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DUBAI: Emotional intelligence along with the smartness to deal with situations diplomatically is necessary for women to succeed in the business sector, according to Samia El Kadiri, adviser & head of research, governance & compliance at Hawkama Institute for Corporate Governance. 

In an exclusive interview with Arab News, on the sidelines of the Arab Women Forum in Dubai on May 17, Samia El Kadiri said that women should believe in their potential and should put in the right efforts to become successful in the business sector. 

“I have three key advice to the future generation of women; first, they need to believe in their potential. Second, they need to put in the right efforts. It’s not always necessary to put more effort, just the right effort, and be consistent with those efforts,” El Kadiri told Arab News. 

According to El Kadiri, the general scenario has changed now, and so many women have proved themselves successful in various industries. 

“It is not like before. Today, women have proven themselves that they can be successful leaders in so many industries, both in the private and government sectors. Today in the UAE, we have two-thirds of women holding senior leadership positions in the government sectors. Also, we have 50 percent of women in the corporate sector equal to men,” she added. 

El Kadiri also made it clear that Hawkamah does not have any plans to expand globally. 

“There are no expansion plans because our head office is [in] the UAE and we are 100 percent owned by the government. So currently, there is no plan for expansion. We’re just dealing with the projects from Dubai,” she stated.