22 minute read
Thinking Aloud
Ohlala was proud to be part of history as the Official Female Empowerment Magazine for the first- ever and largest women power summit in the Mena region, powered by Imtiaz for her and launched by Obai and Hill. We interview some of the ladies who were integral in this movement and we are excited for what the future holds.
Advertisement
Fatema Al Bastaki is the Co-Brand Manager of Imtiaz for Her; a credit card exclusively created for women. She has proven herself as a capable, creative, team-oriented individual with a positive outlook on life and a strong desire to leave a mark in the Public Relations industry. Her passion in media and involvement with Bahrain TV as both an editor and presenter formed recognisable interpersonal skills and the ability to interface with individuals at all levels.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am Fatema Bastaki, a 27 year old mother of a beautiful girl and the Co- Brand Manager of Imtiaz for Her, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s first and only credit card for ladies. I am also a holder of a bachelor of Banking and Finance from the prestigious University of Bangor in Wales, as the financial industry has always been an industry I am passionate about, especially when it comes to increasing the role of women in the financial sector, which comes apparent in Imtiaz for Her.
What were you most excited about with the WPS?
The Women Power Summit was a unique event within the MENA, as it was the largest summit for women within the region with an astounding number of 900 attendees and 113 speakers, many of them being international and regional speakers who flew in to be a part of history. I was thrilled to be an integral part of the summit as it was powered by Imtiaz for Her, the energy we were surrounded by as the speakers and attendees spoke and exchanged brilliant ideas was absolutely wonderful!
What do you think this WPS represented?
It represented women empowerment in its full meaning; women can and will achieve even when they are told they can’t, and they will come under one roof to share those achievements and inspire the younger generations to push the limits and challenge stereotypes.
What do you hope will come out of the summit in terms of actions and takeaway messages for the participants?
There were many outcomes to the summit’s sessions and workshops, the attendees and the speakers had a chance to exchange ideas, conversate, and share experiences for two full days, as well as engaging in practical workshops. The workshops included seminars on mentorship, getting ready for job interviews, being appropriately dressed for boardrooms, diversity in the workplace, amongst many more topics. The summit also hosted the largest speed networking event, as over 100 participants attended an event where they connected, exchanged business cards, and got to know each other and enlarge their connection circle of professional successful women!
The buzz word surrounding the conference is “movement” - how do you see yourself engaging with the movement of Women Leaders in the Middle East?
I believe it is time for us women to take the lead and challenge the stereotypes built for us growing up, this summit is the perfect platform for that. It sends a message to the world that as Middle Eastern women, we are capable of accomplishing incredible things, and our voices are loud and clear.
What role do you think the media plays, or can play, specifically in promoting gender equality?
Media is an important and integral tool in influencing the world. As women, especially as women in managerial positions, we can use that tool to shed light on successful women and their stories; through the exchange of journeys and ideas, come great results, and comes a generation of younger women who are empowered with through these ideas. The media is also responsible for promoting the idea of mentors, of women supporting women and being allies in the workplace and throughout their careers.
Do you think from a global media perspective there’s anything that can be changed to further promote gender equality, or do you think that there doesn’t need to be any major change? – no comment
The global media is responsible of shattering many stereotypes and myths that it built in previous decades, it is responsible for shattering the idea that women are competitors of other women rather than spreading the idea that women should support one another, through spreading the idea, we can fully empower women to support one another to rise up and work against gender inequality. Additionally, the media is responsible for spreading awareness about gender inequality, whether it’s international statistics, challenges, or ways to work together in order to overcome the pay gap and gender inequality in the workplace.
What is the main thing that you’ve taken from the WPS yourself ?
Connections with incredible accomplished women and men, unlimited knowledge, and most importantly, a platform to speak up.
Tell us about any future plans to continue WPS.
As a working woman and mother, I want to continuously be a part of the summit to maintain the impact it had to young girls around the Kingdom of Bahrain and the region, and I want my daughter to grow up with the speakers in the summits to look up to.
