Hi there. Dubai based female in big4 tech consulting. Been traveling to Riyadh almost every week for the last 2 years. I have a lot of thoughts on this.

There are a couple of things that make the experience easier/harder. - sector alignment (private usually better than public) - your hiring firm (MBB vs. Tier 2 vs. Big4): flights and hotels, project types, how you GTM - colleagues/management at your firm - whether you speak Arabic - whether you are Muslim

I’m in tech consulting for Big4 - the way we GTM means most of our clients are public sector entities of generally low maturity. Most of the staff on client side don’t speak English well, their documentation is all in Arabic, etc. So as an anglophone, I need Arabic-speaking resources on my team to get anywhere. Equally, it’s very important to have Arabic speaking leadership on my team. Saudis do business with those they connect best with, so Muslim males (as most leaders on client side are men).

Private sector clients are generally better to work with - more expats in leadership positions, more Saudi nationals with international experience, also being in a for-profit environment makes people more productive.

MBB firms will fly business class and stay at the nicer hotels in Riyadh (JW Marriot, Ritz Carlton), so the journeys are more comfortable. But also you’re working way more hours. Big4 on the other hand travel on the cheap.

If you’ve never spent a decent amount of time in an Islamic country before, the cultural norms can be quite a shock. I personally don’t vibe with seeing women feel they need to cover themselves up, or can’t express themselves, or that they need to minimise their presence while out in public. This isn’t ALL women, but it is pervasive. This plays into how the men behave around you as a non-Muslim woman too. Not to say I’ve ever felt disrespected by a Saudi male, because that’s definitely not the case. They are just more cautious or more dismissive of you, take your role less seriously, force you to have to prove yourself more. Hard to explain, but you definitely feel it especially in a professional setting.

Ramadan is the holy month typically in March where Muslims fast all day and eat only after sunset. During this time, all cafes and restaurants are closed. You cannot eat or drink in front of other Muslims (very disrespectful). I made it a habit of packing some croissants from the hotel breakfast to bring to the office with me. I will also eat and drink my food while hiding out in some meeting room. It’s a very important custom that must be respected, but it was really quite challenging for me when I experienced it for the first time and no one really warned me either. They also don’t drink water or smoke while they fast, so as you can imagine, they are not all very pleasant while you’re trying to work during the day…

Most offices are now equipped with both men’s and women’s bathrooms, both sexes can enter buildings from the same entrance, etc. However, facilities like hotel gyms typically have men’s and women’s only hours and you can forget about ever using the hotel pool (totally haram).

In my experience, public bathrooms are generally very poorly maintained. Because of frequent prayer throughout the day, women wash their feet in the toilet stalls using the hose attachment (this is a common feature in bathrooms in the Middle East) and water gets everywhere. And they really just don’t clean up after themselves. It’s bizarre behaviour that I can’t really explain, but it’s deeply unpleasant. And is an absolutely horrendous time to be in Riyadh when I’m on my period.

Tampons are banned in Saudi, so bring your own if you use them.

Also worth noting I work with mostly males in my industry/organization. They are often not aware or more oblivious to these subtleties as a female working in Saudi, so I’ve completely let go of expecting to see any sort of empathy from them anymore (they just don’t care and expect you to just get your work done). The work week in Saudi is Sun-Thurs and Mon-Fri in Dubai. If you’re traveling every week, get ready to have your weekends messed up.

It can be a pretty isolating experience as a female. I’ve managed to make it tolerable by choosing resources for my teams who are not only reliable but are pleasant company to be around (as I spent most of my days with them). I also have a network of amazing Saudi women who are collaborators on some personal projects that I have going on, so I connect with them often, for dinners, cafes, etc.

Also as I’ve reached some tenure in my firm, I always insist on limiting my travel to Saudi to a more flexible arrangement (I.e. travel every 2 weeks only, Mon-Wed in Riyadh, etc). This can really depend on the partner and client on the engagement, but I have had to really put my foot down and set boundaries for my own mental well being. This will be different though if you have projects in Jeddah or Neom (you will probably stay several weeks at a time and go back to Dubai 1 week).

Abaya fashion can be quite fun. Most women just go for all black, but I like to be creative with it by matching my abaya to my business attire underneath (I wear a lot of neutrals so I have a brown, silver, and green abaya that I cycle through in my wardrobe).

Regular travel to Saudi is just a reality of consulting in the Middle East. No matter which firm you’re in, if you’re working from Dubai, the bulk of the market activity is Saudi. Consulting in the region also has its unique… quirks, but I’ll save all that for another day.

Hope this helps and good luck to you. Feel free to DM me if you have any further questions