Sharjah Businesswomen Council is a government entity set in place to support female entrepreneurs and women in business in Sharjah.
Devised with the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi at its core, the council works to encourage and support women of all nationalities in Sharjah to take that leap into starting their own business, whatever sector it may be in. Leading the Council is its Director, HE Mariam Bin AlShaikh, who has been tasked with bringing this vision to life. Since assuming her role in May 2022, AlShaikh has aimed, alongside her team, to empower women in the UAE’s business sector and help them overcome some of the challenges on the path to becoming successful businesswomen. Here, we find out more about the goals and achievements of the council, as well as what’s in the pipeline for the coming year.
Tell us about your role at Sharjah Business Women Council and what it entails.
My role is predominantly to create the strategy and division for the council and make sure I fulfil the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, the wife of the Rule of Sharjah. Our goal is to bring her vision to life and make sure the vision of what she wants for women in business in Sharjah becomes a reality.
In order to do that, we have built a great team which has grown to double the size of what it was, and we plan to keep growing. The team is filled with young ladies who have ambitions to create an environment that is sustainable economically for women, and my role is to lead these women and give them the power to make decisions. I might be leading them to make our visions come true, but it is a collaboration, and it’s their work that makes these things happen.
What is the current vision and direction for the council?
Our vision is to create a sustainable economy for women entrepreneurs and women in business in Sharjah. We do that firstly by making sure it is easy for women to open a business in Sharjah. We ensure that the relevant resources to help them are set in place, whether that’s through government processes or simply educating women on what routes they want to take. Even if they don’t want to be in business, but they want to start investing and using their finances, we can help. We want it to be a space where women feel comfortable and supported. That is our overall goal.
Do you have a physical place where women can visit for advice, help etc. and what do you offer them when they come to you?
Yes, our offices are always open to our members. Previously, we used to have a one-stop shop at the economic department in Sharjah; however, now it’s moving between the economic department and our office. If women want to renew their licence or have any enquiries about their trade licence or the procedures surrounding it, our office can actually help facilitate that.
Why do you think it’s important to help women in particular and are you seeing a lot more women wanting to get into business because of the support that’s available to them?
I think it’s important for women to be in business because women make up half of our society and where the world is currently at in terms of GDP and economic level if women are heavily involved, we can reach even higher measures in terms of where we are economically, just by how much women can impact. So it’s very important to support women, and I think creating that space will allow them to feel confident. Post-COVID, there has been an increase of over 67 per cent of female entrepreneurs in the UAE. That says a lot. It’s not that women don’t know what they want, or they don’t have the knowledge. They just need the motivation. Women have not necessarily been supported in the past in the ways they should have been, and I think by giving them motivation, we can achieve so much, and that’s what the council is doing.
Throughout history, so many of those who were trailblazers who made a difference in the world were women – in maths, science, engineering, etc. – these were women who changed the world, and unfortunately, with time, sometimes the motivation goes down because of society’s pressures, and I think for us it’s about giving them that motivation. Essentially, all we are asking for is economic equality for women.
What are some of the council’s biggest achievements so far, and what would you still like to achieve?
One of the achievements is having that one-stop shop, which we will keep working on growing. Another achievement is having over 2,000 members. And these are all quality members. We constantly follow up with them to make sure that these are not ghost members. We make sure that their trade licence is active and that all their information is correct. Something else we are proud of is that in the past few years, we have been focusing a lot on women in STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and women in non-traditional sectors, and we have been heavily focusing on tech, construction, finance etc. In the past few years, we have had some of our members be part of GITEX, and the North Star, and some of our members have even won competitions within these events.
Her Highness always wanted women to be active in the economy but also to get them involved in the non-traditional sectors. Making sure that there is no fear in that. So this is a big part of what we have been focusing on, and we will continue to do so moving forward. We want to make sure women have the right information and knowledge in their field in order to make the best decisions for themselves.
What does the council do to bring the women in the network together?
We host SBWC talks, which bring in women from different sectors, focusing on a specific subject in order to get a conversation going. We have this majlis concept. When you think of a majlis in terms of the cultural sense here in the UAE, that’s where a lot of conversations and decision-making happens. So we decided to create these sessions with a majlis concept to get conversations going and get the women to meet each other in more of a relaxed environment.
We also host events throughout the year to reconnect them and get them to reflect, recharge, and just give each other a boost of motivation.
How would you assess Sharjah as a hub for visionary women today?
If we look at the Emirate as a whole and its holistic approach to women in business, there are many elements. Sharjah has one of the largest entrepreneurship festivals, bringing big-name speakers and giving entrepreneurs the chance to connect, find investors, and pitch their ideas. We also have Saeed (Sharjah Investors Services Center) – another one-stop-shop for new businesses in Sharjah, which focuses on facilitating procedures for new businesses. There are different entities that cater towards different types of clientele, but at the end of the day, they all have the same vision, which is to support people in business in Sharjah.
What is the biggest challenge you face in your role?
The biggest challenge is educating women on what they are capable of. I never worry about what women can achieve, but we constantly need to inform these entrepreneurs on what they can do and give them the motivation and confidence to do it. There is so much information out there that it can be overwhelming, so we try to create an environment that sends one concise, clear message. As much as it is a challenge, in the end, it is a benefit for us because it has a positive impact.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
It’s definitely when women who are part of the council are successful in business. I think that speaks for itself. Also, the feedback that we get from the women and internally at SWBC and creating a tight, strong team gives the women in the council an example of who is supporting them. I think the biggest satisfaction for me is seeing women succeed. I admire women supporting women. We are all on a journey in life. It’s not about jealousy and competition – healthy competition is fine – but at the end of the day, it is about supporting and motivating each other. We are trying to get away from that negative notion that women can be jealous of each other.
What about the younger generation of women, are you seeing a lot of young aspiring entrepreneurs coming through?
A lot of the women who participate in our events – especially in GITEX and the tech-focused fields – are young women. These are women who just graduated from university. They are getting into these fields, whether it’s in data or science or finance or engineering, and this is very impressive. It gives me hope for where women are going in the future. Of course, this doesn’t make it any less important for women in other fields, but it is nice to see that they are interested in these sectors where women are usually the minority.
What is a piece of advice you would give to aspiring young women?
Do something you love. If you do something you love, it will never feel like it’s a chore. You will constantly want to find ways to improve it. And even if you feel like you’ve got too much work, it’s an enjoyable type of work. Also, try to do something that has a positive impact, and make sure you support other women in your field. Share your knowledge and tips with them and grow together.
What is in the pipeline for the coming year for the council and how can women get involved in what’s coming up?
We have a lot of participation in exhibitions coming up around the UAE. We are going to be creating a lot of panel discussions, workshops, and networking events. We have a trade mission coming up later in the year, for which we will be announcing the destination soon. All of this information can be found on our social media as well as on the SBWC app. Any information on signing up for membership can also be found on our website.
For more information on how to sign up visit www.sbwc.ae or follow @sharjah_sbwc.
