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Ailyn Agonia
DOHA
Director of Innovation at the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) Hayfa al Abdullah has underlined the importance of giving support to women within the workplace, during a panel event titled ‘How To Create More Female Leaders in RD&I’ at the QSTP Tech 2 Lobby on Wednesday.
The discussion, which featured women with key roles in driving innovation, developing technology, making scientific discoveries and improving healthcare, was part of QSTP’s ‘Catalyzing The Future’ campaign.
The recently-launched initiative highlights QSTP’s efforts and achievements over the past decade and the importance of research, development and innovation to Qatar.
“Fifteen years ago, it was harder for a woman to join the engineering or IT sectors. I was female, in a male-dominated sector, and the youngest team member. However, I managed to become a section head in this sector by the age of 28, and that was because of the support I received from my management,” Abdullah said.
“Today, I am proud to say that I am part of a team with 50 percent female representation, not just administrative staff, but experts in energy, environment and health sciences. QSTP is a supportive organisation; we encourage people to create technology start-ups, and we empower women to engage in such sectors,” she added.
During the discussions, Microsoft Qatar General Manager Lana Khalaf stressed the importance of diversity and inclusion for the economic and social development of countries. She also mentioned that women today are in a better shape given the many enablers, institutions and initiatives pushing for the empowerment of women.
“The progress is slow, however, definitely we are lucky to be where we are today. I think the diversity and inclusion culture that Microsoft has in their DNA have definitely pushed me to stay in the spot and be where I am today. Government and private organisations need to make sure that diversity and inclusion are part of their vision, not only for female talent but also for diverse talent including every nationality,” Khalaf remarked.
Another leading woman in Qatar and panellist Dr Sara Abdulla, a research fellow at Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), said her success was motivated by the idea of giving back to the country and the community.
She said, “One of the things that helped me, in terms of educational support, was the Qatar Science Leadership Programme – now known as the Qatar Research Leadership Programme. It was a brand new concept, and I knew that getting into such a rigorous programme would challenge me even further.”
Talking to Qatar Tribune on the sidelines of the event, Dr Jehan al Rayahi, paediatric neuroradiologist at Sidra Medicine and one of the panel speakers, also said that there is a need to maximise the potential of women in their chosen fields.
“To be honest, we don’t have many Qatari women and men in the field of medicine; and the number of women is even less than men. But if you notice, women who are able to become doctors contribute a lot. They become wonderful leaders and have such a big impact in the country and the industry that we want to maximise the potential of Qatari women,” she said.
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10/10/2019
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