Session: Feeling the fear, and doing it anyway
Named by TIME as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, Manal Al-Sharif has an incredible story to tell. She is a prominent voice for women's rights in both the Muslim and Arab world.
Manal is one of the first Saudi women to specialise in the field of Information Security. An incredibly inspiring and motivating speaker, Manal stands up for those who can't and encourages others to do the same.
In 2002, she began her expansive career, working at ARAMCO which is the largest oil company in the world.
Nine years later, Manal helped to found and lead the #Women2Drive campaign, which challenged the ban on women driving in her country. Whilst driving, Manal was arrested and imprisoned for doing so but was released on the condition she never drive again on Saudi land, never speak about it nor do any interviews.
Brushing off the experience, Manal continued to campaign for #Women2Drive. She also proudly campaigns for #IAmMyOwnGuardian to end male guardianship, #Faraj to help domestic helpers leave jail and #IAmLama which resulted in an anti-domestic violence law being passed in Saudi.
Manal's tireless activism has seen her gain worldwide attention and receive the first Vaclav Havel award for Creative Dissent.
A powerful and professional speaker, she has spoken at TED talks, Harvard, the United Nations, UNESCO, Oslo Freedom Forum, WIRED, Trust Women, The Arab Institute in Paris, the Center for International and Strategic Studies, Clinton Initiative, Women in the World, Dallas World Affairs Council, as well as several others.
Manal also regular contributes to the media, writing for NewsWeek, the NY Times, the Washington Post and Alhayat. She is now a regular columnist in Democracy Post by Washington Post.
In 2017, Manal released her memoir, titled 'Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman Awakening'. It describes the story of her life, having grown up in one of the most male driven countries in the world.
