(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Fear, self-doubt, mistakes, sacrifices...nothing could stop some powerful women leaders from breaking glass ceilings and paving the way for the generations to come. Among them was Kimberley Pierce, CEO of King's College Hospital London in Dubai.

Fearing she might be denied a place in a postgraduate nursing programme, Pierce chose not to disclose that she had a young child at the start of her career. Determined to continue her education, she brought her two-year-old daughter with her to the nursing home where she was based. Together with her classmates, she devised a roster to share childcare duties - her daughter slept on the single bed in the room, while Pierce slept on the floor.

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Her determination was rewarded when she went on to rank first in the country in her final examinations.“When I gave a speech, I told everyone that I had a two-year-old daughter, that we had managed to look after her throughout the whole duration of the course and that it was discriminatory to say that women who were married with children couldn't go on and do something amazing,” she said.“It changed the way they approached that particular course.”

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She was speaking at a panel discussion that brought together some of the most iconic women leaders in the UAE at 'We the Women' conference organised by Khaleej Times. Returning for the third edition, the event was helmed by Emmy-nominated Indian journalist Barkha Dutt, and saw scores of women connecting with and learning from each other.

Eye on the prize

A seasoned banker, Shamsa Al-Falasi started with Citi as a fresh graduate and worked her way up to be the Citi Country Officer and Booking Head, UAE. She said she always kept her eyes on the next step throughout her career to make her way through the ranks.

“There were very few women so when I embarked on my journey, it was really a time for me to reflect and understand how these women made their way up the ladder,” she said.“I kept asking myself this question in terms of how do I make it to the next point. So, initially I joined as an annex of the banking. The next step was to be an assistant manager and then I started eyeing the business head. I was always looking at the next step. What is my destination? Where am I heading? And here I am. Many, many years later.”

First landing in the UAE from the UK in 1968, Isobel Abulhoul quickly made Dubai her home. A book lover, she was determined to fight the stereotypes about Arab and Emirati women. As the CEO of Emirates Literature Festival for over 15 years, she explained how she is doing it through storytelling.

“The festival is a place where we can break down stereotypical ideas about Dubai and the UAE,” she said.“We have been fed this media story that is not true. Then you have a stage where you have an Emirati poet, an Icelandic poet, someone from America, someone from India all on a panel together. We see that we are all human beings and all are storytellers.”

Men supporters

The panel, moderated by Emmy-nominated journalist Barkha Dutt, also explored the role of men as supporters in the fight of gender equality.

Dr Sonia Ben Jaafer, CEO of Abdulla Al Ghurair foundation for education, recalled how her father supported her drive to study.“I remember at the dinner table, when my brother would go to do his homework, my mother would ask me to clean up,” she said.“My dad would stand up and say, I will do it, you go do your homework. My father did the dishes for me to be able to study.”

She also highlighted how Abdulla al Ghurair championed education for girls in the country.“When he built the first school in Masafi in the 60s, he made sure that both girls and boys would be allowed to go,” she said.“He even built separate dorms when he found out that was a problem.”

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