She started at the bottom and climbed the ladder to the point where today she manages the business at group level.

CV: Shalini is the group director and a board member at the construction firm Al Fara’a Group, which is made up of 10 companies and employs 18,000 people in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and India. She is also the founder and MD of the Purple Honey Group, which operates a string of casual restaurants across the UAE.

Where it began: “At Al Fara’a I started at the bottom and climbed the ladder to the point where today I manage the business at group level… My passion for the F&B industry started five years ago when I launched Coriander, an Indian restaurant in Al Ain. Over the past two years Purple Honey Group has opened seven more restaurants, including Zaytinya and Biryani Pot.”

Dreaming big: “I want to see Al Fara’a as a global player in the industry. I also want to open at least 30 more restaurants in the next five years locally and internationally.”

What winning means to me: “Winning this award would be the proudest moment of my life, because it does a wonderful job of recognising and honouring the work of women in this country.”

Photographed by: Farooq Salik  | Assisted by: Kristina Nabieva