VFS Global switches to an all-female staff in honor of International Women’s Day

To commemorate women for their resilience and achievements and their incredible contribution in building a sustainable world, VFS Global operations at the Al Hada Visa Application Centre in Riyadh was managed by all-female staff on the International Women’s Day.

As part of the unique initiative, a women-only team handled visa applications for 28 countries including, Canada, the United Kingdom and countries falling under the Schengen zone. In addition, female team members took control of security, operated control rooms as well as transported passports to respective embassies/missions.

Sumanth Kapoor, Business Head – KSA & Bahrain, VFS Global said: “VFS Global is proud to support International Women’s Day. We are having an all-female work day at Al Hada centre to honor the social, economic and cultural achievements of women in Saudi Arabia and across the world. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality, so we are committing to empowering our teams with actionable steps for personal, professional and organizational success in the Kingdom and beyond.”

In line with Saudi vision for women empowerment, VFS Global has enhanced its Inclusion and Diversity framework. Its efforts have culminated in 40% of its existing workforce in Saudi Arabia being female, 90% of which are Saudi nationals. Other female staff members belong to the Philippines, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Palestine and Yemen. Worldwide, VFS Global has a ratio of 58% women across all its operations in more than 140 countries.