One of Platform 09’s key aims is to empower woman, when was the last time you felt empowered? I am most empowered when
I am empowering others. At the opening of Platform 09 every year, I take a tour to meet and greet our exhibitors, this is probably my favourite part of Platform 09. Meeting these women, being present with them gives me unlimited energy. Their passion, determination and persistence is remarkable, very inspiring and empowering.
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What does female empowerment mean today and what can we do more to support one another more? I think female empowerment
has definitely evolved in the last 10 years. The conversations we are now having are about the support we receive from the male community. Women have been supporting each other emotionally, physically and intellectually forever, but now we are beginning to understand that men can choose to play an important role in supporting and sustaining equality. There is a significant awareness in this generation that the mindset of equality comes from education, both at home and at school. I believe this is where
the women empowerment movement is most dynamic at this present time. Each year, the exhibition draws attention to a different local charity, which charity has been chosen this time? I strongly believe that
supporting charity is a patriotic duty and its every person’s obligation to contribute, but to also raise awareness and create a stable and safe atmosphere for these charities to grow and expand their activities. For six years we have supported and focused our time and effort to shed light on and raise awareness on a variety of charities and causes. The charity we have nominated this year is our Zero Nine Tribe. It is because of them we have managed to support various charities in the past, and therefore we are offering complimentary entry for everyone. With 90 female Arab designers, artists and entrepreneurs participating in the event, is this a sign that the position of Arab women in business is only going to grow? Absolutely, I
certainly hope so! Each year the diversity in the demographics of our exhibitors expands. We have all ages represented, multiple Arab nationalities and lifestyles. It is important
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to acknowledge the strength of this region, it has so much potential, I truly believe that this positive growth will lead to a bright promising future. What have you learnt about yourself since Platform 09 launched?
Oh, so much more than even I could ever imagine. This experience has helped me find my place as a leader and as a beacon showing the way for my community, which in turn helped me understand the importance of my role. I am grateful that I have this incredible opportunity and I am constantly in awe of the strength and potential of Arab women. But most importantly, I have learned that passion can transform anyone into an energetic force. How do you hope to evolved Platform 09 in the future? I look forward to expanding our
tribe and our message and vision to the Arab region. In doing so, I hope to inspire the entire community to support, encourage, share knowledge with and celebrate each other. I would like to invite all of our community to join our annual celebration of women and their success.
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