The UAE has become a hub for innovation, opportunity, and bold ideas, with women at the forefront of this transformation. From beauty and banking to education and technology, they are shaping industries, creating jobs, and inspiring the next generation of leaders. This article highlights 10 Female Entrepreneurs in UAE who are redefining success, each in their own unique way.
The 10 leading Female Entrepreneurs in UAE are:
Huda Kattan
Founder: Huda Beauty
Source: BBC
Huda Kattan moved to Los Angeles to study makeup after not having much success in her finance job. She even got to do makeup for celebrities like Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie. Afterwards, she returned to Dubai and joined as a makeup artist at Revlon. In 2010, she started a beauty blog and a YouTube channel named ‘Huda Beauty’ to post makeup tutorials and tips.
In 2013, Huda and her sister founded a cosmetics line called ‘Huda Beauty’, with a series of false eyelashes as her first product. They achieved success with sales of the false eyelashes, which were famously worn by Kim Kardashian. Eventually, the company began offering other beauty products, including eye shadow palettes, liquid lipsticks, lip liners, highlighter palettes, foundations, concealers, and many more.
Therefore, Forbes recognised her as one of the ten most powerful influencers in the world of beauty.
2. Mona Ataya
Founder & CEO: Mumzworld
Source: Arabian Business
Mona has worked in several multinationals before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey. She worked at Procter & Gamble and Johnson and Johnson. She started her entrepreneurial journey at Bayt, a leading job site in the Middle East and North Africa region, where she served as Vice President of Marketing.
Afterwards, while raising her 3 children, she found it hard to find the advice and the products she needed for her family. She took this challenge as a business opportunity and founded Mumzworld, an e-commerce website for mothers across the region. Today, with six funding rounds, great investors on board and a solid business plan, Mumzworld has become one of the first funded women-led e-commerce companies in the Middle East. Mona is recognised as a leader who empowers mothers and makes a difference to the community.
3. Raja Easa Al Gurg
Chairperson & MD: Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group
Source: About Her
Dr. Al Gurg holds a degree in English literature from Kuwait University. She serves as the honorary pro-chancellor at Heriot-Watt University in Dubai. Other significant positions she holds in the educational sector include the vice chairperson of the board of trustees at Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences and a member of the board of trustees at Ajman University.
She is the Deputy Chairperson of the Board of Governors at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, a member of the Board of Directors for Dubai Academic Health Corporation, and the Vice Chairperson of the University of Dubai.
She also contributes as a member of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Schools Establishment. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in economics at Queen’s University Belfast and also conferred the Doctor of Literature honour from Amity University, India.
In March 2020, the National Bank of Fujairah appointed Raja Easa Al Gurg as the deputy chairperson of its board. She is also on the advisory board of Coutts Bank, the wealth division of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group.
She founded the Dubai Businesswomen Council, which fosters the personal and professional development of businesswomen in Dubai. She is also a board member of the Dubai Women’s Association. She is also a member of the Family Business Advisory Committee, which oversees the work of the Dubai Centre for Family Businesses.
As a philanthropist and the chairperson of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Charity Foundation, Al Gurg serves as the chairperson of the Al Jalila Foundation, a non-profit organisation advancing medical education and research in the UAE. In December 2019, Raja Easa Al Gurg released her autobiography, entitled ‘Raja Al Gurg- An Autobiography.’ In 2023, she released her book, ‘The Power of Authenticity: Three Principles of Leadership Success’, in which she recounts the obstacles and triumphs she has faced during her career journey.
4. Hana Al Rostamani
CEO: First Abu Dhabi Bank
Source: Arabian Business
Hana has completed her Master’s in Information Management from George Washington University. Before joining First Abu Dhabi Bank [FAB], she worked at First Gulf Bank, Citibank and AW Rostamani Group.
She then joined FAB as Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer and Group Head of Personal Banking, where she was responsible for leading the transformation of FAB’s consumer bank, instilling a customer and digital-first mindset. In February 2021, she was promoted to Group Chief Executive Officer [GCEO] at the United Arab Emirates’ largest bank.
Today, with more than 25 years of experience in banking and financial services, Hana is recognised for being a change leader and the first female CEO in FAB’s history. She also chairs the Global Council on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Hana is a board member of several entities, including Buna, the Arab Monetary Fund’s cross-border payment system, the Institute of International Finance [IIF], the International Institute for Management Development [IMD], and the Executive Board of the US-UAE Business Council. She has also been recognised among Forbes Middle East’s list of the region’s most powerful businesswomen.
