The Future Women Leaders Forum 2024 powered by Gulf News and Being She was held on International Women’s Day in Dubai. The forum brought together established women leaders from across industries, with a wealth of experience in navigating the corporate world.
Women leaders committed to innovating and creating a positive change on a national, regional and global scale shared their views and experiences in the forum, providing unique insights into how they are shaping up the future narrative that will impact inclusivity and diversity across the board.
Follow the events as they unfolded:
Panel discussion 5 - Influential Voices: Leading Women Influencers in the UAE
Participants:
• Debanjali Kamstra Founder and Director, Veloche Interiors and Exhibition
• Dr. Mahra Lutfi, Emirati influencer
• Sara Bendida, International Influencer
• Marcela Arcuna Maresh, Co-Founder, Woman of the Earth Foundation
Moderator: Sarah Madanat, PR Manager at Sunset Hospitality Group
Marcela Arcuna Maresh, Co-Founder, Woman of the Earth Foundation, speaks about how her organisation is committed to creating a positive impact on communities world-wide.
Debanjali Kamstra, Mrs. World UAE 2021, speaks about changing perspectives on pageantry and beyond.
Dr Mahra Lutfi, Emirati influencer, Miss World Global Peace and the first Emirati stem cell therapy doctor, talks about the challenges of breaking into the field of stem cell therapy.
Sara Bendida, International influencer speaks about how she turned criticism into positive content creation process.
Panel discussion 4 - The Entrepreneurial Journey: From Idea to Impact
Participants:
• Ghada Sawalmah, CEO, Gargash Hospital
• Rosemin M.Ophenhaffen, Founder, RR & Company
• Omnia Abd Elmoaty, CXO & Co-founder, Kinetics Dubai
• Dr. Vandana Gandhi, CEO & Founder, British Orchard Nursery
Moderator: Anupa Kurian-Murshed, Senior Digital Content Planning Editor
Anupa Kurian-Murshed said: "We have been an organisation that has always supported women with over 60 per cent editorial floor being women."
Ghada Sawalmah, CEO, Gargash Hospital said: "We started off at a tricky time. Our soft launch was in 2019 and our grand launch was supposed to be in March 2020 which was when the restrictions started. So, we had two options: Should we close our doors because we didn’t have too many staff, or should we go full throttle and learn very hard lessons very fast. But because of that the connections that were built between ourselves and our partners especially were phenomenal. I’m very proud of our journey."
Ghada Sawalmah also talked about how having a working mum helped her learn the skills needed to be an entrepreneur and leader.
Rosemin M Ophenhaffen, Founder of RR & Company talked about how her journey as an entrepreneur started very young, observing her immigrant parents building a business during her childhood.
"I was a bit of an accidental entrepreneur but the mindset was built quite early - my parents were migrants from east Africa in Canada and I saw my mum build the family business with my father," Rosemin M.Ophenhaffen added.
Omnia Abd Elmoaty, Co-founder, Kinetics Dubai, talked about thriving in a field dominated by men. "The tech industry is very challenging and while you see that most tech savvy people are males, I see it from another perspective - the industry is filled with opportunities for women. Women are able to access to online platforms that give women the space to compete internationally," she said.
“A lot of people say dream big. Sure a lot of people dream big but only a few people enter the battle and work day and night to realise that dream,” Omnia said.
Dr Vandhana Gandhi, CEO and founder, British Orchard Nursery and Teacher Training Center, says the right team is the “be all and end all”, for any CEO of a business.
Dr Vandhana Gandhi further explained how important a team is to an entrepreneur's success.
"The team is what makes it or breaks it. In my recent course at Harvard University, this was what was communicated: Our only job [as entrepreneurs] is to make teams and keep teams. As entrepreneurs, we are just conducting the orchestra. What we need to do is to invest in teams - make them keep them change them," she said.
Dr Vandana Gandhi also talked about the four factors that helps any child learn and grow: The first is prenatal position of the mother and child, the second is the genes, the third is the environment at home and school, and the fourth is the intrinsic learning ability of the child. She explained how the environment at her home helped her become an entrepreneur.
