Lubna Al-Olayan is a prominent businesswoman. Her father was the founder of the Olayan Group, which is one of the largest privately held conglomerates in the Middle East. She is currently the CEO and Deputy Chairperson of Olayan Financing Company (OFC), the holding company through which The Olayan Group’s trading, real estate, investment, consumer and industrial related operations are conducted in the Gulf region. The Olayan Group, founded in 1947, is a private multinational enterprise engaged in distribution, manufacturing, services, and investments. OFC operates or actively participates in more than 40 companies, often in partnership with leading multinationals. OFC is also one of the largest investors in the Saudi and regional stock markets.

After completing her education, Al-Olayan worked at Morgan Guarent Bank in New York City for two years from 1979 to 1981, and as a financial analyst at JP Morgan from 1979 to 1983. She then returned to Saudi Arabia and joined her family's business.

Over the years, Lubna Al-Olayan played a significant role in the growth and diversification of the Olayan Group. Under her leadership, the Olayan Group expanded its operations to include a diverse range of businesses, including manufacturing, distribution, and services.

Olayan was the Chief Executive Officer of the Olayan Financing Company, and (OFC), the holding entity for the Olayan Group's operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East until May 1st, 2019.

In April 2019, Olayan announced her retirement as CEO of Olayan Financing Company. On 16 June 2019, Olayan was named Chairwoman of the Saudi British Bank (SABB), making her the first Saudi woman to head a bank. She was reappointed in January 2020 to serve a three year term, and assumed to hold to the position after the merger between SABB and Alawwal Bank. She has been a member of the board of Schlumberger since 2011, and in 2016 she joined the board of Ma’aden, a Saudi public company operating in the mining sector, and she served on the board of WPP plc from 2005 - 2012.

Ms Olayan also sits on several international advisory boards, including those of Akbank, Allianz SE, McKinsey & Co and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Despite facing challenges as a woman in a male-dominated industry, Lubna Olayan has persevered and achieved remarkable success. She is an inspiration to women in Saudi Arabia and around the world, and her contributions to the business world and society as a whole are truly remarkable.

Olayan joined the Board of Directors of INSEAD in December 2005, and has been a member of its International Council since March 1997. In April 2007, she was elected as a member of the Board of Trustees for Cornell University. Olayan also joined the Advisory Board of Effat College, a private and non-profit girls college in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in April 2006. She has been on the Board of Trustees of the "Arab Thought Foundation" since January 2002. Olayan was elected to the Board of the Down Syndrome Charitable Association in June 2005, a not-for-profit organization based in Riyadh.

She is currently a trustee of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as well as the Asia Business Council.

Ms Olayan chairs Alfanar, a UK based charity that is one of the first venture philanthropy organizations in the Arab world. Ms Olayan was selected by Time as being amongst the 100 most influential people in the world and has been on Fortune’s list of Most Powerful Women for many years running; she was also selected by Forbes as an influential business leader.

She has received numerous awards and recognitions, including an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) from Trinity College, Dublin and the insignia of Member First Class of the Royal Order of the Polar Star by His Majesty the King of Sweden, Carl Gustav XVI.