Women leading tech firms set to rise, says Intel official

Women are either starting their own tech firms or leading them and this trend is poised to bring in fundamental change both locally and globally, said Dalia Kamel, regional communications manager, Middle East, Turkey & Africa, and Spain at Intel Corporation.

“With more women than ever now working in the technology sector, we can see a new generation of confident, talented young females transforming and at a time even leading the industry. However, this is not the time to self-congratulate; while much progress has certainly been made regionally in recent years, we still have a long way to go, said Kamel.

Digitalisation has become the focal point for businesses and industries globally as increasingly more companies rely on technology in this mid- to post-pandemic era. The result is an upsurge of tech-dominant roles such as data scientists, cyber security specialists, and even back-end developers. The plethora of these roles has opened ample opportunities for females to become an intrinsic part of this rapidly growing sector.

Looking at this growing demand and the associated opportunities, upskilling is imperative. It enables women to develop role-specific skills, lead on relevant projects, and ensure employability in a rapidly evolving job market. We women must take advantage of these opportunities in the digital space.

Kamel received a Bachelor in Business Administration before starting her professional journey as a business development and content acquisition manager with a leading technology company, where she managed multi-million-dollar contracts in the Middle East and Africa.

“I am a person who likes to always be learning, so I navigated my way through various positions across a range of companies enhancing my skill set and building my reputation. In 2011, I started working with Intel to revitalise the brand’s relevancy in the region, underlining its importance and making Intel one of the top three companies in the Gulf,” said Kamel.

“Over the years, my scope has increased to manage additional markets and today I am responsible for a team of communication specialists across the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, implementing strategies that help shape Intel’s reputation in the region.”

For Intel, diversity and inclusion are key to innovation and the company is 100 per cent committed to advancing D&I at every level in the company. It is foundational to the business and it purpose, in part because of what we have just discussed regarding skilled workers – gender, race, et al should not come into it. Kamel’s role as the regional communications manager for META includes helping to deliver and shape the company’s goals and objectives in this regard across various markets.

“Along with my team, I strive to provide opportunities — and, importantly, challenges — for everyone, and in doing so believe this will lead to teams that thrive. Providing equal opportunities to all, be it through training and development programmes or simply by treating people in an egalitarian manner, is the surest road to success,” concluded Kamel.  — sandhya@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai