Huda Mohammed Al-Ghoson (born November 19, 1957) is a former Saudi corporate executive. Al-Ghoson was the Executive Director of Human Resources for Saudi Aramco,[1] the national oil and gas company of Saudi Arabia. She has been named among the world’s most powerful Arab businesswomen by Forbes Middle East[2] and one of the world’s most influential Arab women by Arabian Business.[3] Her first book, Unbounded, was published in 2022.
Education
Al-Ghoson earned her bachelor’s degree in English literature from King Saud University, Riyadh in 1980.[4] She received a Master of Business Administration from American University in Washington, D.C. in 1986.[5]
Career
Al-Ghoson joined Saudi Aramco in 1981.[6] In 2006, she was promoted to director of Saudi Aramco’s human resources policy and planning department,[6] and in 2009, she was promoted to general manager of the Training and Development organization, becoming the first woman to handle such a position in the company’s then-76-year history.[6] She contributed to the advancement of women at Saudi Aramco by creating two initiatives: ‘Women in Business’, for women early in their careers, and ‘Women in Leadership’, for more senior female employees.[7]
In 2012 she became the first woman to assume an executive position at Saudi Aramco when she was promoted to the position of Executive Director of Human Resources.[5] She remained the head of HR in the company until her retirement on December 28, 2017.[8]
In addition to her positions at Saudi Aramco, Al-Ghoson has served as a member of several boards including those of Vela International Marine Limited,[9] the Yanbu Aramco Sinopec Refinery Company (YASREF),[4] Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare,[10] Bupa Arabia,[11] and Credit Suisse Saudi Arabia.[12] She has also been a member of the leadership advisor board of Saudi Electricity Company[13] and the Arabian Society of Human Resources.[1]
Currently, Al-Ghoson is a member of the Board of Directors of the Saudi National Bank (SNB) and The Chopra Foundation, and a member of the Nomination & Remuneration Committee of the Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and The Hevolution Foundation.
