Rania Nashar was named chief executive of Samba Financial Group on Monday, becoming the first female CEO of a listed Saudi commercial bank in line with the government’s economic and social reforms.

Nashar is a board member of Samba’s global markets subsidiary and a Pakistani unit, and has nearly 20 years of experience in banking.
Women, banned from driving in Saudi Arabia and subject to a system of male guardianship, hold few top posts in the financial sector.

But reforms which Saudi Arabia launched last year to make the economy more efficient and less reliant on oil exports include boosting the role of women in the economy.

source: reuters