Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi
Meet five of the most powerful female movers and shakers in government positions.
Dr. Tamader Al-Rammah – Saudi Arabia
Dr Al Rammah is the Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development. Holding a PhD in Radiology and Medical Engineering from the University of Manchester's School of Medicine, she was previously Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Affairs for Saudization.
Al Rammah is the first woman to hold the post. However, the first woman to be appointed the role of a deputy minister in Saudi’s cabinet was Norah bint Abdallah Al Faiz, who became deputy minister of education and in charge of women’s affairs in 2009.
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi – U.A.E
She was formerly the Minister of International Cooperation and Development, and now the Minister of State for Tolerance of the UAE, Sheikha Al Qasimi was the first woman in the region to assume a cabinet position, when she was appointed Minister of Foreign Trade in 2004.
Al Qasimi has been leading the UAE’s philanthropic efforts and has more than tripled aid to foreign countries since 2012 and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from California State University in Chico and an executive MBA from the American University of Sharjah. One of the most powerful women in the UAE, she also contributes personally to charities, volunteers with Friends of Cancer Patients Society and serves on the board of the Dubai Autism Center.
Dalia Hazem Gamil Khorshid - Egypt
Dalia Hazem Gamil Khorshid is the first woman in Egypt to occupy the position of Minister of Investment. Appointed in early 2016, and succeeding previous minister, Ashraf Salman, she was put to the test immediately, as the government was scaling back investments during the country’s economic struggles. In June 2016, Khorshid announced the establishment of three new free trade zones.
Dalia began her career after having graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the American University of Cairo and went on to work for Egypt’s largest private sector bank, Commercial International Bank.
She then spent eight years at international bank, Citibank as a vice president in corporate finance and investment banking for the Middle East. Prior to gaining a position in government, she was group treasurer at Orascom Construction Industries.
Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari – Qatar
Before assuming her position in government in 2016, Hanan Al Kuwari made herself recognized as managing director of Hamad Medical Corporation, which is Qatar’s largest public hospital, where she helped transform the organization into a major academic medical center. She sits on the board of Sidra Medical and Research Center, the Joint Commission International, and the Institute of Global Health Innovation. She is also Chairwoman of Qatar Biobank, a medical research initiative.
Above all else, she is also a visiting professor at Imperial College London and holds a PhD in healthcare management from Brunel University in the U.K.
Eman Al Ghamidi – Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian woman, Eman bint Abdulla Al-Ghamdi became the first woman to hold a municipal position in the kingdom in mid-2017. She was appointed as Assistant Municipality Chairperson for Information Technology at the City of Khobar in the Saudi Eastern province as part of a plan to boost the number of females in leadership positions in line with Vision 2030. Ms Al-Ghamidi's appointment came just 24 hours after King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud issued a decree to end a ban on women driving.
