Female chief executives from around the world have urged women to dream big and keep innovating to build successful businesses.
Female founders discussed the challenges women face in business at the Forbes 30/50 summit in Abu Dhabi this week.
The four-day conference, which started on Tuesday, attracted female entrepreneurs from more than 30 countries across the business, creative and non-government sectors.
Being an entrepreneur is harder than running Merrill Lynch, and I would know
Sallie Krawcheck,
founder and chief executive of Ellevest
Speaking at the On Top Of Your Game session at the conference, Wall Street veteran Sallie Krawcheck said entrepreneurs must identify a specific issue that needed to be addressed before setting up a company.
“Being an entrepreneur is harder than running Merrill Lynch, and I would know. It is ridiculously difficult,” said Ms Krawcheck, who led US wealth management company and Citi Private Bank before setting up Ellevest, a digital investment advisory firm for women in 2016.
“Every day is harder than the day before for different reasons. There is a reason why 90 per cent of start-ups fail,” she said.
“I would only do it if you see a problem that needs to be solved and you absolutely have to solve it.”
Stand out and play big
Ms Krawcheck, who is a powerful voice in the US financial investment sector, urged women to stand out and not rein in their ambitions.
“It's a decision I made at a point in my career which is that I wanted to play big, and in order to play big, I was going to have to stand out,” she said.
“I saw the women who came before me on Wall Street who didn't make it to the top and I thought if I try to stay in the pack and play safe, I'm not going to make it.
“Big calls on big stocks, seeing the things that no one else sees and make the big calls – that is what we are doing.”
Samia Bouazza, group chief executive of investment firm Multiply Group, said constantly adapting to change was key.
“I still go to work and every day I think that's just the beginning,” said Ms Bouazza, who founded the firm in 2003 and became the first woman to take a company public on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange in 2021.
“You have that bold vision when you start and the trajectory for growth can happen very fast.
“But later you still have to create growth for your shareholders, you still have to innovate, you still have to bring new things to the table.”
She said her team was driven by the mindset “the best is yet to come”.
For women who want to take their company public, she advised outlining well-defined goals.
“I highly advise you to visualise why you want to go public,” Ms Bouazza said.
“What is it you can bring to the shareholder who is putting his or her money in you instead of a bank?
“What is the next step after you IPO, what do you do when you raise money?
“Do you use it to fuel more growth? You need to have a good plan that you lay out in your prospectus and really execute what you told your shareholders you would set out to do.”
Pushing past setbacks
Both women said overcoming disappointment and failure was important.
"From the beginning your mindset should not be to expect that anything is going to be a straight line,” Ms Bouazza said.
“Success is not that you do things right and you wake up one day and, bingo, you are so successful.
“There are so many ups and downs, so many setbacks, you need to be ready.”
Ms Bouazza said women need to know the fights worth fighting and the sacrifices necessary.
Ms Krawcheck said strenuous exercise helped power her through “depressing winter months” in New York and she tried never to let negative criticism bring her down.
“For my mental health, I focus on the things that are important and not on what I cannot control and to grow very thick skin,” she said.
“As much as slings and arrows can hurt, you need to let that go and keep the attention where it should be.”
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
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
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The years Ramadan fell in May
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Results
57kg quarter-finals
Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) beat Hamed Al Matari (YEM) by points 3-0.
60kg quarter-finals
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) RSC round 2.
63.5kg quarter-finals
Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Shamlan A Othman (KUW) by points 3-0.
67kg quarter-finals
Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Ahmad Ondash (LBN) by points 2-1.
71kg quarter-finals
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) defeated Lalthasanga Lelhchhun (IND) by points 3-0.
Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Seyed Kaveh Safakhaneh (IRI) by points 3-0.
81kg quarter-finals
Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Ahmad Hilal (PLE) by points 3-0
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
