Dubai resident who quit banking career for climbing scales Mount Everest

A Dubai resident has reached the summit of Mount Everest, little more than a year after quitting her day job as a banker to concentrate on climbing.

Naila Kiani, 37, scaled the world’s highest mountain on Sunday.

She is understood to be only the second Pakistani woman to reach Everest’s peak, which stands at 8,849 metres, following in the footsteps of Samina Baig who scaled the summit in 2013.

Ms Kiani has now conquered five of the world’s highest mountains in only two years.

“This is a dream come true for me and I am grateful for the support and encouragement of my family, friends, mountaineering community and sponsors,” she said.

“I hope my achievement inspires more women to pursue their dreams and break down those barriers.”

She began her journey as a mountaineer in 2021, quitting her job as a banker in April last year to dedicate herself fully to climbing.

In that time, she has reached the summits of five of the world’s tallest mountains — including Gasherbrum II, Gasherbrum I, K2 and Annapurna.

She took up mountaineering seven months after giving birth to her second daughter.

Her campaign was sponsored by the Bilquis and Abdul Razak Dawood Foundation.

The organisation, based in Lahore, was set up to help provide opportunities for talented people to reach their potential.

“We extend our warmest congratulations to Naila Kiani, who has successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest,” the foundation wrote on its Instagram page.

“Naila's feat is an exemplar to Pakistani women and women everywhere, and we feel honoured to have played a part in assisting her achieve her dream.”

Before scaling Everest, she climbed to the peak of Annapurna in Nepal earlier this year.

She completed the task before returning to spend Eid with her family, then embarking on her quest to climb Everest.

Next, the mother of two is planning to take on the challenge of scaling Mount Lhotse, on the Nepal-Tibet border, the world’s fourth highest mountain.

She was not the first UAE-based woman to scale Everest. Only last year, The National reported how Nayla Al Baloushi became the first Emirati woman to reach the summit.

As fate would have it, Ms Kiani completed her conquest of Everest one year to the day after Ms Al Baloushi made the same climb.

In May 2019, two women living in Dubai both reached the summit of Everest within a day of each other. They were Fatima Deryan, from Lebanon, and Jordanian Dolores Al Shelleh.