What is influence?
The Oxford Language dictionary reliably informs me that influence is the capacity to have an effect on the character, development or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself. I’d add to that the ability to challenge or change opinion, and to minus, or at least to stick a pin in the idea that an influencer is solely someone with a huge following on social media. While I may be showing my age by focussing on Instagram (and do head over to @ceomiddleeast and give us a follow if you haven’t already) the sheer array of platforms available today to individual entities has levelled the potential playing field for ‘influence’ like never before.
TikTok for Business is making waves amongst businesses with its Arab-focused capabilities, while Clubhouse offers a refreshing antidote to visual glibness with ‘rooms’ that give space and audience to individuals with authentic knowledge of their respective industries. Influence has become something of a loaded word, but it is still the word I would have chosen to title our 2021 list celebrating preeminent women in the Arab world.
Though quite a few of them aren’t even on Instagram, the women in this year’s list have influenced the business landscape, their societies and communities and even the culture of their countries.
They stand for gender parity, for equality in the workplace and in society – they are ambassadors and campaigners even before they sit down to do their high-powered, demanding ‘day job’. I’m in awe of their achievements, their humility and the qualities that they bring to the table. They lead with vision and they lead by example, and through their collective achievements they continue to forge a path for the women who will follow in their footsteps.
Despite much being done in this country to engage more women into senior roles, the private sector still lags, as it does elsewhere in the world, when it comes to equality. It says a lot that leaders who happen to be women still frequently find their job title prefaced with ‘female’.
The work isn’t finished, which is why we will continue to devote editions to championing women of achievement. I hope one day it isn’t remotely noteworthy that a woman is a CEO; I’ll be the first to honour male and female leaders in equal numbers in a new list.