Somayya Jabarti (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Saudi Gazette’s new chief, Somayya Jabarti, formerly occupied the post of assistant editor-in-chief of the paper, and before that held the same post at another title, Arab News.
Although a number of Saudi women have held senior positions at newspapers, and some have risen to became magazine editors—especially those which specialized in women’s issues and social affairs—Jabarti is the first woman to edit a daily newspaper.
Jabarti has worked in English-language journalism in Saudi Arabia for 17 years, and holds a BA in English from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah. She began her career as a translator at the Saudi Gazette in 1997, after five years in the Ministry of Education.
Jabarti was previously assistant editor-in-chief of Arab News, which is part of the HH Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG)—which includes Asharq Al-Awsat—and was also the first woman to hold that post in a Saudi title, after rising to head of the news department, executive manager, and managing editor.
She moved to the Saudi Gazette in 2011.
The appointment of a Saudi woman to head a major daily newspaper comes at a time when Saudi women have achieved a number of advances recently, most prominently on the Shura Council, after 30 women joined the council last year.
Women are also expected to participate in municipal elections as voters and candidates in two years’ time, currently a male monopoly.
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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