Offering successful businesspeople a forum to speak about the current and future business climate in Saudi Arabia, Arab News gauges their opinion on various subjects. Kamal Osman Jamjoom, owner and CEO of Kamal Osman Jamjoom Establishment (KOJ), is one of the guests in this series. He started with one small enterprise, but his businesses grew out to become famous brand serials in the GCC countries.
Jamjoom discusses the changes he expects to happen in the Kingdom and the future plans he deems necessary for the Kingdom's development, providing an interesting insight into the way he thinks leadership should be incorporated into several areas, such as education, electricity and water.
Jamjoom is a leading Saudi businessman and founder of the famous Saudi brands Nayomi, Mikyaji, the Body Shop franchise, Soiree and Ulla Popken. Arab News' meeting with Jamjoom was not an ordinary one. He is not only a leader, but also a keen inventor, something most people do not know about him.
Kamal began his career at Procter & Gamble in the US and in Saudi Arabia.
With a career spanning seven years, Kamal worked in both manufacturing and marketing, learning to manufacture and market the brands of Pampers and Ariel. Twenty-five years ago, Osman took the imitative to open the first Body Shop franchise in the western region of the Kingdom.
Today, KOJ owns and operates over 500 stores across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
Rapid changes:
AN: What changes do you expect to have a major impact on the lives of Saudis in the next 20 years?
Jamjoom: Change has become a fact of life in Saudi society. Change is happening rapidly and it's difficult to predict its size. A big change that I anticipate taking place is a widespread introduction of Saudi women to the labor market.
I expect Saudi women to contribute increasingly in several sectors such as marketing, retail, fashion and cosmetics. Such steps will help boost the Saudi economy, as each woman will influence her family positively.
Leadership factors:
AN: What do you think of current leadership in organizations in the Kingdom? What are the contributing factors?
Jamjoom: A person has to learn leadership skills through life. When talking about leadership in organizations, I think each leader should send a message to society. I don't mean through words, but through works. For example, I wanted our group to become a leading retail organization, creating products, creating jobs, employing people productively and improving on the quality of life. I believe a business exists to create jobs, so I think that every leader should strive to do so.
Challenging tasks:
AN: What are the most difficult challenges that need to be made in the Kingdom in the next 20 years?
Jamjoom: There are no difficult plan or decision, only difficult implementations. We constantly make decisions, whether it involves our social life or business life. I think the education system needs a new plan, implementing best practices from our neighboring countries. We also need to boost our economy and our infrastructure. I think the plans are easily made, but again they are difficult to implement.
Development goals:
AN: What goals have you set regarding the Kingdom's development? How would you go about achieving these goals though your current position?
Jamjoom: My theme in business is that when I have a successful business, I can take care of many families. That way I can ensure a better future for the country. In our company we believe we have to take care of our people. This is why we have replaced salesmen by Saudi women in lingerie shops. We plan to create jobs for both sexes, and we intend to take care of expatriate workers who have been working with us for a long time. My duty here is to transfer non-Saudi workers to neighboring GCC countries where they can also work in our stores. Here I achieved a social justice system and I am ready to follow the government's direction if they ask us to hire more Saudis. To develop our country's economy, we have created over 82,000 job opportunities so far. This year we will open 140 new stores, and these stores create more jobs. We will never leave our staff jobless. Instead, we will relocate them to a sector that serves men, or to another country. I believe that is the best way to ensure the Kingdom's development.
Creative projects:
AN: What creative project would you like to establish in the Kingdom?
Jamjoom: We were the first company to launch brands like Nayomi, Mikyaji, the Body Shop, Soiree and Ulla Popken. These are now famous in the GCC and Arab countries. Within the next two weeks we will launch new brands in Jeddah. We will also establish Nayomi salon and two other brands. Within two years we aim to have about six brands developed for the consumer. We want to create these brands to help develop job opportunities for men and women.
KSA in three words:
AN: What three words would you use to describe the Kingdom in the next 20 years, and why?
Jamjoom: I think the Kingdom has entered a very exciting time and it's clear we are looking forward to a very promising future. I am optimistic about the future because the government creates many jobs. The leadership here made me hopeful for many changes. Society also understands what will benefit the community and they accept the changes.
Human rights:
AN: How can we improve on human rights in Saudi Arabia? What are your expectations in this field for the next 20 years?
Jamjoom: I believe the Kingdom's government and laws have set a fair system that ensures human rights. These rights are respected here as well as in many other countries. Mistakes are sometimes made, in exceptional situations, but every country makes them. I expect many current social phenomena will have ended within 20 years.