As a Co-Brand Manager for Imtiaz for Her, the brand will continue to support the summit for two upcoming rounds, and we aspire for larger and more impactful summits within the future.
@imtiazforher
Wafa Alobaidat is the Chief Executive Officer and Creative Director of Obai and Hill who provide their clientele with the competitive edge needed in the current marketplace. This is a woman who really does it all as her expertise includes community building, business management, communication skills, concept creation, managing teams, and business development, amidst writing a variety of contributions for startups and entrepreneurship with a whole host of other impressive accolades.
“One of the proudest moments for me was when Obai and Hill received the ‘Startup of the Year’ award. Each year I push myself to take on a new challenge, last year it was successfully finishing the Iron Man 70.3 triathlon and this year it has been the Women Power Summit.”
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My journey into entrepreneurship began when I was in London, after graduating from the University of the Arts in London as a Chelsea College of Art and Design. That is when I created an online platform that came to be known as the Sketchbook Magazine. It was a phenomenal experience that motivated me to elevate it to a new standard. Given my clientele at the time, I strategically moved back to the Middle East region - back home to our island of Bahrain. It wasn’t always easy. The journey has been challenging but very empowering and filled with life lessons that molded me into the person I am today. My biggest challenge initially was something as simple as registering my company way back in 2010. It seems like a long time since then and now to becoming the CEO of one of the fastest growing PR agencies in the MENA region. One of the proudest moments for me was when Obai and Hill received the ‘Startup of the Year’ award. Each year I push myself to take on a new challenge, last year it was successfully finishing the Iron Man 70.3 triathlon and this year it has been the Women Power Summit. They have each been such great experiences and I’ve learnt so much from the amazing personalities whom I have come across as they encouraged me to shatter glass ceilings.
What were you most excited about with the WPS?
I believe that most exciting thing was to finally turn the dream into a reality with WPS. Gathering women from diverse backgrounds, amazing shared experiences, inspirational stories of wins and losses all under one roof, to showcase that no matter where you are or what you are going through, you can still overcome so much as an individual and as a support team especially through mentorship. Most importantly I was excited to be able to build something with my team that gave women a platform to have a true voice and to really make an impact on the lives of as many people they come in contact with.
What do you think this WPS represented?
This summit represented how far we have come as a nation while also representing how much farther we have to go to gain true representation and optimize the productivity and contribution of each citizen. We have so many amazing Bahraini women who have built their careers from scratch and have turned their lives around by creating empires for generations to lead. To have regional and international speakers come in and share their experiences allowed a platform to shatter workplace myths, discuss the crux of gender representation and equality and come together with solutions but more importantly initiate a conversation in the first place!
What do you hope will come out of the summit in terms of actions and takeaway messages for the participants?
Many of the participants were able to give a voice to their stories – their experiences. This in turn led to influencing all women to connect with more than one speaker that gave them access to a wealth of wisdom. Through this I believe women began to understand the importance of mentorship, of supporting one another in the workspace, fostering healthy relationships and healthier frames of mind, of pursuing your interests with enthusiasm and vigour. It definitely has been a catalyst of much more to come and with the next summit we seek to maintain this momentum to turn it into actionable goals.
The buzzword surrounding the conference is “movement” - how do you see yourself engaging with the movement of Women Leaders in the Middle East?
Our mothers, grandmothers and ancestors would be so proud of where we stand today. The fact that I am able to openly have this discussion with you and engage in healthy debate with decision makers shows that times are changing and it’s upon each of us to lead that change with confidence.
I am very grateful to all the speakers and attendees who took the time to shed light on the next phase for women in the business world and give them the motivation to strive for the best and stand up for themselves even if no one else stands up for you.
