Who says it’s a man’s world?

After graduating in Computer Engineering from Kuwait University, Aysha Al-Shriem, a Qatari national, realised her future lay in Human Resources. Five years on, she is now Head of HR at Standard Chartered Bank in Qatar. Here, she reflects on her own career path, and what it means to be a working mother and a woman in business in the Middle East.

From an early age, I was always encouraged to enjoy learning. In fact, many of my family had studied abroad in places such as Lebanon, America, the UK and Egypt. So it seemed perfectly natural for me to move to Kuwait to study. I had originally planned to pursue a career in IT. But although I enjoyed the course, it became apparent, as I got to know myself better, that I wanted to spend more time with people and less time with machines.

In 2006, I joined the HR department of Qatargas – the world’s largest liquefied natural gas company – where I stayed for three years. As well as learning a great deal about HR and ‘Qatarisation’ (a Government-backed programme to equip Qatari nationals with the right professional skills and experience), I also took on quite a lot of responsibility for the IT in the department. In 2009, I joined the Qatar Financial Centre Authority, and after five months was promoted to HR Manager.

From there I moved to Standard Chartered Bank. That was five months ago, so I’m still finding my feet but greatly enjoying it. I relish being able to engage emotionally with the people around me, which is really what HR is all about. It’s a multi-cultural environment in our office, and if I look around me I can see men and women from Qatar, Europe, Asia and the US.

I have two young children, so like any working mother anywhere, juggling family and my job can be quite challenging – especially as I’m now also studying for an EMBA. This means flying to Cass Business School in Dubai once a month for four days. My Grandmother was right when she said, “You can't have it all at the same time”, but thanks to a supportive husband and family we just about manage.

For women working in Qatar, it typically takes 10-15 years to become a manager – regardless of your skills or experience. That’s because the number of years of experience matters in the business culture of Qatar. But things have changed dramatically in recent decades – particularly the last ten years. His Highness the Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza have done much to champion education and opportunities for all in Qatar. In fact, I’d say Qatar is showing the rest of the Gulf the way forward in this respect.

Of course, there’s always more to be done to change the attitudes of Qatari society towards women in the workplace. You can still feel a cultural awkwardness sometimes, but it’s important you don’t let it affect your ability to do your job.

I was asked recently how I’ve managed to reach my current position after just five years. All I can say is that if you believe in something enough, you’ll find a way. In fact, my advice to all working women ­– whether in Qatar, the other Gulf states, or elsewhere in the world – is just ‘go for it’. Set your sights on something you really enjoy and believe in, and if you’re daring and courageous it’s amazing what you can achieve. And perhaps more importantly, what you can discover about yourself along the way.

Aysha is a first-year student on the Executive MBA programme in Dubai