Sheila Al-Rowaily, who worked as a financier with Saudi Aramco, has become the first woman to join the board of directors of Saudi Central Bank. The bank, also known as SAMA, confirmed the appointment in a statement, citing a royal decree. Al-Rowaily became the CEO of Wisayah Investment Co. in 2019, and is also a board member of Saudi Aramco Power Co. and Hassana Investment Co. She led many innovative projects for Aramco, including the creation of Wisayah, which invests Saudi Aramco Group Companies’ pension funds, defined contribution funds and other long-term investment portfolios. Al-Rowaily joined Saudi Aramco in 1998 as a money market trader, and from July 2005 to June 2006 she worked as a financial analyst in Dhahran. She moved to Houston, Texas in July 2006 and worked there until December 2007 as treasurer. She returned to Dhahran in January 2008 and worked as head of portfolio management at Aramco until January 2009. From February 2009 to January 2019, Al-Rowaily worked as director of the investment management department at Aramco. Al-Rowaily credits her rich experiences at Aramco for her leadership development, which paved the way for roles in finance, investment and risk management, planning and energy economics. At Aramco, she sits on the diversity and inclusion steering committee, where she helps shape company policies and advocates for more women in leadership roles. Al-Rowaily earned a Sloan Fellowship for MBA in business from MIT Sloan School of Management in 2017-2018. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in interior architecture from King Faisal University and then earned an MBA in finance from American University of Beirut in 1997.