Shujaa’ah: Bold Leadership for Women of the Middle East

Annabel Harper has been coaching women in the Middle East for more than 10 years. In this vibrant, energetic, and engaging culture which she loves, she has continued to find it puzzling that aspiring women leaders in the region are finding it difficult to move into leadership roles. Statistically they are more likely to go into tertiary education and yet are being overtaken in the promotion rounds by their male colleagues.

Annabel’s curiosity to understand the reasons behind this gap led her to undertake an MA in Middle Eastern Studies at King’s College, London in 2017. It was an opportunity to learn more about the culture, the Arab people and their history. Annabel’s dissertation research focused on the impact of UAE government initiatives for women, what might be holding them back in career progression, and whether it was more than simply the challenges that many women face around the world. She concluded that the complex culture did have a part to play, that there was more that organisations could do to support women, and women could be more proactive to help themselves.

Her new book, “Shujaa’ah: Bold Leadership for Women of the Middle East” builds on this earlier research. In Arabic, shujaa’ah means ‘bold’. Annabel has expanded her focus to the whole of the Middle East. Using Arab women’s voices throughout her book, Annabel compares and contrasts what is happening now across the region in terms of gender equality. Although there have been some successes in the past three years, there is some way to go. She also analyses the bigger picture for women’s leadership globally.

Using her extensive international experience, the book explores the meaning of leadership, what women can do for themselves to achieve their ambitions and the organisational imperative to drive internal conversations with women and men about diversity and inclusion. This enables everyone to understand different perspectives, reveal unconscious biases, and uncover assumptions and beliefs which might be getting in the way. By being bolder, using their incredible talent and asking for more inclusivity, women can take advantage of the exciting new opportunities that are opening up in the Middle East.

Maha Bin Hendi, Founder and Managing Partner, Maha Bin Hendi Law Firm says “Shujaa’ah clarifies the meaning of ‘leadership’ more generally and for the women in the Arab world more specifically. This book is a must-read for women in leadership”.

Ghaleb Darabya, Mason Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School describes the book as ‘thoughtful’ and says, “Annabel helped me challenge my own long-held unconscious bias towards gender inequality in the Arab world. Enlightening read for men.”

The book became a best-seller shortly after publication and since then, Annabel has had the privilege of connecting with many more women in the Middle East and beyond to continue these important conversations. She has been invited to be a conference speaker, attend panels about women’s leadership and is presenting at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair at the end of May.

Earlier in her career, Annabel was a journalist at ITN, Channel Four News and the BBC. She has always been curious about society and the impact of organisational culture on relationships at work. Her international leadership coaching, facilitation and training ensures she continues to learn about leadership through her Executive Education coaching at London Business School where she is a Lead Coach and Facilitator. Annabel works with a range of global industry sectors including professional services, government, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing and utilities, including Nestlé, the NHS, Rio Tinto, Smart Energy GB, OFCOM and government sectors in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In addition, Annabel tutors on the Diploma in Coaching at Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education.

Annabel is the founder of Change Connections Ltd www.changeconnections.com and has featured in many publications including Edge ILM, We Are The City, Ambition Magazine, Training Journal, HR Zone, Medium, Thrive Global.

Shujaa’ah: Bold Leadership for Women of the Middle East (Published by Panoma Press) is available to buy on Amazon. 

Connect with Annabel: LinkedIn – Twitter – Instagram

Winners of The Business Book Awards 2021 will be revealed online on Tuesday 25th May 2021.