“Amid regional uncertainty, women leaders from the Women Board of Directors’ network deliver an IWD message: “We choose each other”
WBD Staff Report
Let’s name what everyone is feeling: the world feels heavy.
Geopolitical tremors. Economic uncertainty. A creeping cynicism that whispers, “Does any of this really matter?” Scroll through any feed and you will find reasons to despair: leaders who disappoint, systems that creak, divisions that deepen.
And yet.
Here we are. On International Women’s Day. Still standing. Still showing up. Still choosing to lead.Because if there is one thing women know, it is this: leadership is not a solo sport. Real leadership is woven in community. It is forged in the quiet moments when one woman reaches out to another and says, “I see you. I’ve been there. Keep going.”
This International Women’s Day, we refuse to let cynicism win. But because solidarity is stronger than despair. Because when women stand together, we shape what comes next.
The voices that follow are dispatches from the frontlines of leadership, from women who have learned that leadership is only a role until someone fills it with courage.
May their words remind you: you are not alone. You never were. And the work you do matters more than you know.
Poonam Chawla
Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Women Board of Directors
“On International Women’s Day, we often celebrate individual achievements: the first woman to chair a board, the youngest woman to lead a committee, a woman who is a startup founder in a male-dominated sector… But achievement, I have learned, is not a solo sport. Behind every woman who leads with courage is a network that sharpened her, steadied her, and reminded her she was never alone.”
Sanaa Ouahmane
CEO, AW Rostamani Mobility & Trading
“A board seat is not symbolic. It carries responsibility for decisions that shape businesses, industries, and the communities they serve. Every time we lead with conviction, make difficult decisions, and challenge conventional thinking, we strengthen the institutions we are entrusted to guide. Progress happens when leadership reflects capability and perspective. The goal is simple: build organisations where the next generation steps forward through stronger systems, not through barriers being forced aside.”
Sherifa Hady
VP, WW Commercial & SMB Sales, HPE Networking:
“In boardrooms today, we rush to solutions. But great leadership starts with sitting still long enough to understand. Empathy is not a detour. It is the shortest path to impact. This International Women’s Day, I honour the women who led not by commanding rooms — but by first understanding the people in them.”
Suad Merchant
Chief Marketing Officer , GEMS EDUCATION
When I think about women and leadership, my mind often goes to my grandmother’s generation. They did not sit on corporate boards or lead organisations, but they led households, raised families, preserved traditions, and navigated complex social dynamics with quiet strength and authority. I see that same strength in my mother. She navigated family business dynamics, managed finances, and carried responsibility with resilience… Her leadership was never defined by a title, but by the strength with which she held everything together. Today, the conversation around women and leadership is often framed as a comparison, whether women can perform head-to-head or stand alongside men in the same arenas. But perhaps that framing itself is part of the stigma that still remains. Leadership should not be about proving equivalence. It should be about recognising capability in its own right.
Noor Salman
Vice President, Cargo Business Support, dnata
“Being an ambassador for other women is not glamorous. It is the quiet labour of making introductions, sharing credit, speaking up when she is not in the room, and stepping back so she can step forward. It is knowing that your legacy will not be measured by the titles you collected; rather, it will be measured by the women who collect titles because you cleared the path.”
Dr Royal Khosana
Business consultant, executive advisor, and CEO of Royance Services
“You do not always know who is watching. The way you handle that difficult meeting, the grace with which you disagree, the dignity in your silence — someone is filing it away as proof that it can be done. Being a role model is not about performing leadership. It is about leading so authentically that you become a quiet permission slip for every woman watching from the wings.”
Lajitha Abdul Majeed Said
Head of Human Resources ,Burns and Wilcox Insurance Brokers LLC
The most powerful women in governance aren’t the ones who simply arrive. They are the ones who look back, see the gap, and quietly build a bridge. But here is the secret: they build it with a network — a sisterhood of women who hand them materials, hold the ropes, and then cross behind them, ready to build the next bridge… That is legacy
