Manama: In another breakthrough for women in Saudi Arabia that coincided with allowing women to drive, the foreign minister has appointed Fatimah Baeshen as its first spokeswoman for the Saudi embassy in Washington.

“Proud to serve the @SaudiEmbassyUSA as the spokeswoman. I’m grateful for the opportunity, the support, and well wishes #KSA,” Fatimah posted as she announced her appointment on her Twitter account early on Wednesday.

Proud to serve the @SaudiEmbassyUSA as the spokeswoman. I'm grateful for the opportunity, the support, and well wishes #KSA — Fatimah S Baeshen (@FatimahSBaeshen) September 26, 2017

Fatimah, a Saudi national, was a director at the Washington-based think Arabia Foundation which she joined after working with the Saudi Ministry of Labour and the Saudi Ministry of Economy and Planning in Riyadh from 2014 to 2017.

According to her biography, her focus areas include the labour market, private sector development and women’s economic empowerment.

She also worked as a consultant in socio-economic strategy for the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development.

She earned her master’s degree with a focus on Islamic finance from the University of Chicago and her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Her first tweet after she announced her appointment was to hail the decision to allow women to drive in her home country.

“Pivotal moment in Saudi history: women granted the right to drive,” she posted.