Today, on March 8, 2022, we celebrate a special occasion, International Women’s Day, to value all the cultural, political and socio-economic achievements of women globally.
The term was coined by the United Nations to increase women’s leadership positions and bring their needs to the forefront.
The theme for this year for 2022 is ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’ with a focus on helping women elevate their voices and to support their work.
By delving deeper into how women empower women, Emirates Woman spoke to several successful and powerful figures on how they support each other.
Sara Tamimi
Founder of her namesake fashion label
Who is your role model and why?
My sister, Noor Al Tamimi, has and will always be my inspiration. To me, she exemplifies what it means to be an Emirati woman with an active role in society, realising her dreams and embracing every opportunity. She founded a successful business that spread across the UAE. She did so as a hands-on mother, with humility, kindness, patience and values that I hold dear to my heart.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Setting an example for younger women to explore and follow their dreams.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
If you want to achieve something, do not wait, act quick, it’s something my sister always tells me.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
We should lead every girl and woman around us to the key that will open her door if we cannot be the key itself. Sometimes, it’s as simple as helping them see what they are gifted in. There is no formula, degree, certificate or social status to be successful. The adventure of leading another woman towards her path to success is even more rewarding than having found our own.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
My hope for the region is that it continues to build the growing platform of sustainable fashion using the region’s natural resources and setting new standards in the industry and leading the way forward in the years to come.
Rawan Kattoa
Creative Consultant
Who is your role model and why?
Honestly, I don’t have a single role model. I am inspired and look up to all the women who are able to work hard on themselves and achieve their goals in every aspect. Be it mothers, leaders, associates and creative minds. They all inspire me. t’s very hard to list one name as I’m always and constantly influenced by success stories, we have a lot in the region that I’m so proud of and always look up to them.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Well, achievements for me are to keep evolving and learning. To continue dreaming and transforming these plans and ideas that I have in mind into reality. I’m happy and grateful I was able to accomplish a few and some of these dreams but the journey is still young and I’m always hungry to learn and do more.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
To always follow my passion, hear my inner voice and not fear the change.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
I’ve been engaging and supporting women throughout my career. Previously, I was in a leading role in talent acquisition and talents development. Today, my role in the media and in the creative industry is to always ensure to connect, advise and support all the women out there by sharing experiences and supporting each other successes. This is also accomplished by focusing and supporting talents, emerging brands and designers. This is what truly fuels my drive to keep going forward.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
We are all on the same journey. we all have our ups and downs, focus on what you want and how you can add value to yourself and to the community as a whole. Keep shining and never stop growing.
Nouf Omar
Youngest female Emirati pilot
Who is your role model and why?
There are many women out there that inspire me to achieve more everyday, one of them is Her excellency Reem AlHashimi Minister of State for International Cooperation. Her leadership, passion and speaking skills are what I admire the most about her.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
It’s to fly the Boeing 777. When I was 20, I had my first take-off from Dubai International Airport, which has become an unforgettable moment since then.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
You never lose, you always learn. Don’t underestimate yourself and don’t stop learning.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
Through my social media platform. I share the stories of successful women, support the young girls who want to achieve their goals, and enhance the knowledge of those who love the aviation industry.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
There are so many things in the world that are out of our hands but we have control over one thing for sure and that is our goals. Design your future by yourself, work for what you want to achieve, nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself even if no one does.
Butheina Kazim
Founder of Cinema Akil
Who is your role model and why?
I believe that many women can be a source of guidance, inspiration and strength. There is a world of women that I draw on for inspiration at different moments, be it women who I know or whose world finds a way to speak to me. Women in an advanced stage of life are often those that I find myself gravitating towards, women who have their share of experiences, failures, loves and losses which usually arrive at a later age. Some of the names I can offer for varying utility include their aura, their writing, their stories such as Arundhati Roy, Fran Leibowitz, Monir Farmanfarmian, Joan Didion, Angela Davis, Tilda Swinton, Gayathri Chakravorty Spivak, Fayrouz.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Creating a home for seekers of storytelling made by a community right here at home in Dubai.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
When I graduated from my undergrad studies, I went to seek out the advice of Dr. Amina Al Rostamani who told me, “Do good work and the rest will follow.” It was sobering and still holds true.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
By being conscious of it every day and listening. Through our work at Cinema Akil – putting womens’ work and experiences front and center has always been something I want this place to work at. Even more accurately, the work of women of colour is what Cinema Akil’s platform is committed to, it’s important for us to prioritise their voices and space.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
Know and cultivate your allies and hold them close, they will lift you up when you didn’t know you needed lifting.
