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Saudi appoints first female deputy minister of labour

Riyadh  - Dr. Tamader bint Youssef Al Rammah has been appointed deputy minister of labour and social development.

Saudi Arabia has replaced some of its top military officers in a shake-up that elevates a younger generation, brings a woman into a senior government job.
In a reshuffle announced late on Monday, the military chief of staff, air defence and land forces heads and senior defence and interior ministry officials were removed. Tamadur bint Youssef Al Ramah became deputy labour minister, a rare high-level job for a woman in the kingdom.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who at 32 is also defence minister and heir apparent, has promised reforms to wean Saudi Arabia off oil exports, create jobs and open up Saudis' cloistered lifestyles. The latest personnel changes were decreed by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, and published in state media.
The new military chief of staff was named as First Lieutenant Fayyad bin Hamed Al Ruwayli. His predecessor, First Lieutenant Abdelrahman bin Saleh Al Banyan, was retired and made a royal adviser. The decrees included adopting a new strategy to restructure the defence ministry for improved organisation and governance, but provided few details.
Khalid Biyari, appointed aide to the defence minister, left his post as chief executive of Saudi Telecom, a possible sign that the crown prince is tapping the private sector to implement reforms.
The overhaul was a nod to a younger generation, analysts said, in what has become a hallmark of the Crown Prince's approach to ruling youthful Saudi Arabia.