POSITIVELY EMPOWERING

We speak to three incredible women of firsts from the region. Partnering with Porsche to motivate others to pursue careers in male-dominated professions, Nayla Al Khaja, Hend Almatrouk and Adwa Al Dakheel discuss exactly what it’s like to be pioneering women and how they plan to pave the way in the GCC

- OLIVIA MORRIS

NAYLA AL KHAJA

The first female director and producer in the UAE

You’re a woman of many firsts in your career. What is it like being a woman in this region to pave the way for others? It’s an immense, honourable responsibility. I see the messages and emails I receive from girls wanting to follow in my footsteps, and I don’t take that lightly at all. It drives me to do more, push boundaries and have my voice heard. To know that I have an impact on women and also men gives me an internal drive, a motivation inside that doesn’t die. I hope to be able to guide those around me interested in filmmaking, especially the younger women and let them discover their own journey in life.

What are your hopes for the future for women in the UAE? I hope the women of the UAE find the passion they are looking for professionally and personally. I know mental health is a big topic in the world at the moment and while I believe it’s important to stay positive, it’s also important to be transparent and to reflect from within, understand all emotions and in return address them. With that said, I hope the women in my country find their voice, their passions and positive mental health. I’m confident that we will all have an incredible future in the UAE given all the current opportunities at hand for women. From every field whether criminology, business or judiciary, you will find women taking on roles which are truly inspiring.