One of the speakers Dr. Sara Al Reefy shared how she was barred from going to work and that she had to jump from the window of her house because she knew deep down that her priority was to save lives and her fulfilling her careers’ responsibilities mattered to people beside herself. “Movement” indicates change and we’re all change agents then each day as an Editor, as a CEO, as an individual fulfilling his/ her responsibility to one’s career and to the society. You and I – we’re engaging the movement of women leaders globally everyday when we stand tall with our convictions and empower the people around us.
What role do you think the media plays, or can play, specifically in promoting gender equality?
Media is a very powerful tool that can be used to reach out to spread awareness to highlight the achievements of women to inspire others. Simply seeing more women on TV screens alongside men more than what we are used to, that is creating a balance between genders no longer unusual, especially in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The media has always been the biggest influence to touch the viewers’ mindsets and sentiments. It adds a visual element to a foreseeable future that we’re paving acceptance for.
Do you think from a global media perspective there’s anything that can be changed to further promote gender equality, or do you think that there doesn’t need to be any major change?
The WPS summit ensured that the media could be used in positive way to uncover key information and educate readers/viewers. You can’t clap with one hand; put them together and we get a bang. The global media needs to be sensitive and aware of their responsibility in this global conversation.
We shouldn’t overlook the fact that male leaders mainly controlled media but here we are now empowering women to be welcomed into the fold and own the space. We see women as ministers, doctors and engineers and media is the fastest way of communication to address so many people to eliminate doubt and inspire change.
What is the main thing that you’ve taken from the WPS yourself?
Nothing is hard everything is possible, if you just hold on and power through with the support of strong dedicated team. WPS started as a dream but we managed to turn that dream into a reality, I realized that there is not limit for us women in learning and building our network, we should never put ourselves down but we should embrace it and be proud of being women. My team has inspired me tremendously with their dedication, hard work and the sacrifices they have made alongside me to take ownership of this summit as much as I was invested in it. The attendees and the speakers inspired and motivated me with their enthusiasm to share, to learn, to teach and to support across the board.
Tell us about any future plans to continue WPS.
That’s actually a good question; I believe that for us to be able to take the WPS concept and experience even further – we need to involve both genders, as speakers and participants, in order to engage in healthy constructive debate to close the gap between both men and women and strive for the vision to have an equal and balanced environment for the upcoming years for all.
wafaalobaidat.com
obaiandhill.com
Dr.Ameera Al Mosali is a highly experienced expert in dentistry considering her many years of experience since graduation. Dr.Ameera is a highly trained consultant orthodontist with membership in orthodontics from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh. She gained years of knowledge and experience that helped her eventually start her own business, The Dental Club. Dr.Ameera was one one of the speakers at the Women Power Summit
As a female entrepreneur, tell us about your business and what inspired you start your own business, The Dental Club?
I always believe in dreaming big and that motivated me to take certain leaps of faith despite the fear of failure. I left my convenient stable career at the Ministry of Health. I wanted to reach out to as many people as I could and contribute to society and give back as much as possible. For me it has always been much more than a career. I wanted to establish a business model that cared for people and made these services accessible and affordable to them while sharing in a very different experience. It was challenging not being from a business background but I have a supportive family that joined me on this journey of self-education and growth and it has truly been a learning experience – each struggle and each win.
Dental Club isn’t like every other dental clinic. It is your friendly neighbourhood dental clinic but with the ambience of a spa and relaxing lounge. We focus on the customer experience from the minute they book their appointment, to their visit and consultation, their procedure and the ease of their payment process. No child leaves empty handed as we believe in it needing to be a rewarding experience and to eliminate all phobias of visiting the dentist for a check-up. Our clients feel at ease with us because of the comfort and care with which our doctors treat them. We are proud to be a Bahraini dental clinic with some of the finest facilities for dental aesthetic procedures especially. We have visiting doctors from the region and I myself also consult in Abu Dhabi on a monthly basis.
What advice do you have for other women entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business or continue to grow their business?
