Lubna Olayan; Jane Fraser

Lubna S. Olayan serves as Chair of the Corporate Board of The Olayan Group and was appointed Co-Chair of the U.S.-Saudi Business Council Board of Directors in October 2025, representing Saudi Arabia. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB). Born on August 4, 1955, Olayan holds a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and an MBA from Indiana University.

She began her career at the Olayan Financing Company in 1983 and served as CEO for over 30 years before stepping into the chairmanship of The Olayan Group's corporate board. Olayan is currently a member of several international advisory boards, including those of Akbank, Bank of America, Hakluyt, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), and TotalEnergies. She worked at Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank in New York City from 1979 to 1981 before returning to Saudi Arabia.

She was the first woman to join the board of a Saudi-listed company. Olayan is a Senior Advisor at Chatham House, sits on the Global Board of Advisors at the Council on Foreign Relations, serves as a trustee of MIT and the World Economic Forum, is a member of the Asia Business Council, and serves as President of the Suliman S. Olayan Foundation. She chairs Alfanar, a UK-based charity and the first venture philanthropy organization in the Arab world.

Career History

• Chair, Corporate Board of The Olayan Group (current)
• Chair, Board of Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB) (2019–present)
• CEO, Olayan Financing Company (for over 30 years)
• Analyst, Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank, New York City (1979–1981)

What Lubna Olayan could bring to her Co-Chair role at the U.S.-Saudi Business Council: Her four decades of experience navigating cross-border investments, deep relationships with international financial institutions, and demonstrated track record breaking barriers for women in leadership position her to drive transformative bilateral economic partnerships. Her extensive advisory board memberships and philanthropic leadership underscore her capacity to align profit with purpose in advancing strategic economic collaboration.