Amna BinHendi is directly responsible for the retail fortunes of more than 75 world-renowned luxury brands in the UAE. She took over as Chief Executive Officer of BinHendi Enterprises in September 2007 and has successfully stirred the organisation into becoming one of the fastest-growing trading and distribution companies in the UAE.
A graduate of Zayed University, she had a brief stint with Dubai’s e-government arm before joining the family business. In 2008, at the age of 27, she made Forbes Arabia’s list of the 50 most powerful Arab businesswomen.
She is currently spearheading the expansion of BinHendi Enterprises into Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Kuwait with brands such as Porsche Design, Zilli and Joe’s Café, among others. “I’ve experienced business growth and success at every stage, expanding threefold in a short period of time. Dubai’s increasing growth and opportunities and my passion to excel and strive for perfection doesn’t make my work feel like work. I have the support, education and experience,” she says.
Amna says she has “a lot on her plate” at the moment, but “it’s great” to be a woman in a position of power. She believes there are many women with the potential to succeed — but they need support. “The future sees both women and men having equal power and achieving success, finally to be rewarded equally. More and more women are getting educated and are being encouraged by their families to seek their careers.”
Stressing on the necessity of women partaking in the progress of the UAE, Amna says: “It is extremely important that women have a say in the development of this nation. Men and women think differently. A developing country will flourish perfectly if its future is built by both men and women equally.”