Nora Hameidani
Founder of Barre Effect
Who is your role model and why?
My mom as she did not try to be anyone or anything that she wasn’t and never apologised about it. She always put others first and never complained. She was strong, independent, and smart. I strive to make her proud every day.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Launching my studio, Barre Effect. I have a passion for fitness and customer service, and it has been a dream come true to create my own brand and have my own studio. Open for just over one year, we have a loyal client base and the top instructors and staff in town.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
The most important thing in life is relationships, the people you surround yourself with and how you treat them. At the end of the day, you never wish you had more money or material things, but you always miss someone or regret how you treated them.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
Barre Effect is a ladies-only studio, owned and operated by women. We welcome all ages, abilities, and cultures with open arms. We all have our own journey, and my team at Barre Effect is there to be a positive, motivational part of it.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
Have an open mind as anything is possible. Take risks, chances, and trust yourself, you never know until you try. My first job out of college was as a Barista at Starbucks in New York City. now I am an entrepreneur and business owner in Dubai. You never know where life might take you and I never could have imagined where I am today.
Nora Al Ramadhan
Co-founder of Apotheca Beauty
Who is your role model and why?
My biggest role model in life has always been my mother. I have been inspired by the way she takes care of her physical and mental overall wellbeing daily, whilst continuing to be an active support in each of our lives. She has taught me to both understand and appreciate that you cannot truly take care of others without first caring for yourself. At some point, you will hit burnout, which can hurt you and those around you. Learning to care for me is something I have applied in both my work and personal relationships.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Apotheca Beauty has thus far been my biggest achievement to date, although I imagine that would change should I be blessed with kids in the future. Building Apotheca from the ground up and going through this incredible journey with my sisters has made it all the more meaningful. We challenge each other in ways that I am not sure friends or pure business partners might initially do. The ability to be so transparent and communicative has been a strong asset, as it has allowed us to grow as individuals, as well as work to our company’s ultimate benefit.
What is the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
One of the most useful pieces of advice that I try to be mindful of is to simply be kind to yourself. I might not get everything off my list done in one day or I might even fail, and that is okay. Instead, I try to be grateful for what I was able to accomplish, stay motivated and optimistic to focus on the learnings and the bigger picture.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
At Apotheca we have developed a culture that is very female-led. In fact, our Dubai office is 100 percent women with our COO also being a kind, intelligent woman. We understand that women have very different needs and that is something we fully respect and encourage. At Apotheca we have tried to empower women over the years, offer opportunities for development in their careers and encourage personal self-care.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
Have a strong and honest sense of identity, and do not allow external circumstances to define the life you lead.
Melika Yazdjerdi
Co-Founder & Chief Strategist of Ashfields Consultancy
Who is your role model and why?
My mother and I miss her every day. She was one of the strongest and kindest human beings I had ever known, she taught me compassion, empathy, strength, and life lessons that could never be learned in a classroom. There are so many moments that come to mind when I think about how much she has influenced my life and I try to honor her memory every day by staying true to myself and my beliefs.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Building a business that is truly exceptional and being able to become market-makers in such a short period of time, especially in very traditional industry has been one of the most exciting but also one of the biggest achievements of my life.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
Never comprise on your beliefs and principles, I know it seems simple but when you are making life-changing decisions, for me it always comes down to what is right and what is important and if you have a strong foundation, you can do anything you set your mind to.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
I heard a quote recently that really struck a chord, “There is nothing more powerful than a woman who can think” and I realised how just important it is to teach children, especially girls how to stand up for themselves by empowering them with knowledge and I don’t mean an institutional education or a degree, I mean teaching them values, integrity, empathy, human-connection and allowing them to explore their world instead of fitting into pre-conceived boxes.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
I had a very traditional upbringing but I am so grateful for having parents, mainly a mother who never accepted defeat. She told me that my limitations were the extent of my imagination and if I believed in it and it was worth fighting for, then never left anyone including yourself stand in the way of your success. Remember ladies, there is nothing more powerful than a woman who can think.
