Lubna Olayan
Lubna Suliman Olayan (; born 4 August 1955) is a Saudi business woman. Born to Sulaiman Olayan and Maryam bint Jassim Al Abdulwahab, Olayan was listed as one of the top 100 most influential people of 2005 by "Time" magazine, and continued to be on the Forbes list of most powerful women until 2011 and returned to the list in 2014. In 2004, Olayan was the first woman in Saudi history to deliver an opening keynote address at a major conference in Saudi Arabia; at the Jeddah Economic Forum in January 2004. Career highlights. Olayan Group. Olayan was the  Chief Executive Officer of the Olayan Financing Company, and (OFC), the holding entity for the Olayan Group's operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East until May 1 2019, when she was replaced by Jonathan Franklin. She also sits on the board of the group along with her brother Khaled and sisters Hayat and Hutham. It is thought that the private family has accumulated a fortune that tops $10 billion. The group was founded in 1947 by her father, the late entrepreneur Sulaiman S. Olayan, The Olayan Group is a private multinational enterprise engaged in  distribution, manufacturing, services and investments. OFC operates or actively participates in more than 40 companies, often in partnership with leading multinationals. OFC is also one of the largest investors in the Saudi and regional stock markets. In April 2019, Olayan announced her retirement as CEO of Olayan Financing Company. Alawwal Bank. In February 2005, Olayan was appointed as a non-executive director to the Board of WPP, and in December 2004, was elected to sit on the Board of the Saudi Hollandi Bank (now Alawwal Bank), a publicly listed company in Saudi Arabia. In September 2006 and April 2007, she  joined the International Advisory Boards of Rolls-Royce and Citigroup, respectively. Saudi British Bank. On 16 June 2019, Olayan was named Chairwoman of the Saudi British Bank (SABB), making her the first Saudi woman to head a bank. She was reappointed in January 2020 to serve a three year term, and assumed to hold to the position after the merger between SABB and Alawwal Bank. Other activities. Olayan joined the Board of Directors of INSEAD in December 2005, and has been a member of its International Council since March 1997. In April 2007, she was elected as a member of  the Board of Trustees for Cornell University. Olayan also joined the Advisory Board of Effat College, a private and non-profit girls college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in April 2006. She is also a board member at Alfanar. She has been on the Board of Trustees of the "Arab Thought Foundation" since January 2002. Olayan was elected to the Board of the Down Syndrome Charitable Association in June 2005, a not-for-profit organization based in Riyadh. She was also appointed to the Board of Trustees of King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST). In June 2018, she was  elected as a member of the MIT Corporation. In 2010, she was awarded the Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year. As of 2014, she is listed as the 86th most powerful woman in the world by "Forbes". Personal life. She is married to John Xefos, an international attorney from the United States, and they have three daughters all residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.