Daring to dream, achieve and strive for what has never done before, these ladies (in no particular order) are exemplary, showing an entire generation of women that nothing is impossible.
1. Queen Rania Al-Abdullah – Queen Consort of Jordan
Stranger to none, Queen Rania is royalty in more ways than one. From launching multiple foundations such as The Queen Rania Foundation for Education and Development and Madrasti, to raising awareness about vaccine inequity–Queen Rania has long been at the forefront, working hard to make change happen.
What’s more, is that she has also created counselling centres for child abuse and founded the Arab Sustainability Leadership Group to create a more sustainable future for the Arab World.
2. Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi – The First Woman To Hold A Ministerial Position In The UAE
The first ever female minister in the UAE, Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna has held numerous posts within the government: Minister of State for Tolerance, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Minister of Economic and Planning of the United Arab Emirates. She was also ranked the 36th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.
3. Huda Kattan – Founder of Huda Beauty and Wishful Skin
Household name and beauty guru to the masses, Huda Kattan is a pioneer in the field of beauty. She started beauty blogging in 2010 and shortly after, she launched the world-renowned Huda Beauty in 2013. From studying finance in university to becoming a makeup mogul with her very own empire–Huda’s dizzying rise to the top is the stuff dreams are made of.
With a whopping 47.8 million followers on Huda Beauty’s Instagram alone, it’s no secret that Huda has managed to garner quite the loyal fan following, including us!
4. Nancy Ajram – Singer, Businesswoman and TV Show Judge
A woman of many talents, Nancy Ajram is one of the best-selling Middle Eastern female singers of the last few decades. Aside from selling over 30 million records in her career, Nancy has gone on to be a judge on the world-famous The Voice Kids: Ahla Sawt since 2016.
But that’s not all, Nancy is also a philanthropist and has partaken in humanitarian work, leading her to become UNICEF’s first female regional ambassador for the MENA region in 2009.
5. Joumana Haddad – Author, Journalist and Women’s Rights Activist
Named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in the Arab World by Arabian Business, the Lebanese powerhouse is an award-winning poet, bestselling author and actress. She also presided over the Arabian Booker Prize (Arab Literary Prize) from 2007 to 2011 and founded the quarterly Arabic language publication, Jasad magazine.
6. Alia Al Mansoori – Aspiring Scientist and Astronaut
At just 18-years-old, Alia Al Mansoori, our September cover star, has soared to heights most people only dream of. She is the brains behind Emirati Astronaut, which is a platform that allows for dialogue between aspiring astronauts and veterans of space flight–talk about innovative. Alia has also become the youngest person ever to be appointed Scientific Research Fellow at New York University Abu Dhabi.
7. Balqees Fathi – Singer
Close to 11 million followers on Instagram, it’s no surprise Balqees Fathi was named in the Forbes’ Arab 30 under 30 list. As someone who has been in the industry for a decade, Balqees has several successful albums and made huge strides in the music industry, such as performing at the first female-only concert in Saudi Arabia.
8. Nayla Al Khaja – The UAE’s First Film Producer and Director
Nayla Al Khaja has received numerous awards for directing off-the-table films and became the first woman to have founded her own production company in UAE, D-Seven Motion Pictures. Her film Arabana, about child abuse, was released at DIFF in 2007 to great acclaim. She was named the Best Emirati Filmmaker that year as well. The pilot of her first feature film, Animal, won the Jury’s Prize for Best Short Fiction at the Italian Movie Award in Pompeii.
9. Joelle Mardinian – Television Personality and Beauty Magnate
From make-up artist to the purveyor of a global beauty empire, Joelle Mardinian’s rise to the top is as inspirational as it gets. Her makeover show on MBC, the Joelle Show, made her realise the enormous potential of the beauty industry in the region. She now owns beauty clinics (Clinica Joelle), beauty centers (Maison de Joelle) and a line of beauty products under the umbrella ‘Joelle Paris’, and has a whopping 7 million followers in Instagram.
10. Fatima Al Jaber – The COO of Al Jaber Group
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Fatima Al Jaber is the COO of U.A.E.’s construction company Al Jaber Group and the first Emirati woman to be a part of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce. Forbes magazine also ranked her in world’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women.
11. Najwa Karam – Multi-platinum Recording Artist
With over 60 million albums sold worldwide, 52-year-old Lebanese musical legend Najwa Karam’s soaring vocals have captured the hearts of a generation. Also a judge for five seasons of Arab’s Got Talent, Najwa was named number 5 on 2017’s Forbe‘s list of the Top 100 Arab Celebrities, and has a social media following of almost 28 million.
12. Zahra Lari – The First Emirati Hijabi Figure Skater To Compete Internationally
Zahra Lari has opened a door to countless Arab women who dream of excelling in unconventional careers. The talented athlete is the first hijabi pro figure skater from the UAE representing the country internationally. She was recently featured in the Nike pro-hijab campaign and is an inspiration to a generation of aspiring Arab athletes.
13. Ingie Chalhoub – Fashion Magnate
Style ambassador, business powerhouse and fashion icon, Inge has firmly established The Etoile Group as the leading lifestyle fashion purveyor in the region. After opening the first ever Chanel boutique in the Middle East in 1983, she went on to launch numerous other fashion houses in the region, including TOD’s, Hogan, Valentino and John Galliano, amongst others. Ingie also sits on the board of Dubai International Fashion Week and has been ranked 85th in Arabian Business’ list of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Women.
14. Mthayel Al Ali – Social Media Influencer and Entrepreneur
Arguably one of the first Emirati women on social media over a decade ago, Mthayel has been in the spotlight for a long time. What started out as a way for her to share her outfits and express herself on Instagram, soon grew into a platform where she influences over 700 thousand followers. As a self-described ‘cloud walker’, it’s obvious that the sky is the limit for Mthayel. Her passion and creativity has allowed her to found Takhayyal, a content creation and social media consulting firm. For our Arabic speakers, make sure to check out her podcast Ara – أرى on Spotify.