Forum urges women to be the change in Doha

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE: “It’s OK to be different,” says Dana al-Anzy, one of the first Qatari women to summit Mt Kilimanjaro.By Aney Mathew“If we are not careful, we can all become clones; society has expectations from all of us and the same set of expectations is given to everybody. Only those who dare to be different can break through the cycle of becoming clones; this is not easy. It’s never easy to say, ‘I’m not going to be like everyone else,’ because everyone is going to be against you,” alleged Dana al-Anzy, one of the first Qatari women to summit Mt Kilimanjaro. Al-Anzy, who was part of the 1st team from Qatar to climb Africa’s tallest mountain a few months ago, is also a member of the Reach Out To Asia (Rota) Youth Advisory Board. She was addressing the participants of the 6th How Women Work (HWW) 2015 conference, hosted by Qatar Business Incubation Centre (QBIC). Candid and eloquent in her style, al-Anzy inspired the audience as she spoke on, ‘A Qatari Girl’s Agenda’. “I felt limited through a majority of the roles I was given by society. Education gave me a capacity and intellectual depth to harness my individuality, like nothing else could. It’s okay to be different and it’s okay to do something you are passionate about. My inspirational influence has naturally been none other than HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser,” she pointed out. Describing some pivotal moments in her life, al-Anzy went on to explain the challenges she faced during her recent climb of the highest peak in Africa and how she overcame them, through sheer determination and will power.   Framed around the theme of ‘Be the Change in Doha’, the two-day event had a line-up of women speakers who have emerged pioneers in different walks of life. Other speakers included, Aysha al-Mudahka, CEO, QBIC, a pioneer in the field of entrepreneurship, Liz McColgan-Nuttall,  former 10,000m world champion and Commonwealth marathon gold medallist, Fatima Sultan al-Kuwari, Director of Community & Public Relations at Ooredoo, Marwa al-Ansary, Head of Environment and Social Performance, Shell Global Solutions and Lauren Fryer- Managing Partner, Qanect.  Promoting the idea of entrepreneurship, Aysha al-Mudahka encouraged participants, especially Qatari women, to succeed in the area of business. “Qatar has come a long way in a very short space of time in terms of women’s participation in the work place. It wasn’t so long ago that employee opportunities for women in Qatar were limited primarily to the field of education. It is clear that this situation has thankfully changed to a great extent. Today women are considered equal to men under Qatari business law, unlike some of our neighbouring countries. Our labour laws stipulate equal pay for both men and women. However, women in business are still constrained,” she alleged. Calling for a balanced approach, al-Mudahka added: “While some aspects in Qatar need to change for the empowerment of women as a whole, our traditions are an important part of who we are; we should not change things simply to become like other parts of the world. On the contrary we have seen great achievements by women in Qatar. Women can succeed as entrepreneurs and business owners today in Qatar. Overcoming challenges is primarily down to the individual. Organisations such as QBIC, Qatar Development Bank and Social Development Centre are here to help you along the way. At QBIC we empower women to turn ideas into business and start-up realities, and to turn start-ups that already exist to scalable companies.“Don’t let gender be a hurdle in starting your own business; don’t let having a family or running a household be a barrier to your business ambition. Let your culture and society be an opportunity to create something new. In fact running your business means working at your own pace, at your own hours and from an office or location of your choice. This makes things a lot easier for women like us, who combine family and businesses roles. As women in Qatar we must put in extra effort to bring in changes, both in our professional and personal lives, but that’s what helps in making changes and in making us special.” Held under the patronage of Sheikha Alanoud al-Thani and powered by Qatar Today, the HWW 2015 conference included several interactive workshops, panels and coaching sessions to enable participants to realise their career and personal ambitions.  This year’s conference showcased a brand new ‘Open Space’ conference format; a platform with no preplanned list of topics, that empowered attendees to discuss issues that were of most importance to them.  The conference also offered budding entrepreneurs the opportunity to turn their business ideas into a reality through QBIC’s Lean Startup competition; the winner was offered a place on the Lean Startup programme. Those initiative offers action-orientated teaching and coaching sessions.The HWW Community was founded in 2009 with the aim of empowering women to grow and succeed while promoting understanding across cultures and genders. It aims at bringing women with aspirations and ambitions together to share knowledge, ideas, and ambitions, enabling them to find sustainable ways to success. The ‘Be the Change’ theme of the conference is to be continued after the event with monthly workshops such as the ‘Soul Sisters’, the Mastermind group and many other events that the How Women Work community puts on every month to keep women with aspirations and ambitions engaged.