Shihana al Azaz, first woman to be deputy secretary general of the Government of Saudi Arabia

July 4. (EUROPA PRESS) –

Shihana al Azaz has become this Sunday the first woman to hold the position of Deputy Secretary General of the Saudi Government, within the framework of a remodeling approved by King Salmán bin Abdulaziz.

Al Azaz, who has been secretary general of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) since August 2018, is also considered one of the first women to practice law in the country.

In this way, he will replace Abdulrahman bin Muhamad, who has been appointed advisor to the Royal House with the rank of minister, according to the newspaper ‘Saudi Gazette’.

The remodeling also includes the appointment of Princess Haifa bint Muhamad as Vice Minister of Tourism, a position she arrives after serving as an assistant in the ministry in charge of the application of the National Tourism Strategy.

On the other hand, Aiman ​​bin Mohamed al Sayari has been appointed deputy governor of the Saudi Central Bank for research and development, a position that has the rank of minister, while Khalid bin Oualid al Zaher has also been appointed deputy governor of the bank for control and technology.

In addition, Bandar bin Obaid al Rashid has been appointed secretary to the crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, while Mansur bin Abdullah has been appointed deputy secretary to Bin Salman himself, as reported by the ‘Arab News’ newspaper.

On the other hand, Ihab bin Ghazi al Hashani has been appointed Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, while Abdulaziz bin Hamad al Rumaí has ​​been appointed Deputy Minister of Health for Planning and Development. In addition, Rumaí bin Muhamad al Rumaí will hold the position of Deputy Minister of Transport.

The crown prince of Saudi Arabia has promoted a program that has included the authorization of women to drive and their integration into public sector jobs from which they were previously excluded, although women continue to face numerous restrictions in the country, especially related to the way they dress and their social relations with other men, for which it has been denounced that the measures are merely cosmetic.