Outdated and harmful stereotypes of meek and oppressed Arab women still prevail in Western media. Today, women are 49.7% of about 345.5 million people in the Middle East and North Africa region. Some in the West think of these women as zipped up in a tent in the desert, probably beaten up by their husbands; a stereotype many of today’s Arab women fight and prove wrong. Yes, there are still many barriers remaining in the way of closing the gender gap in the Arab world. Yet, despite these faulty notions about who and what they are, Arab women continue to defy expectations and make inroads in the worlds of business, politics, finance, diplomacy, and tech. Arab women are entrepreneurs, leaders, activists, educators, Nobel Prize winners, and much more. They are reshaping their societies and building a better road to gender equality and girl empowerment for generations to come.
Among the most powerful businesswomen in the Middle East is Hana Al Rostamani, a UAE native and mother of three. She is the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the United Arab Emirates’s largest bank and one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions, with over USD 300 billion in total assets. Recognized for being a change leader, focused on embedding a culture driven by innovation, diversity, and inclusion, Hana is the first female CEO of a UAE-based bank.
With more than 25 years of experience in banking and financial services, Hana brings solid industry experience to the Group. Prior to being named GCEO in January 2021, she was Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer and Group Head of Personal Banking at FAB, responsible for leading the transformation of FAB’s consumer bank, instilling a customer and digital-first mindset.
Prior to joining FAB, Hana held various roles in increasing domestic and international accountabilities at First Gulf Bank, Citibank, and AW Rostamani Group. She is currently Chair of the Global Council on the Sustainable Development Goals, with a key interest in development goal 7, ‘Affordable and Clean Energy.’ Moreover, she is a Board member of several entities, including Buna, the Arab Monetary Fund’s cross-border payment system aimed at strengthening investment ties among Arab economies; the Institute of International Finance (IIF), the financial industry’s global association; the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), a renowned academic institution consistently ranked among the leading management and executive education centers globally; and the Executive Board of the US-UAE Business Council.
Concerning her academic background, she is a graduate of George Washington University in the United States, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Science in Information Management. Hana’s most recent accolade includes her first-place ranking in Forbes Middle East’s list of the region’s most powerful businesswomen
As the first female CEO in the history of First Abu Dhabi Bank, her appointment as female chief executive sends a strong signal about women taking on key roles in business, especially when being entrusted by the leadership to manage such a big bank that is essential to the Abu Dhabi and UAE economy.
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