Panel discussion 3 - Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Women Leading Change
Participants:
• Lubna Naeem, Director, Gargash Hospital
• Neha Thomas, Head of Marketing, Creative Zone
• Dr. Nairouz Bader, CEO, Envision Partnership
Moderator: Huda Tabrez, Living in UAE Editor
Dr. Nairouz Bader, CEO of Envision Partnership says: “After you break the glass ceiling, you get the concrete ceiling and after that a different level of ceiling. But, breaking the glass ceiling makes you more resilient. The more challenges we take upon, the higher or more complex challenges will come to our table. This is what makes life interesting.”
She also spoke about how important it is for women to speak up for themselves in any organisation.
Neha Thomas, Head of Marketing, Creative Zone said: “The first place that we need to break the ceiling is within ourselves.”
Lubna Naeem, Director of Gargash Hospital, said the role of leaders is to create more leaders.
Panel discussion 2: Life and challenges of women CEOs
Participants:
• Natasha Litvinov, Managing Partner, Orchestra Media
• Akanksha Goel, Founder & Creative Director, Unlocked Studio
• Dr. Parul Thakur, Co- founder and Specialist Dermatologist, Athena Dermatology Clinic
• Dr. Ludmila Vassiliev, Cardiologist, Homeopath, Holistic Healing Medical Center
Moderator Noni Edwards kicks off the discussion with the question: What is the biggest challenge as a woman CEO
Natasha Litvinov, Managing Partner, Orchestra Media: "I became a business owner because I have cut myself too many times against the so-called glass ceiling. Starting a business was a survival strategy and then it became an immense growth strategy."
Her biggest challenge? Finding the right balance between intuitive decisions and logical decisions.
"Over the years, having made many mistakes, I have discovered that intuitive decisions are the right ones. And the ones that you think about for too long and too hard, end up being not the right ones. Learn to depend on intuition," Natasha said.
Akanksha Goel, Founder of Unlock Studio, says the biggest challenge she faced as a female CEO was not to succumb to societal expectations of what a woman can and cannot do. Instead, focus on building a viable, successful company.
Dr Parul Thakur, Co- founder and Specialist Dermatologist, Athena Dermatology Clinic says her biggest challenge was balancing the demands of entrepreneurship with her profession's demands.
"There are many female dermatologists, but fewer of them are owners of the clinic as well. We have to be more assertive to be able to build the relationships with the distributors, contractors and the million other people we have to work with."
Dr Ludmila Vassiliev, Founder of Holistic Healing Medical Center talks about how the balance of the masculine and feminine energies helps create today’s world, and how feminine energy is helping elevate civilisation to the next level.
Panel discussion 1: Navigating the Boardroom: Strategies for Success
Exploring the boardroom dynamics with accomplished women leaders. Discover effective strategies, leadership styles, and insights into navigating the corporate boardroom. Learn from their experiences and expertise in breaking through the glass ceiling. Moderator Noni Edwards introduces the panel.
Participants:
• Jean Shahdadpuri, Managing Director, Nikai Group of Companies
• Muna Al Ghurair, Group Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, Mashreq
• Shamsa Al Falasi, CEO, UAE Onshore, Citi Bank
Jean Shahdadpuri, who has “broken two glass ceilings” says that doing so left her “wounded and scarred”.
“It’s not easy, you have to start knowing very deeply the subject and field you are in, and then you need to manage teams and have a very focused approach to solving the problems you face,” she said.
Muna Al Ghurair, Group Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications, Mashreq: "When we talk about women in the board room, it’s not magic when we talk about women in the boardroom. It is a strategic decision for organisations to drive growth and effective governance, innovation."
Shamsa Al Falasi, CEO, UAE Onshore, Citi Bank, speaks about the value women bring to board rooms: "The value we bring is that we challenge, we speak up. A skill that we are born with is empathy therefore we very much rely on communicating with people and connecting with people, which becomes very powerful and driven and supportive in terms of business growth."
