The most important of Bidaya's services include strategic media consultation and planning, management of corporate social responsibility programs and events management, in addition to providing support during various important events, such as the World Economic Forum and Jordan's Information and Communications Technology Forum.
Brandman is well known for its sophisticated and specialized services in the field of tourism, hotels, and in all fields related to high-level tourism services, and has branches in London, Sydney and Toronto.