Dr. Taghreed Almahmeed
Leading UAE cancer specialist
Who is your role model and why?
My role model is my mother as she inspired me to enter into the medical field. She is a pediatrician and growing up and watching her treat patients, I always wanted to be a doctor to help people and educate them regarding their health issues.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
My biggest achievement was to become a Female General Surgeon. I was able to achieve being a double-boarded surgeon having been certified by the American Board of Surgery and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. I have mastered diverse surgical specialties and dedication to making a lasting difference in my patients’ lives with pioneering techniques, thoughtful care and professional diligence. My goal was to help the women in need in my country as this is a rare specialty among female physicians and many women in this culture would prefer to be examined and operated on by a female surgeon.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
The most useful piece of advice I’ve received was from my father and it was to pursue all my goals, bypass all obstacles and always be patient and persistent.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
I ensure I support women in my life. I have always supported and encouraged female friends and relatives to pursue their careers and often reiterated that no task is beneath them. Now as a surgeon my goal is to protect women and educate them about Breast Cancer and other women-related health issues.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
An important message I want to stand out to young women today is to not underestimate the power they have. There are amazing opportunities for women today, and it is for us to take them.
Zoya Sakr
Founder of The Flower Society
Who is your role model and why?
I never had a role model, I get inspired from everyone in my life, my kids and nanny inspire me as much as world leaders.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
My family, raising my three kids is my biggest achievement.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
I gathered so many pieces of advice from my dad that I live by. He mostly emphasised on being close to nature and close to my country and my roots.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
It comes along with my daily life, I don’t plan it but I look back and see that I have been a great support to women around me on all levels.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
Believe in yourself and be independent, believe in your dreams, the key to my strength is that I build a career based on my own skills and knowledge, invest in knowledge and invest in strong genuine relations.
Stephanie Danial
Founder of Nara Desert Escape and Sonara Camp
Who is your role model and why?
My mother is my role model. She is strong, independent, loving and she taught me to be positive in every situation which really changed my life.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
Raising my four crazy boys, who each have a very unique personality and creating my company, Nara Desert Escape and Sonara camp which is literally my dream job.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes and learn how to do it later.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
I encourage all my friends, employees, sisters, stepdaughters every day to become the better version of themselves. I strongly believe in women’s empowerment and I will always help women to rise. I support female creators at Nara shop to offer them a window for their creations.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
Manifest your vision, believe in yourself, stay strong and the world is yours.
Lulwah AlHomoud
Saudi Artist and Curator
Who is your role model and why?
It’s difficult to answer this question as there are many women that I admire and look up to starting from my mother and sisters. There are women from the pre-Islamic era who achieved so much, be it pioneers in trade, poetry and politics. If I have to choose one from our contemporary culture, it would be Zaha Hadid for her achievements in architecture and design, pushing the borders and being innovative.
What is your biggest achievement to date?
My biggest achievement is being true to myself and expressing what I believe. It’s about reminding myself that no matter what we achieve, we need to stay humble and understand our position in this universe. We are here to leave a good trace for those who come after us.
What’s the most useful piece of advice you’ve received?
The best piece of advice I had was from my father who said knowledge is real wealth.
How do you ensure you support women in your life?
I inspire them to keep working and never despair. Every woman has a talent and she needs to share it with the world with art being one of these talents. I keep doing this through my art and my talks.
What important message do you want to stand out to young women today?
My advice would be to find the weakness within them and challenge it. That’s how we develop.
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