CEO at Saudi Research and Media Group (RSMG)
Since her appointment as Board Member and CEO of Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG) in October 2020, Jomana Al-Rashed has been one of Saudi Arabia’s most relevant and dynamic examples of the kingdom’s accelerated march toward the future.
With more than 2,000 employees and 18 offices in 11 countries, the group, established in 1972, has long been a major media player in the region. It owns no less than 43 titles and 25 websites, including Arab News, Alsharq al Awsat, and Sayyidati, and reaches a combined audience of 165 million monthly. In perfect alignment with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Saudi Vision 2030 plan, Al-Rashed, the first Saudi woman appointed to this role, has been spearheading SRMG’s transformation, focusing on digital-first, multiplatform portfolio expansion, and international partnerships.
Al-Rashed quickly set the tone, launching first the “By women, for all” initiative on International Women’s Day, whereby an all-female team of journalists took over editorial content and press coverage for the day across all SRMG subsidiary newspapers. “The Arab world in general and Saudi Arabia in particular are rich in stories that demonstrate the pivotal role women play in our everyday lives, business, society, education, healthcare and beyond […] More than ever, Saudi women have now become an integral part of the growth, prosperity, and advancement of our country. We at SRMG are fully prepared to play our part,” Al-Rashid told the press at the time.
Barely a few months after her appointment, she also unveiled SRMG’s new branding and transformation strategy, identifying five key business verticals that the company would invest in from now on: SRMG Media (digital platforms, podcasts, and multimedia); SRMG International (investments and partnerships); SRMG Think (research and polling); SRMG X (events, conferences, and exhibitions); and SRMG Labs (innovation, incubation, and training). This focus on premium content creation is meant to ensure that SRMG will be the primary driver of the region’s digital future in media, according to Al-Rashed.
This was soon followed by the launch of Manga Arabia, the first Arabic-language manga magazine for both adults and children, the acquisition by SRMG of a majority stake in leading Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah, and the launch of Raff Publishing.
By end 2021, SRMG also appointed Saudi Media Company, helmed by Mohamed Al-Khereiji (#1 in this ranking), as its exclusive media representative, further cementing the kingdom’s modern and ambitious media philosophy.
Al Rashed obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from SOAS University in London in 2011, and a Master’s degree in International Journalism from the City University of London in 2013. She worked as the London correspondent of Al-Riyadh newspaper before being posted as a senior aide and advisor for media relations to the Saudi Ambassador to the UK. She then moved back to the kingdom to work in a media advisory capacity, assisting the private and public sectors in Riyadh. Today, she also sits on the board of financial news publishing house Argaam Investment Company.
You can see the full ranking and methodology here.
