Qatari businesswoman Layla al-Dorani (left), who works for the Roudha Centre, and other participants at the meeting.

Roudha Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the first and only non-profit organisation in Qatar dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs, innovators and future leaders, and Silatech have joined hands with Wamda, an enabling platform for entrepreneurs, to launch the Wamda for Women Roundtable in Doha.

The discussions addressed the global debates around the role of women in the workforce and focused specifically on how women can lead the way in supporting each other to take on leadership roles and effect change.

Over 30 businesswomen and women entrepreneurs from various sectors engaged in lively, in-depth discussions of topics such as stereotypes women face in the workplace, the role models that inspire them and ways that women lead, their challenges in balancing life and work, and their experiences when negotiating for salaries and finding investment.

Wamda takes a holistic approach to supporting startup growth in the Middle East and North Africa, with a media arm, early stage capital fund, and other products and services designed to ease the process of starting and scaling a company.

Wamda for Women (W4Women) is a new initiative to support women by fostering candid conversations and revealing the challenges and successes of female entrepreneurs.

Roudha Centre, chaired by Sheikha Hanadi bint Naser bin Khaled al-Thani, has reached more than 6,000 local women through its innovative workshops, lectures and initiatives that focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and leadership and empower women with the confidence, skills and ambition they need to succeed.

With an interactive approach, the Wamda for Women Roundtable offered women a chance to connect with their local community in Doha as well as continue the debates online with the W4Women community.

During the discussions, women emphasised the importance of having backing from their families in order to succeed outside of the home. They also agreed on the need to build networks to support women in business and entrepreneurship.

Several participants said women must be proactive in disproving negative stereotypes in the workplace.

“We have to earn our respect and our equal rights. If we sit and wait no one will give us anything,” said one participant.

Women identified three areas in need of change: cultural mindset, government policies and work environment.

“The goal of Wamda for Women is to reconcile the polarised images that we have of women in the Arab world, by giving women a chance to tell their stories candidly and openly,” said Nina Curley, editor-in-chief at Wamda.

“While individual revelations are kept off the record, we hope to reveal attendees truths in the aggregate on Wamda, while building an organic, regional community where women can connect with and support one another.

“Thanks to support from Roudha Centre and Silatech, we were able to host the women of Doha as they revealed their articulate resolve, warmth, humour, and plans for supporting each other. We hope to continue telling their stories,” she said.

Roudha Centre’s co-founder and managing director Shareefa Fadhel pointed out that women face unique challenges as businesswomen and entrepreneurs.

“As such, it is incredibly beneficial for women to share experiences and discuss ways in which they might overcome these challenges. For this reason, Roudha Centre is happy to help facilitate the Wamda for Women Roundtable in Doha. We look forward to collaborating with Wamda in the future to feature Qatar’s amazing, up-and-coming women entrepreneurs,” she added.

 

 

BELOW:

1) A group of women entrepreneurs at the event.

 

2) Nina Curley addressing the gathering. PICTURES: Nasar T K

 

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