Seize every opportunity you receive and don’t give up even when the going gets tough. This has been a beautifully rewarding career as I directly get to impact people’s lives and make a difference and the same works with any entrepreneurial venture – it is bigger than you. Always remember the responsibility you have and feel proud of all that you are doing to achieve it. I wish each and every one of them all the success and strength. Always be sure to invest in great counsel be it from friends, family or even leaders in a space you want to grow within. Ask for advice, seek to learn more and maintain confidence in your capabilities. As they say – be a go-getter, a hustler, a change bringer!
Do you think that women’s positioning in business is fair? Or do we still have a way to go?
On a personal level, I was unsure when I started out on the career path I wanted to adopt. Back in the day, the options were limited, stereotypes were prevalent, and society wasn’t as supportive of women occupying certain roles/ careers as those were considered to be roles for men alone. I have the good fortune of a supportive family who push me to achieve more even when it seems near impossible to turn things around. From someone who has no entrepreneurial background – I established Dental Club with a specific vision and dream in mind and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing happy families walk out the door, and that motivates me to help more. However in terms of challenges as a woman, it is difficult for acceptance from society of a woman being able to be career driven and yet dedicate time towards family and the upbringing of your children. It is also sometimes challenging for people to take you seriously in the line of business. Although with that said I have always been a determined person, self-aware and focused on shifting people’s paradigms to be more supportive and understanding of the vision I have and that is the most important rule – never give up and never let negative perceptions demotivate you if you believe in something.
The buzz word surrounding the conference is “movement” - how do you see yourself engaging with the movement of Women Leaders in the Middle East?
The Women Power Summit is a tremendously empowering platform and I am honoured that I was chosen to be one of the Speakers. It is important for us as a nation and for women as a community to come together to support one another, discuss each other’s wins and challenges and work towards achievements that we can be proud of without restricting ourselves from growing within our professions.
My intention through participation in this summit was to connect with likeminded individuals and to encourage and enlighten the young minds of the country on the responsibilities that they have towards paving the way for tremendous economic prosperity and the health and happiness of the nation.
They are the dream team of happiness. The beauty of dentistry is that we get to take away pain and reward people with beautiful smiles, which build confidence and a positive body language.
This summit wasn’t about discouraging our male counterparts – it was instead a voice of encouragement to women to be ambitious, to work hard and own their space. That to me is such an important MOVEMENT for our small yet powerful island to undertake under the guidance of women like Her Highness Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa AlKhalifa, Wafa Alobaidat and the other inspirational women associated with this summit. In today’s world, with information so easily accessible and parents investing in education, no child must feel that they can’t become a doctor in whichever specialised field because of their gender. Gender representation is important and we as a community must be responsible towards generating enough opportunities for capable individuals to flourish within them.
Bryony Cooper is an international startup entrepreneur and business consultant who co-founded three companies by the age of 30. With 9 years C-level experience, Bryony served as CEO of the German innovation hub IXDS Labs, managing ventures such as ‘HINT’ and ‘Fritzing’. During her 5 years as CEO and co-founder of T Dispatch, a software startup for transportation/ fleet management, she raised over €2 million funding and acquired an international client base. She currently heads up the IoT Program at Brinc and was one of the speakers at the WPS.
As a female entrepreneur tell us about your businesses and what inspires you as a startup enthusiast?
I was CEO and co-founder of T Dispatch - a cloud-software for transportation/fleet management. I realised that my background in Business and Communications perfectly balanced the tech and product skills of my co-founders. I took on marketing and PR, business development, management, investor relations…anywhere I could use my interpersonal skills. One of the things I love is the variety of startup life. No two days are the same and the speed of learning is unparalleled. The energy and resilience of startup founders inspires me - it’s contagious!
Who is your strong woman role model, that provides you guidance to where you are today?
Easy - my mother. She runs her own business in Management and Leadership training, has written several books and when faced with unfair publishing deals, she founded her own publishing company which now supports first-time authors. She has always been so supportive, and I’ve been lucky enough to inherit her communication skills through osmosis.
What advice do you have for other women entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business or continue to grow their business?