Quota for women
The panel discusses key points including whether or not a quota for women on the board is a good idea, and how mentorship can play a critical role in elevating women, and the instances when it may not be as effective.
Dr Jean Shahdadpuri: Studies have found that companies that have more women on their board are more profitable.
Keynote speech: Matthias Sziraczki
Founder and CEO of Zen Warriors Alliance, speaks about the need for work-life balance, and how he dealt with burnout, running five different companies in his twenties. Everything is about profit and balance sheet, he says. He talks about how 75 per cent of employees suffer burnout and the economic cost of it is 6 trillion dollars!
Matthias says he spent three years on healing himself from extreme burnout, along with doing deep research on how to change that. That's what set him on the path to 'holistic leadership', he says.
Matthias proposes reducing work hours and said: "We have to look at it as an investment, which will then be seen on your balance sheet as well, if you invest in the holistic energy of your team."
He concluded his speech with a helpful takeaway for all the guests, with a group breathing exercise that can immediately reduce your stress level.
Keynote address: Ismail Al Naqi
"Honoured to be part of this forum surrounded by dynamic women leaders from the UAE," said Ismail Al Naqi, Director General of the Free Zones Authority of Ajman in his keynote speech.
"Today we stand on the shoulder of giant women whose tenacity and talent has paved the way for a more inclusive future," he said.
He talks about how women leaders are paving the way for the future in the UAE. He gives the example of Expo2020 and says that it was led by women.
"The empowerment of women entrepreneurship is not just an option or a PR exercise. It is crucial for economic growth. The UAE stands as testament to that."
His message to women: Believe in your vision, your dreams are not just a figment of your imagination, they are the blueprint for a brighter tomorrow. Believe in them with unwavering conviction and embrace resilience as entreprenueship is not for the faint of heart.
Embrace innovation with open arms, and which better place to innovate than the UAE? The UAE is the place where dreams come true.
Keynote address: Katy Holmes
"I am an advocate for celebrating equality...," Katy Holmes, CEO of British Chamber of Commerce, Dubai begins, and goes on to talk about the challenges she faced at the start of her career. And how she went seeking a strong female role model in the financial sector because of past experiences with difficult female bosses. Finding that woman leader helped her discover herself better and succeed.
Katy Holmes on leadership
"Leadership is the ability to influence the behaviour of a group of people," Katy Holmes said.
She also emphasises the need to welcome women back from career breaks, like she did to raise her children for 6 years and then returned to the working environment. Today, she is a CEO.
Welcome speech: Aparna Bajpai
Tina Bhaktavalsalan announced Gulf News will hold two such events with Being She this year.
Event sponsors
Welcome speech
Tina Bhakthavalsalan, Category Sales Manager, Gulf News gave the welcome speech, and paid tribute to the trailblazing women who have paved the way for women today. Thanking the sponsors of the event, she spoke about how guests can look forward to enriching conversations that will be a catalyst for change.
Event opens
Maria Botros, Multimedia Editor and host of the Gulf News podcast Tell Me Why kicks off the event by welcoming the guests at the event.
Participants all
Buzz in the air
The atmosphere is buzzing as women leaders, change makers and entrepreneurs gather for Gulf News International Women's Day event - Future Women Leaders Forum 2024
Event sponsors
The title sponsor of the event is Zen Warriors Alliance, platinum sponsor is Gargash Hospital, gold sponsors are Ajman Media City Free Zone and Ajman Free Zone. Creative Zone, Veloche, Athena, Holistic Healing Centre, Drehomes Real Estate, British Orchard, Woman Earth Foundation and Unlocked Studio are the support partners, while Fairmont Dubai is the venue partner. The fragrance partner is Swiss Arabian and flower partner is Arpan.
With inputs from: Huda Tabrez, Living in UAE Editor, Evangeline Elsa, Social Media Editor, Anas Thacharpadikkal, Senior Visual Journalist, Virendra Saklani, Chief Visual Journalist, Anupa Kurian-Murshed, Senior Digital Content Planning Editor, Nathaniel Lacsina, Senior Web Editor, and Jaya Chandran, Online Editor
