Shihana Alazzaz was appointed on Sunday by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman to the position of Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers.
Since August 2018, Alazzaz has held these positions on the PIF Board of Directors: general counsel and secretary general.
In 2017, Alazzaz joined PIF as the Legal Division’s head of transactions. She also participates in various executive committees including the management committee for the PIF. She heads a number of boards and board committees for PIF portfolio firms and participates on many more.
Alazzaz graduated with honours from Durham University in the UK with a law degree. Alazzaz spent nine years as a practising attorney with various multinational law firms before joining PIF.
The Supreme Court of New York in the United States and the Ministry of Justice both granted her a licence to practise law.
Following her graduation, Alazzaz spent more than three years working as an associate at the legal firm Baker McKenzie before joining Vinson & Elkins, where she worked as a senior associate for over five years before being advanced to counsel in 2016. She joined PIF as head of transactions in 2017 after leaving the company.
Alazzaz is regarded as one of the country of Saudi Arabia’s first female attorneys. She took part in a variety of seminars and conferences targeted at inspiring and assisting young people, such as the yearly foreign affairs conference held at the American University of Colorado.
Besides giving lectures at several American universities, including Harvard University in Boston, She has delivered the keynote speech at the first German-Middle Eastern conference for young professionals in Berlin.
After being given the title of “The Deal Maker” in 2016, Alazzaz was chosen among the 100 Most Powerful Women in 2020 by Forbes Middle East.
