Women’s empowerment & entrepreneurship in Saudi Arabia

50 Shades of Hospitality

Amna Alyamani has turned her childhood passion into a successful career and she is a woman fueled by her passion for baking, which she discovered at the tender age of 7. She has since pursued her dream, scaling heights and enjoying success in the culinary industry. In this podcast, Amna retraces her passion for baking and answers our questions about entrepreneurship, the current situation in Saudi Arabia for young female entrepreneurs and how she manages the everyday stress of running a business.

Growing up, Amna always knew that she wanted to open a bakery, and by the time she was 12, she had already set her eyes on achieving this goal. She was determined to make her dream come true, and so she focused her education towards pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. Amna was one of the first Saudi women to graduate from the prestigious Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland, specializing in hospitality management (2010). She also received pastry training from Cordon Bleu in Paris (2013) and an MBA from IESE Business school (2019) to learn how to realize that dream.

Fast forward to 2020, and Amna has finally achieved her lifelong dream of opening her own bakery. Her passion for baking, coupled with her education in hospitality, has enabled her to create a unique and successful brand. She has since scaled her business, offering her customers delicious, fresh, and high-quality baked goods, while expanding her skillset in the field of culinary arts. In 2023, Amna learned how to- and launched 14 virtual brands across 7 cloud kitchens in a span of 10 months. Her inspiration comes from her grandfather, who instilled in her a love for cooking that has only grown stronger over the years. Amna is a true inspiration, a testimony of what hard work, determination, and passion can achieve.