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21 Emirati woman achievers profiled in coffee-table book

The 184-page coffee-table book in English has been published by Xponent Media, the UAE-based publishing company.

Meraj Rizvi, Faridah Ajmal, patron and advisor, Emirati Women Achievers; Abdul Rahman Al Ghurair and Mirza Al Sayegh at the  book launch on Sunday. — Photo by Mohammad Mustafa Khan

Dubai - A book containing stories of 21 successful local ladies called Emirati Women Achievers was released at Le Meriden Hotel in Dubai on Sunday evening. The 184-page coffee-table book in English has been published by Xponent Media, the UAE-based publishing company which has previously published the titles Pacesetters, Pacesetters 2 and Gen Next Indians.

The woman behind the book, Meraj Rizvi, managing editor, Xponent Media, said Emirati Women Achievers project took more than six months to complete.

Rizvi said: “The book costs Dh300 but is not yet in the bookstores. That will take about a month or so.” It can be ordered online directly from the publishers by email: meraj@xponentmedia.com.  Among the 21 women featured, eight were present at the book launch. Most of the women celebrated are CEOs, founders or chairpersons of businesses. One of the more unusual professions taken up by women featured in the book is that of endurance rider and trainer Layla Al Redha, who with her fiancé, Saud Hareb, was present at the event. Al Redha told Khaleej Times that she has 22 horses and tries to ride everyday. She said she considers herself very fortunate to have been able to represent the country as a junior twice.

Another achiever is Amna Al Haddad, who is a weightlifter but she couldn’t make it to the event as she was travelling. Somewhat media shy, Dr Habiba Alsafar, Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa  University of Science, Technology and Research, was present with her sister Taiba Al Safar. Emirati achievers who were featured in the book attended the ceremony, along with family, friends and colleagues. Mirza Al Sayegh Director of the Private Office of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, presented tokens of appreciation to achievers.

The guest list included dignitaries, businessmen and government officials. Mirza Al Sayegh, Director of the Private Office of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Minister of Finance and Deputy Ruler of Dubai, who released the book, remarked: “The presence of Emirati women in every business domain and their excellence speak volumes about the encouragement and support that the UAE leadership has been giving to the women in the country.”

Faridah F Ajmal, patron and advisor, Emirati Women Achievers, said: “The UAE’s experiment in empowering women has emerged as a shining model for many other countries and I hope that other societies follow the example of the UAE and incorporate women into key positions in the economy”.

reporters@khaleejtimes.com

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