+ A
A -
LEZIMA GOMES
Doha
The Qatar Professional Women's Network (QPWN) and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) co-hosted a business breakfast networking event for women at the InterContinental Doha The City, while observing International Women's Day, celebrated on March 8.
Head of QPWN Susie Billings and AmCham Executive Director Lisa Saad made a presentation titled 'A Celebration of Success', which charted the careers of several successful women who have reached heights in the corporate world. The presentations shared the challenges, drivers, and motivation it took for these women to be pioneers in their field across the globe.
The women highlighted included General Motors CEO Mary Barra, PepsiCo President and CEO Indra Nooyi, Engie CEO Isabelle Kocher, Lockheed Martin President and CEO Marillyn Hewson, former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns, and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.
Over 130 women attended the event with a majority working in Qatar across various fields. A brief survey of the room revealed women working in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), as well as lawyers, human resource professionals, educators, administrators, entrepreneurs and other professional women looking for career opportunities in Qatar.
The meeting addressed challenges around confidence, assertiveness, risk-taking, delegation, overcoming bias, sharing of family responsibilities, and even re-evaluating simple terminology like being considered a bossy woman vs being a leader. It also discussed ongoing research which highlighted how diversity in teams across gender, age, and cultural representation enables broader thinking resulting in a competitive advantage and economic growth.
At the core of the event was the underlying message that women networking with other women provides an essential, tailored support and mentoring as they grow in their careers.
