As an entrepreneur, I have a number of role models I look up to — people who have shaped the way we live our lives today and conduct our business.
But nothing compares with how the UAE motivates me. So, when people ask me what inspires my entrepreneurship journey and what drives me, my answer remains constant: home.
Whenever I travel outside the UAE, I always come back to find new, positive changes in the country and hear of new success stories.
In short, the country never rests on its laurels. When people think that it’s crazy and can’t be done, the UAE proves otherwise — and often in record-breaking time frames.
Emirati women have played an active role in the country’s progress.
Women such as Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and Minister of State for Food Security, are leading the country's food security projects.
Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation, led Expo 2020 Dubai, which safely brought together more than 20 million people in a world struck by Covid-19.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, president of the International Publishers’ Association, is travelling the world and relentlessly supporting publishers worldwide.
Najla Al Midfa, chief executive of the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, provides support to small and medium enterprises and personally checks on entrepreneurs to see if they need any further support.
Fifty years ago, the role of Emirati women may have been limited to certain sectors, but today they prove that they can excel in any field.
Powerful Emirati women – in pictures
No matter their background or where they are in their careers, common threads bind them — perseverance and the drive to excel, to support others and to lead change.
This doesn’t come as a surprise. Historically, our women have always been active in their communities.
When the men were away, women hunted with falcons to secure food for their families and those who depended on them. They took care of business and kept accounts in check. They owned farms and were in charge of crops.
Women taught their peers and young children to read and write, while some even helped in legal disputes.
A conversation with an elderly woman from Abu Dhabi taught me that the old and new generations are not so different; what connects us all across time is our perseverance.
She told me how she had to take care of her husband’s business affairs after he passed away.
“I was in my early 20s. But I needed to do it for my children and for everyone who depended on my husband for their livelihood,” she said.
Not only was she able to manage her husband’s business, she also helped expand it. Today, her husband’s once-small company has clients from all across the Arab world.
If there is one thing I learnt in more than a decade of managing businesses and working with people from across the world, it is that our women have what it takes to not only participate in any project or work in any field, but also excel at it and become a beacon of hope to others.
Our women’s perseverance is ingrained in their genetic make-up. Historically, they survived harsh circumstances and today they have become inspirational stories and examples for other women to follow.
As we celebrate Emirati Women’s Day on August 28, there’s nothing more I look forward to than the new frontiers I am confident they will conquer.
Manar Al Hinai is an award-winning Emirati writer and communications consultant based in Abu Dhabi
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
More coverage from the Future Forum
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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