Do your homework. Find a real-life problem to solve in an underserved market. Surround yourself with positive, supportive individuals, be open to constructive feedback and always assume there is more to learn.
What is the highlight success in your career that is significant to excellence in business?
I was so proud to get seed investment ($90,000) from my first ever pitch in front of a live audience. My years of singing on stage really paid off! Also, being a featured contributor in the book ‘Dear Female Founder’ was a great moment for me.
Do you think that women’s positioning in business is fair? Or do we still have a way to go?
We still have a long way to go! Until there is no such thing as a gender pay gap, no more need for quotas and 50/50 representation at board level, we must keep pushing for equality. Women need more role models in visible, senior positions and “bro culture” has to stop. Many men think that because they never personally mistreated a female colleague that the issue is blown out of proportion, but one look at the statistics shows otherwise. It’s important that women who have not personally experienced sexism support the women who have.
However, none of this is an excuse not to excel; overcoming these obstacles is what makes business women so badass!
The buzz word surrounding the conference is “movement” - how do you see yourself engaging with the movement of Women Leaders in the Middle East?
I volunteer for as many events and bootcamps as possible to share my knowledge, which results in great networking opportunities. I’m impressed at the amount of women in the startup ecosystem in Bahrain; I hope I can help promote tech innovations in the region, inspiring more female founders to start IoT businesses!
Mara Mostafa is half English/Arab and has been in the realm of social media for over 20 years. Having started very young, she has worked in design and different sectors of the industry. Based between Bahrain, UAE and London, she has her company where does events, marketing, PR and is a modest fashion consultant and curator.
There has been a sudden growth of popularity surrounding modest fashion which is linked to the rise in the use of social media - especially instagram. How do you utilise your influence to advocate for women?
I use my platform to promote modest fashion and advocate for women who want to dress modestly whether they wear the hijab or not. My aim is to show that you do not need to compromise your values/faith when it comes to fashion and that the two can work side by side.
Tell us how you first delved into the world of social media and why you feel it is important?
I started out almost 8 years ago with a blog before all the snapchats and instagrams. The thing was to have a blog where you shared your interests and that was your platform. I maintained that for about 4 years where then Instagram popped on the scene and everything became even more instant. The blog slowed down with the rise of instagram.. It was easier to post interests there, captioned with reviews and short write-ups and get instant responses. Ever since then my main portal and platform is instagram. I do what I do as I never had anyone growing up that I could look at and relate it when it came to fashion, magazines, style etc. I know how hard it can be working in the industry for so many years for women who dress modestly to be motivated and find modest solutions in a world that is all about baring all. Not everyone has that ‘nack’ of putting things together and styling. I have a daughter and want her to have someone to look up to when it comes to fashion and style but still sticks to their values and felt that I needed to be that person for her and for the generation of modest dressers and for those who want to start to dress modestly. Instagram allowed me to take that stand and be that person.
We love individuality and empowering other women, therefore, how do you challenge the perception that social media is a ‘distorted’ reality thus breeding unattainable goals?
Social media can definitely distort reality. It is one of the negatives but there’s a lot of positives to it too. Scrolling through your feed and look at all the polished images and unattainable high end fashion one could then start comparing it to themselves for those who have low self esteem. But I don’t think that’s excluded to social media as it’s the same with magazines, reality tv and so on. However, at least with our own social media platforms we can emphasize that this isn’t reality and also show as little or a lot of our own lives to make us more human and relatable. At the end of the day were there to inspire and be more relatable .
What pearls of wisdom do you have for someone who is wanting to become a social blogger/influencer?
It’s a lot of work that most of the time costs you your own time and money. It’s not easy to get into as with the current constant change in algorithms with instagram makes it very difficult to get seen and noticed unless you have a certain number of followers, likes, comments etc. Make sure you find your niche and go expand on that. Having skills in content creation, editing, photoshop, photography are all requirements now. Collaborate collaborate collaborate, the more you work with other bloggers/influencers/ photographers/brands the more the reach and exposure you will get which will help you create a following and attraction.
