Tania Jarjur, Yellow Door Energy

TANIA JARJUR

general counsel

YELLOW DOOR ENERGY

Never give up. Embrace your power as a woman and your femininity to mold your leadership style.

What does women’s empowerment mean to you?

Women’s empowerment has a massive breadth. The essence is providing women with autonomy and ability to improve their political, social, health, and economic status. It means encouraging women’s selfworth, independence, and ability to make a change and influence decision-making. This encompasses equal opportunities for education, work, compensation, leadership roles, and eliminating the inequalities between men and women. Everyone needs to participate, men and women, to enable changes in regulation, government measures, and private sector initiatives.

How would you say tackling women’s empowerment changes from region to region? How is it the same?

Every region has room to grow in addressing women’s empowerment, but each region has a different starting point. All countries could do more to address the pay gap, inequalities within the education sector, small number of women in leadership positions, and violence against women. However, in some regions, women are already more encouraged to be financially independent and careerfocussed. That means their basic needs for safety, shelter, and education are met. In other regions, however, women do not even have that. When their access to the basic needs is restricted, then the definition of empowerment and equal rights differs. If the starting point is different, then the path and required initiatives will be focussed on entirely different aspects.

What have been your challenges navigating leadership roles as a woman in the Middle East and abroad?

I have always worked in very male dominated industries where there are very few women paving the way. I am often the only woman in the room, which makes most men uncomfortable. When I speak, the men often look to my male colleagues to confirm my advice before they agree. It is still an uphill battle to have men accept women in leadership positions speaking with authority.

This reminds me of a story that took place at the beginning of my career. I once attended a negotiation at a military campsite that did not have a female bathroom. After six hours of discussions and afraid to ask to disrupt the status quo, we had to request help from senior personnel to ensure I had access to a private bathroom. The fact that they did not even consider building a female bathroom on site was beyond shocking to me. It was mortifying for a second-year associate, but something I laugh at now.

What are the challenges facing women in leadership?

A major challenge is the lack of flexibility in the workplace culture. Prior to this pandemic, there was a widespread belief that if an employee was not in the office for eight or nine hours straight, they were not productive or valuable. With women often carrying the heaviest home care load, this work expectation is impossible to manage. As a result, women tend to step down from demanding leadership positions to prioritise family life. In one of my previous firms, there was a saying that a woman either makes a good partner, or a good mother. The male-dominated firm lacked flexibility and creativity to support mothers in leadership. This led to very few female partners, and consistent discrimination against promoting working mothers. Allowing flexible working hours and encouraging men to participate in home care could change the playing field. I do believe this pandemic has shown most companies that this is possible.

What advice would you give to women who are seeking out leadership roles?

Never give up. Embrace your power as a woman and your femininity to mold your leadership style. So often we think we must act like men to get to the top. By doing so, we can lose our authenticity and deprive our teams, colleagues, and ourselves of our true power. As women, we have an incredible gift to show and shape the world. We bring a different perspective that can create a real change. Embracing our essence is key to our growth.

Most people want to advance women in the workplace, but do not know how. What would you advise to those people?

I would start by trying to understand the needs of women before investing in a specific initiative. A great book called “Invisible Women – Data Bias in a World Designed for Men” by Caroline Criado Perez, discusses the data gap that fuels the systemic gender inequalities in economic development, education, public policy, etc. Most programmes are based on studies designed by and mostly for men, with the idea that it can easily be replicated for women with minor tweaks here and there. “Gender blindness” creates a “one-size fits all” approach, which is quite detrimental to the health and progress of women. Truly understanding what women in different environments need is key to implementing effective policies.

Tania Jarjur and the Yellow Door Energy team celebrate the successful closing of a 31.2$ million loan with leading lenders

How would you describe Yellow Door Energy culture regarding women in leadership?

Yellow Door Energy truly values diversity in terms of skill sets, gender, ethnicities, etc. The company makes a conscious effort to encourage the hiring, promotion, and growth of women in our company. We are encouraged to speak our mind, express our ideas, and actively participate in solutions. Of course, there is always space for improvement, but overall, I am proud to be part of a company that actively engages in women’s empowerment and development.

TANIA JARJUR

GENERAL COUNSEL, YELLOW DOOR ENERGY

As the General Counsel of Yellow Door Energy, Tania provides legal support for the company’s operations in all markets. Prior to joining Yellow Door Energy, Tania worked with major US law firms on corporate and project development in the United States and the MENA region. She has negotiated power projects ranging from 10MW to 400MW with various technologies and fuel supplies, including solar, wind, hydro, and natural gas.

Tania is admitted to the Washington, D.C. bar, holds a JD of Law from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, and a Business Administration degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.