The Australian embassy in Doha and Qatari Businesswomen Association (QBWA) on Tuesday hosted a celebration in Doha for International Women’s Day 2019.
Australian ambassador Dr Axel Wabenhorst and QBWA vice-chair Aisha Alfardan were joined by several female diplomats, entrepreneurs, leading women in Qatar and members of the Australian community in Doha at the event.
A panel discussion focusing on women’s experience working in the business sector highlighted the celebration, featuring Australian and Qatari women working in senior positions across a variety of sectors in Qatar.


Some of the attendees at the gathering


Dignitaries cutting a cake on the occasion. Supplied picture

The speakers were Kimberly Reid, head of Organisational Effectiveness and Strategic Leadership at Commercial Bank; and Kimberley Sheedy, CEO and managing partner of Starfish Lane Kids, from the Australian side, and Mishael al-Ansari, Marketing and Communications director of the Anti-Doping Lab Qatar; and Sara Fahad Alfardan, Communications and Public Relations manager at Alfardan Group, from the Qatari side.
The panelists shared their experiences and discussed some of the challenges, as well as the opportunities, women face in the business sector.
They also shared the lessons they had learnt along the way and their advice for women looking to establish or develop careers in Qatar and overseas.
The topics discussed included the return to work after maternity leave, work-life balance, travel and workplace experiences.
The panel also featured an interactive question-and-answer session, which was followed by a networking session for guests.
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