What lies beyond the glass ceiling, the invisible barrier preventing women from advancing to higher-level positions, in the business world? Three powerhouse women leaders in UAE helped us crack the code of the corporate stratosphere – the boardroom.
During the first guided panel discussion, on March 8 for the Gulf News event to mark International Women’s Day, titled ‘Navigating the Boardroom: Strategies for Success’, Dr Jean Shahdadpuri, Managing Director of Nikai Group of Companies, Muna Al Ghurair, Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Mashreq, and Shamsa Al Falasi, CEO of UAE Onshore, Citibank, explained how they redefined boardroom dynamics, and why more women should be made board members.
“An international study has shown that companies that had more women on the board were more profitable,” pointed out Dr Shahdadpuri.
Strategy, empathy, and mentorship
The path to becoming a C-level executive is not easy, and few pursue it.
“I did break two glass ceilings.... you must start knowing very deeply the subject and the field you’re in, in the industry. Then you want to know the skills that are managing human capital, in hiring teams, having a clear strategic vision, and having a focused yet accurate approach to any problem that you’re solving,” she explained.
Shamsa Al Falasi added that women create positive changes as board members because of an innate quality, “... a big skill that we are born with - we have empathy.
“Therefore, we rely on communicating with people and understanding their perspective.”
At the C-level, younger workers often look up to you as a mentor, added Muna Al Ghurair. “Mentorship is nothing, but you helping them define their career path and helping them achieve it. They’re coming to you because you are the role model... they like how your journey was, and they expect you to map it for them in your position.”
