Meet a few trailblazing Emirati women who are an inspiration for others to succeed

Dr Eng Suaad Al Shamsi

The first female Emirati aircraft engineer

‘Aviation is in my DNA,’ says Suaad, who holds an honorary doctorate in her pet subject and is the UAE’s first female aircraft engineer who specialised in landing gear and airframe systems.

The first Emirati woman to study aeronautical engineering in the UK – ‘I am indebted to the UAE government for allowing me to pursue my higher studies there’, she says – Suaad also has an MBA with a double major in aviation management and aeronautical engineering. A woman who believes that learning is the only constant in life, she regularly participates in workshops and takes courses in not just aviation related subjects but in management, accounts and more.

The Ambassador of the international union for technical education in UAE, Suaad started her own aviation program to empower young girls and women in enter the aviation industry.

The senior programme manager with Eithad Airways, she recently went a step further than aviation and decided to make a difference in the world of ecoconservation, planting the first tree in the Etihad Mangrove Forest in Abu Dhabi.

‘From young, I was keen to chart my own path,’ says the mother of two boys. One of her mentors is her mother. (Her father died when she was just a year old).

‘I still remember her words to me as I was preparing to fly to the UK for my higher studies. ‘If you can dream it, you can do it. Dream high and reach the sky, and show the world who you really are’, she told me. Those words have been my guiding principle pretty much all through life.

‘When I retire, I want to see [at least] 50 per cent of women working in aviation, including the operation and technical areas,’ she says. ‘If you can dream it, you can do it. So be the leader you were born to be.’

Salma Al Beloushi

First female Emirati to pilot Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi to Athens

It was in 2011 that Salma Al Beloushi made history when she became the first female Emirati pilot to fly Etihad Airways flight EYI 091, from Abu Dhabi to Athens.

Graduating from the Horizon International Flight Academy, in Al Ain, Salma joined Etihad Airways’ cadet pilot programme - the first UAE woman to join the programme in 2007 – and went on to receive extensive training before graduating with flying colours as a First Rank Officer.

‘My veil was not an obstacle to work as a co-pilot and I did not face any objections from my family. They were protective just like any other family who would support their children to accomplish their goals and achieve their ambitions,’ she said in an interview.

Everything around us has been changed dramatically and women have a bigger voice right now, believes the high flyer who has made it to the 100 Greatest Women in Aviation, a book chronicling the record-breaking achievements of women in the history of the sector.

Proud to ‘uphold my country’s name up in the sky’, Salma recalls her first moment watching the earth from the cockpit.

‘It was an exhilarating feeling to watch the world from an altitude of several thousand feet; it was such an honour,’ recounts Salma about storming a traditional male bastion and inspiring other UAE women to break the glass ceiling.

With all the active flying success behind her, Salma also took up a job as an important member of the accident investigations team of the General Civil Aviation Authority a few years ago. ‘When I was a little girl, I saw the photograph of UAE’s first woman pilot Ayesha Al Hameli and made a promise to myself that I would be like her one day.’

Although her first stint at working was in nursing which was also her passion, Salma gave wings to her dream with the flying programme to become a pilot.

‘I feel blessed to be born in a country where the Rulers have such a generous vision and inclusive development goals. They have provided all women with the support and encouragement to excel in any field of their choice,’ she says.

‘I want to set an example for the upcoming generations and help them become active members in the community.’

Salma notes that a large percentage of the UAE work force today comprises women. ‘We have come a long way and this empowerment would not have been possible without the active support of our beloved Rulers and their vision,’ she said.

‘I want to tell all young aspirants that if you have a dream and are willing to work hard, you can fulfil that easily with the support from government which is all in support of women. However, it is important to remember that all jobs carry with it a great responsibility.’

Amna Al Qubaisi

The first female Emirati F3 driver

Amna Al Qubaisi may be barely in her early 20s but she is already burning the asphalt on circuits in the regions.

The first female Emirati F3 driver, she is also the first female Arab to win a Formula 4 race at F1 Grand Prix in 2019 and the first female Arab to compete in a Formula E test in Saudi Arabia in 2018. (Formula E is a single seater motorsport championship for electric cars.)

Amna admits that it was not easy to break the glass barrier and make it to the top in a male-dominated sport. ‘It was a very difficult sport. There are not many opportunities for women… and as a woman I have had to work harder,’ she said.

The going was clearly not easy. To prepare her body and her mind, Amna spent hours and hours training at the gym every day and practicing on a simulator. ‘Our cars require tremendous physical force. As a driver, I need to use all my muscular strength to apply strong brakes. The workouts are tailored to help me build my arms, legs and abdomen muscles,’ she says.

Amna was lucky in some ways in that her inspiration to choose the sport and to find support was there right at home- her father Khaled Al Qubaisi. (He was the first Emirati to compete in the famous 24 hours Le Mans race in France closing two class podiums.)

Coached and mentored by her father, Amna quickly began proving her mettle first starting with karting in 2014. Shifting gears, she went on to become the first Arab girl to participate in the UAE Rotax Max Challenge championship in karting. She was also the first female to be selected by ATCUAE (Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE) to represent the nation at the GCC Young Drivers Academy Program.

A role model for many youngsters, Amna has one piece of advice to all those who are planning on entering this sport: ‘‘Never think you are too young or too old for any sport. Go for it if you have the passion. Stop comparing yourself with others, shut the negative talk. Enjoy the speed and have fun racing.’

Fatima Al Kaabi

UAE’s youngest inventor

Fatima Al Kaabi is just 21 but she already has an arm-long list of accolades, honours and achievements. When barely 13, she bagged the title of UAE’s youngest inventor.

Soon more followed: The Robot Olympics Award in 2014, the UAE Pioneer Award for being the UAE's youngest inventor in 2015, the Arab Award for the Best 10 Inventors and Innovators of 2015, and the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak International Award for Arab Youth in 2017.

She was 10 when she built her first robot- one that could take pictures. Soon more followed: a solar charging bag for devices, a robot called the teleporter that attends school in place of sick children, an electronic belt for the hearing impaired, a smart steering system that stops people from texting while driving…

Now a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the US, Fatima is a inspiration to youth around the world.

She is overjoyed that over the years she has been noticing a marked improvement in the number of girls taking up STEM. “There are many resources today that young children, specifically girls, can use to educate themselves and build their skillset. Also, now, as a society, we have progressed from the old sexist ideals and opened the doors for women and girls in technical fields,’ she says.

‘We as a society need to encourage each other and be support systems for today’s young women pursuing Stem. Hopefully, with the exposure of representation on TV and in curriculums, we can create a new generation of talented women in Stem.’

Fatima says she is looking forward to the time when her title can be passed to another ambitious young inventor.