Biggest challenge
AN: What is the biggest challenge facing the Kingdom today?
Jamjoom: Creating jobs for young men and women, enabling people to get more experience and more skills to have better future. It's a challenge because we have to make big changes to provide job opportunities for all citizens. Such a step requires the society to accept changes. Here in the Kingdom, society fears change especially when it's about women working.
AN: Which are the most prominent economic activities in the Kingdom? What are the 'neglected' sectors that need to be developed?
Jamjoom: I think the Saudi market is very open, dynamic and rich. The government does a good job in focusing on many sectors, such as industry, trade and services. So there are no neglected sectors in my own opinion.
Housing growth
AN: There is a huge demand for housing in the Kingdom because of rising young population. The government allocated SR250 billion in this budget to housing. Do you believe the housing sector needs more attention from the government and private sector?
Jamjoom: The high demands on rented apartments, in addition to the high real estate prices, are the two main factors that cause the shortage in the housing sector. Therefore, the government and private sector should contribute. Owning a home is a dream that should be achievable for every human being. We have a mortgage system that makes it possible for Saudi nationals to own houses.
Role of SMEs
AN: There is a need to boost small business enterprises (SME) in the Kingdom, as it creates various jobs. What role do you see for SMEs in the Kingdom's economic development?
Jamjoom: We need SMEs because they create job opportunities for thousands of youths. I expect the Kingdom will start to consciously encourage SMEs. People in Saudi Arabia are creative and many good size businesses have started as an SME. If we could encourage the start-up of more SMEs... Why not? As it's difficult for youth to import products, I want this process made easier for them, so they could start their own career as an SME.
Knowledge hunt
AN: Education has always been a priority of the Saudi government. What changes would you recommend for the education system to prepare Saudi youth for work in a knowledge-based economy?
Jamjoom: Saudi people have become very ambitious and like to work. Still there are groups that don't appreciate the education well. The government showed great generosity when it launched scholarships program. It also helps people who want to help themselves. Money doesn't work alone; money helps when the person understands the education's value. Educational opportunities are available to every Saudi student. However, every person has to plan his life and his education to get a great career. Training also is a requirement. I recommend the private sector to cooperate with the education sector and decide what types of qualifications are needed to boost the economy.
Fair opportunities
AN: How do you see Saudi women contributing in the work force and the political arena in the future?
Jamjoom: To me, there is no difference between women and men. Both of them should be able to work in all sectors equally. Women and men should be allowed to work according to their ambition, not according to their sexes. There is no need to differentiate between women and men. Men and women have been working equally in the health sector for many years and that is working out fine.
AN: What should Saudi women do to make your image of the future become a reality?
Jamjoom: Get the best education, the best skills and work hard to be successful. Mind you, these are the same requirements that men need to succeed too.
Media standards
AN: What measures and standards are yet to be applied in Saudi Arabia's social and traditional media? What impact will social media have on change in the Kingdom?
Jamjoom: I don't spend too much time on social media myself, but I do believe they can benefit us. People can access information on what is happening in the world very quickly. Social media ensure transparency. For example, an employee can complain to his boss or officials easily. I would love to hear from people via the social media.
I think the role of social media will continue to develop and change people's lives. Many years ago inventing cars, electricity and telephone changed the life of every single person. The Internet will continue to do the same.
Social media allow us to communicate and share ideas with other communities. It also provides information that is hard to obtain through a library or friends. So it helps a lot to exchange knowledge and experiences.
Social media will affect traditional media for sure. Even when we want to read traditional newspapers, we look for them on new media applications. It's important that we can read the news from different sources. It's better than reading only one newspaper. A person who used to buy only one newspaper is now able to read all of them online.
Learning from mistakes
AN: What main mistakes have been repeated in the Kingdom over the past 10 years? How could we learn from our mistakes to help the Kingdom develop?
Jamjoom: Every business has to plan for the long term and take into consideration the 'head of the curve.' Water, electricity, housing, schools and all other projects have to be planned for a long term. Here in the Kingdom we have a shortage in these sectors, so long term planning will certainly help to avoid mistakes and surprises.
Message to youth
AN: Youth make up the majority of the Saudi population. What message would you like to convey to them? And what else would you say to the rest of the population?
Jamjoom: Every person has to plan his life, take advantage of education, work hard, decide on goals and then move toward achieving his goals.
© Arab News 2012
