On the occasion of National Boss Day, which falls on October 16th of every year, we want to celebrate remarkable Arab she-bosses who have earned their leadership positions and successfully broke all stereotypes against women.
It goes without saying that great strides have already been achieved by women to reach leadership positions despite the remaining lack of confidence in women assuming the position of manager.
Some positive examples, however, were able to surpass all the obstacles and unfair views of women and managed to put an end to all stereotypes by proving their worth by assuming leadership positions and showing inspiring success in different fields, here are a few…
Lubna Al Qasimi – Former Minister of International Cooperation of the UAE
UAE’s Lubna Al Qasimi topped this year’s list of influential women, especially since she was the pioneer in so many things and achieved many milestones. She is considered a role model who was able to raise the name of the Emirates in international forums, as she was the first woman in UAE’s history to reach a ministerial position in 2004.
That was not her only achievement too, as she was also able to obtain many awards and honors, the most prominent of which was the Order of the British Empire in 2013. In the same year, she was classified as the most powerful Arab woman and was awarded the title “Lady of Technology” in 2001.
Honey Thaljieh – Palestinian Football Player
She was the first Arab woman to be appointed to the International Federation of Association Football, where she works today in charge of the communications department. That is what Honey Thaljieh was able to achieve after she became one of the first to practice football in Palestine.
During Honey’s career, she was able to be appointed as an ambassador for many sports institutions, in addition to her work to support the rights of women and children, because she has a point of view that she expressed before, saying: When we develop women in societies, we develop the entire society. When we do not give women opportunities, the entire society loses; women’s presence is crucial in all fields.
Amina Oufroukhi – Moroccan Judge
Moroccan judge Amina Oufroukhi has devoted much of her life to fighting human trafficking and even helping its victims, especially children and women.
Oufroukhi was honored by many sides as a hero in combating human trafficking, and even though she didn’t look the part at first, she was able to develop the anti-human trafficking law and establish units to protect women and children from violence within the courts.
Hanan Balkhy – Saudi Arabian Physician
Saudi Arabian Hanan Balkhy successfully assumed the position of Regional Director of the WHO Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region a few days ago after receiving the biggest percentage of votes from member states.
She became the first woman to hold this position, but achieving it took a journey that lasted 25 years of her working life as a public health doctor after she obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from King Abdulaziz University and a fellowship in the field of pediatric infectious diseases from Case Western Reserve University.
Jamila Mahdi – Iraqi UN Human Rights Officer
Mahdi was born in a refugee camp and got married at the age of 13, but that did not prevent her from returning 10 years later to complete her education.
In a poor village, Jamila lived with her husband, and the situation got worse after she gave birth and had to work from morning till evening. Nonetheless, she was more than capable of breaking all these barriers and becoming a human rights officer in the office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.
