Noor Sweid is the managing partner at Leap Ventures, a venture capital firm based out of Dubai and Beirut that invests in growth-stage companies and entrepreneurs focused on technology and innovation.

With experience as a strategy consultant in the United States, she joined her family business, Depa, in 2005. Scaling the business tenfold in three years, Noor led the initial public offering of the company, which became the first private firm to list its shares on the NASDAQ Dubai as well as the London Stock Exchange. She is also an active angel investor and mentor in the region, and her dedication to creating social impact has led her to teach at Zayed University and INSEAD.

Why is it important for companies to invest specifically in women’s leadership?

“Companies need to consider all their stakeholders when identifying priorities and strategies. These stakeholders include the financial shareholders, the community and the employees. In each of these instances, the stakeholders are better served when there are women in leadership positions specifically, a minimum of 30 per cent of board and management positions.

“From a financial perspective, companies with a minimum of 30 per cent in these positions outperform their peers with a 45 per cent higher return on equity, based on a 2013 study by the McKinsey Global Institute.

“From a community perspective, women raise and address issues that affect the greater community and population more frequently than men do, bringing a broader perspective of the company’s impact to management and leadership.

“As far as employees and people-matters are concerned, women address issues relating to this field in a more diplomatic approach than men, keeping the wider employee base in mind even when addressing specific matters, and ultimately increasing employee engagement and performance.