The Qatar Professional Women’s Network was founded two years ago and since then it has become an informal networking group of over 2,500 Qatari and expatriate professional women.
By Isabel Ovalle
Two years ago, 20 professional women got together around the dinner table to talk business. After careful consideration they agreed that Qatar needed a platform for working women to network and be heard. The Qatar Professional Women’s Network (QPWN) was founded that evening and since then it has become an informal networking group of over 2,500 Qatari and expatriate professional women.
In September 2012, Melissa Mitchell took over as QPWN leader. She is the director of Human Resources at the American School of Doha, has over two decades of experience in her field and has lived in Qatar for 12 years. Mitchell talked to The Peninsula about her life in Doha and the work of QPWN. Since her move to Qatar she has seen all industries “spring up from the ground” and she feels “very lucky” to be here because “sky is the limit, it’s a great opportunity to work in a country that is so progressive and has an economy that is in such an incredible condition compared to others”.
The leader of QPWN reminisced about her years in Doha that have led her to declare, without a doubt, that “what is happening here is phenomenal, in the early years there were women working in education and healthcare, some of the more traditional areas for women, but now we can see them, across industries, finance, business, in the fine arts, almost any role, every industry is booming”. Mitchell added that “the core value of this network comes from all the nationalities it includes, I might not have all the answers, but when we come together as a team, we do”.
Carolin Zeitler, founder and director of Arcata Interactive Communication Coaching, coach and columnist, is also a founding member of QPWN and creator of How Women Work Conference as well. She moved to Doha five years ago, back then the atmosphere was already welcoming, “I felt very comfortable, but there were very little offers for professional women, if your company doesn’t offer it, it is a challenge to get professional development”. Whilst looking for women with similar interests and ambitions she met Christina Zini, ideologue of QPWN, and other professionals in her situation.
Zeitler added that “what has kept all of us going is that the founder was always very inclusive and co-creative and listened to what everyone had to say, something very significant in this environment where a lot people feel disempowered and that they cannot be heard. I think it is nice to have an environment where you can share your ideas, because women don’t have a lot of opportunities to be heard like this”, she insisted.
When questioned about the possible challenges for a working woman in Doha, the founder of How Women Work clarified that Qatar is an exception in the region because of the strong leadership of H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, “she has done so much for the women here and has made people aware of how important it is to empower the women”. From this point of view, she added that “Qatarization is a big goal, and if they want to Qatarize they have to use women, the Qatari population is very small, you have to use your resources”.
QPWN has a nontraditional policy of charging no fees and keeping the amount to be paid to the minimum when they organize events. They aim to give women the tools to do what they want to do, with a clear and encouraging slogan: “Dream big”. Ultimately, they work like gold miners to find the “very best in every woman” that approaches the organization. To achieve this goal, they organize activities such as conferences, panels and monthly networking events. In 2011 they put together more than 30 events and in 2012 this figure will increase. The 19th of November they will host, together with Young Professionals Qatar Society of Petroleum Engineers, the Women in Oil & Gas Panel Discussion that will take place in the Diplomatic Club, in the West Bay.
QPWN will launch the Circle of Pearl this year for the second time, a mentor programme for students and potential entrepreneurs. The first edition was only open for students who were studying in Qatar and served as mentees to professional business women who had been working in Doha for some time and played the part of mentors. This cycle started in November 2011 and concluded in May 2012 with the participation of two Qataris and four expatriates as mentors. The applications for the second edition are already available online at the QPWN website andthey should be submitted before October 22.
The QPWN Core Planning Team consists of about 20 Qatari and expat professional women, most of whom work full-time jobs in addition to volunteering their time and talents to QPWN.
In its statement of intent, the organization clarifies that it is open to any woman not considering profession, age, or educational background, including students, freelancers and part-time workers. They can be found through their website and are present also on Linkedin and social networks, like Facebook.
The Peninsula
