Testing body weights

Bullied, fired, harassed, manipulated, belittled. There isn’t much Emma Burdett hasn’t endured while working in the corporate sector –from vindictive female bosses to ego-driven male bullies, intimidated by confidence and potential.

Toxic workplace cultures are widespread. A recent survey from the McKinsey Health Institute reported more than half (55%) of people in the Middle East endured a toxic workplace.

“I had a male boss demote me, belittle me, forge sales figures and assign me low producing regions so I would fail,” says Emma, who has worked in various male-dominated sectors, including real estate and construction, both of which remain so today.

It’s one of the reasons Dubai-based Emma created WILD Women Collective, a network dedicated to supporting women, helping them implement boundaries and ultimately providing them with a safe space where they can be ’seen’ and ’heard’.

It was in 2018, following a mental breakdown brought on by burnout, that Emma decided to start WILD with just US$300, officially launching in Dubai in mid-January this year, before unveiling the concept in Saudi Arabia and then Abu Dhabi.

Emma, who is a transformational coach and gender equality specialist, tells Business Chief that what originally started as four women sat around a table with a sheet of paper has since become a “staple, vibrant and integral network within the UAE and Saudi with plans of scaling across other GCC locations and Middle East countries and to launch WILD UK.”

While the WILD Women Collective isn’t the first female professional networking group in Dubai – that title goes to two decade-old Dubai Business Women Council, founded by Dr Raja Al Gurg – it is the first and only network to connect women across the Middle East and the first to launch in Saudi Arabia.

“We are trailblazing gender equality,” Emma says. “Our membership gives women everything they need to create happiness, success, and fulfilment both in and out of the workplace.

“WILD is a movement I am proud to pioneer.”