BCG’ Jeel Tamooh Career Fair Propels Saudi Youth on a Path to Prosperity at the Close of Its 4th Edition

Riyadh—Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the global management consulting firm, concluded the fourth edition of its prestigious Jeel Tamooh program with a three-day Virtual Career Fair on September 6-7-8. Propelled by BCG’s vision to inspire youth and pave the way for professional ascension, the Virtual Career Fair enabled Jeel Tamooh members to connect with top prospective employers as leading Saudi companies became familiar with the latest generation of emerging talent.

The first day of the Jeel Tamooh Virtual Career Fair showcased multiple sessions from top Saudi employers who shared insights on their company culture, vision, and strategic objectives, before diving into competitive opportunities for the newly graduates. Speakers included Fatima Batook, CEO of Switz Group, Founder of Studio55, and member of Saudi Tennis Federation. Seera Group, Saudi Telecom Company, Riyad Bank, and Diriyah Gate Development Authority, among others. At the start of day one, Fatima Batook spoke about her journey into spreading awareness on women empowerment through fitness. Passionate about questioning the status quo, Fatima concluded: “Embark on your journey with more confidence, with more commitment, and a thirst for learning. Career paths are riddled with endless possibilities once you start opening doors to new opportunities.”

Shedding light on the digital transformation efforts in the broader telecommunications industry, Saudi Telecom Company said: “Saudi Arabia has the third highest smartphone penetration rate in the world with around 21 million smartphone users. The number of internet users in the country is forecasted to amount to 36.2 million users in 2025. In answering this huge demand, there’s no doubt that young graduates will find more and more occasions to tap into the growing opportunities that the telecom industry is set on delivering to customers at a local, and regional scale.”

The third day included insights by young industry leader, Noura Alissa, Senior International Policy Analyst, Climate Change & Sustainability, Saudi Ministry of Energy; and successful entrepreneur, Abdulmohsen Albabtain, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at Tamara. Abdulmohsen, who used to work at BCG in Riyadh, said, “Having the mindset of doing the best I can isn't enough, your mindset will change to who and what do I need to make it work; the people, tools and resources.”

Alissa, who also shed a light on climate change and sustainability, outlined the key priorities and milestones in KSA’s climate action journey. She said: “Saudi Arabia is going beyond circularity of materials and advancing the Circular Carbon Economy, a climate framework to reduce emissions but also capture fugitive carbon and reuse, recycle or permanently store it under the ground. HRH the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia also launched the Saudi Green Initiative to act as a vehicle of raising national ambition and the Middle East Green Initiative to enable and inspire greater regional and global action. There is so much opportunity in KSA’s green transition journey for the youth of the Kingdom, and many more exciting things to come,” added Noura Alissa.

Whilst addressing the Jeel Tamooh Virtual Career Fair, Phillipe Cornette de Saint Cyr, Head of BCG Riyadh said: “The skills mismatch is directly related to productivity, innovation, and even sustainable development – putting it at the top of Saudi Arabia’s human capital development agenda. The Jeel Tamooh Virtual Career Fair provides a sizeable boost to the ongoing efforts to tackle the skills mismatch. Throughout the fair, participants were able to attend career path development and coaching sessions and talks by distinguished speakers, ask questions, and gain insights on career-related topics with support from national organizations.”

The Virtual Career Fair addressed the skills mismatch in Saudi Arabia by enabling participants to showcase their recent progression and provide prospective employers with exclusive insights into their personalities, capabilities, aspirations, and possible contributions to teams, projects, and organizations. It also presented a unique fireside chat to discuss the latest accelerators in sustainability, offering a lens into the ideal capability portfolio that is expected in a candidate in view of rapid technological advances. In return, leading Saudi companies engaged with a trained and vetted pool of high caliber talent and identified the personnel best suited to current vacancies and future roles. Some of the Saudi-based employers in attendance include Capital Market Authority, Tamara, Saudi Ministry of Energy, Ma’aden, Riyad Bank, Seera Group, Saudi Telecom Company, Saudi Electricity Company, and Diriyah Gate Development Authority.

The Virtual Career Fair also proposed a variety of industry leading workshops. Presented by Eyad Rasheed, Strategic Planning Director at DGDA, a dedicated workshop entitled, “Ambitious Project Towards Vision 2030,” delved deeper into KSA’s national strategic ambitions with a focus on the kingdom’s Saudization pillar. Under the theme ‘Top competencies employers look for and how to get prepared,’ Mohammed AlDhobaiban, Talent Acquisition Senior Manager at Riyad Bank also held a thought-provoking workshop on career ascension.

Concluding the Virtual Career Fair was Akram Awad, Partner at BCG, who divulged on his own career motto: "Imagine where your life will be in five, ten, twenty years from now. You need to articulate your dreams into reality. Don’t be intimidated by vagueness. Reflect, and rework. The choice is yours."