The buzz word surrounding the conference is “movement” - how do you see yourself engaging with the movement of Women Leaders in the Middle East?
Modest fashion is a multi billion dollar industry that has only just started booming. The movement is rolling and heading in the right direction and is going to be around for a long time. Having been in the industry for as long as I have, it’s amazing to see the shift and knowing that somehow I contributed to that in whatever small way. I see myself expanding in modest fashion consulting and assisting brands in their direction. This year I worked alongside the Dubai Modest Fashion Week that took place in January, which was a huge international event. I see myself more involved in events like those and as a mentor to help guide the young and upcoming modest fashion designers.
"The blog slowed down with the rise of Instagram.. It was easier to post interests there, captioned with reviews and short write-ups and get instant responses. Ever since then my main portal and platform is Instagram"
@maradxb
Tulin Sahin is a British-Turkish Modest Fashion/Beauty blogger and Makeup Artist in Bahrain. Her background is in fashion having graduated from the University of Arts London and worked in the industry for 9 years. She later studied the art of makeup application and incorporates both beauty and fashion in her work.
There has been a sudden growth of popularity surrounding modest fashion which is linked to the rise in the use of social media - especially instagram. How do you utilise your influence to advocate for women?
I think it all comes down to being genuine and real. Everyone has their own character and personality and this is most definitely relayed on every single post. My own personal style comes out each time I share something. I’ve always had a feminine style and modest fashion is the ultimate freedom of expression and femininity for me. It is a very powerful way of showing that I have the right to wear what I wear and being proud of that fact. I want those women who are considering dressing modestly to see that there is no one style fits all - because there isn’t. The spectrum of modest dressing is so wide, it encompasses an array of cultures and history.
Tell us how you first delved into the world of social media and why you feel it is important?
As a fashion graduate and someone who’s always been into makeup and beauty from an early age I would always help friends and family to pick out their outfits for special events or long summer holidays etc.
I have quite a photographic memory so I tend to effortlessly memorise certain pieces in certain stores. This would help when people would ask me where the perfect black heels were or where that perfect full sleeved shirt housed. This to me was very important as I could see how much I helped these women by saving them so much stress and time during their shopping trips.
Eventually, instead of talking about it I thought I’d start a blog, this eventually spread out onto Instagram, Twitter and other social media platform.
We love individuality and empowering other women, therefore, how do you challenge the perception that social media is a ‘distorted’ reality thus breeding unattainable goals?
All women are beautiful and sometimes this form of beauty does not always have to be put out on display. The pressure for women these days unfortunately can make women feel constantly inadequate or not pretty enough which is simply ridiculous. Modesty gives you back that power to actually choose what you show or don’t show. The level of empowerment you feel is indescribable. Another point is that social media is not always real and as glamorous as it seems. Scrolling through someone’s feed with the perfect holiday destination in every shot or the perfect outfit does not mean that they live their life like that every single day. I would say that for some the Instagram feed has evolved from a misspelt Starbucks paper cup to a Vogue style editorial magazine - with the recent addition of Instastories showing more dimensions of influencers including any vulnerability and I guess more of their lives.
What pearls of wisdom do you have for someone who is wanting to become a social blogger/influencer?
First of all I would say think about what message you want to put out there. Is it luxury fashion, or affordable fashion? Do you want to show your individuality through something as simple as the abaya?
I would always state the importance of being consistent, invest in a good camera or smartphone. Try to get inspiration from other influencers but always aim to stay unique.
The buzz word surrounding the conference is “movement” - how do you see yourself engaging with the movement of Women Leaders in the Middle East?
Female entrepreneurs have a huge platform in the Middle East. I believe that with tailored collaborations and seeking the underdog a lot of good things will come out. The constant algorithm changes that Instagram seems to be a particular fan of makes it very difficult for those who do not have huge number followers to be noticed. I would like to see more female leaders reach out to them and assist in their progression and movement.
@trestouline
