International

First Saudi lecturer at France’s University of Lille narrates her success story

A Saudi student, who is a beneficiary of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, has become the first woman professor from the Kingdom to teach at the University of Lille in northern France, reports Saudi Gazette. 

The doctorate research student Haneen Abu Azzah said that she did her master’s degree in business administration from Malaysia at a time when the southeast Asian country was passing through the industrial boom, adding that she benefited a lot from that experience.

After making the most of her stay in Malaysia, Haneen said that she sought to benefit from the European business management experience. France, being one of the strongest economies on the continent, was her next destination when she joined the Sorbonne University for her higher studies.

She further said while pursuing a doctorate, she found her subject initially a bit complicated and she wanted to tone it down to include Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), an area she is passionate about.

Haneen said that the subject for the doctorate research serves as a link between the economic identity and its strong relationship with CSR. She said that she feels proud to make the petrochemical giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) the theme for her doctoral thesis.

She added that she is studying several subjects in the marketing specialization, including the strategies for industrial marketing, strategic management, and consumer behavior, at a time when she is continuing her progress toward obtaining her doctorate.

She drew attention to the fact that her equation with the students is excellent.

She said that the new French generation is very open toward other cultures and languages, adding that there is an exchange of culture and language between her and her students. She benefits from them in enriching her French language and they in turn gain from the subjects she is teaching them at the university.