5. Shaikha Al-Bahar
Deputy Group CEO: National Bank of Kuwait
Source: Forbes Middle East
Before joining the National Bank of Kuwait in 2014, Al-Bahar was the CEO of NBK-Kuwait and held multiple executive positions at the group, where she played a significant role in the group’s expansion and contributed to more than 70% of the Group’s profits. In the early 1990s, she was involved in the Kuwait Investment Authority privatisation deals.
Al-Bahar also serves as director of Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, vice chairman of Watani Investment Company KSCC. She is also on the board of the International Bank of Qatar. Additionally, she served as a member of Kuwait’s Supreme Council for Planning and Development for the years 2017-2021.
Al-Bahar has been featured in various respectable rankings, including the world’s 100 Most Powerful Arab Women by Forbes Middle East and Arabian Business. She is also a major advocate of sustainability in business practices and is always a key sponsor of NBK’s initiatives in the social and environmental space.
6. Shaikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi
President: American University of Sharjah
Source: Arabian Business
In January 2023, Shaikha Bodour was appointed as Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and President of the American University of Sharjah. As chairperson, she has solidified the Emirate’s strengths in manufacturing, transport, logistics, education, and the cultural economy.
While working as Chairperson of Sharjah Entrepreneurship Centre, she has accelerated the development of Sharjah’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and has supported over 150 startups that have raised $128 million in investment and created 1,400 jobs. She was also appointed as Chairperson of Sharjah Book Authority in May 2023 to solidify Sharjah’s status as an emerging global publishing hub. She established the Emirates Publishers Association, the UAE Board on Books for Young People and Knowledge Without Borders to boost the growth of the UAE’s $300+ million publishing sector.
Shaikha Bodour founded Kalimate Publishing Group, a global, multi-imprint publishing and edtech company. She served as the International Publishers Association’s second-ever female and first-ever Arab president since the influential global association’s founding in 1896. She also founded PublisHer, a 1,000+ member global community of female publishing leaders addressing publishing’s diversity and inclusion challenges.
7. Dr. Mariam Shaikh
Founder & CEO: MS Education Consultants
Source: Great Companies
In the early 1980s, while selecting the best educational environment for her children, Dr. Mariam identified a gap in the quality of early childhood education. She founded a nursery school which eventually served more than 60 children. After years of success in K-12 education, she transitioned into working with schools of higher education sector. In the early 2000s, Dr. Mariam’s career took a significant turn when she was instrumental in establishing the University of New Brunswick’s branch campus in Dubai Knowledge Village.
Her relentless pursuit of creating accessible, high-quality education opportunities has taken her to senior leadership roles at prestigious institutions. She held senior leadership roles at the Canadian University of Dubai, Heriot-Watt University Dubai, and Amity University Dubai. In 2020, after decades of transforming institutions and guiding countless students, Dr. Mariam founded MS Education Consultants, which offers a range of services including student recruitment, new campus set-up consultancy, and specialised training programs.
8. Nayla Al Khaja
CEO: Al Khaja Films [formerly D-Seven Motion Pictures]
Source: UAE Stories
Nayla pursued image studies and filmmaking in Toronto and completed her bachelor’s degree in film studies at Ryerson University in 2005. In 2006, her film Arabana premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival, where she was honoured as the best Emirati filmmaker.
In 2007, Nayla founded the Scene Club [later renamed The Scene], which is the UAE’s first film club with membership exceeding 22,000. The club is also recognised as a cultural hub for introducing independent films to audiences in the UAE.
In 2023, Nayla produced her debut drama, horror, and thriller feature film, Three, which debuted at the third Red Sea International Film Festival that same year. Three is also the first Emirati film to reach a global audience. As CEO of Al Khaja Films, she has played a significant role in promoting local film production.
9. Samia Bouazza
Group CEO & MD: Multiply Group
Source: Entrepreneur
Samia has completed her bachelor’s in political science and public administration from the American University of Beirut. She has also received a certificate in Strategic Intelligence in 2014 from Harvard Business School, and also in Digital Development in 2021 from the University of Cambridge.
In 2003, she founded Multiply Marketing Consulting Company, which is now turned into the Multiply Group. She is a member of the International Young Presidents Organisation [YPO], a key member of the Abu Dhabi Art Friends Group, and a speaker in the field of marketing and communications.
In August 2021, she was recognised as the Group CEO and MD of Multiply Group. Samia is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company TAQA, Emirates Driving Company, and Arena Events Group. She also holds membership in the Strategic Council of the Middle East Public Relations Association [MEPRA] since 2018.
10. Amina Al Rustamani
Director: AW Rostamani Group
Source: Forbes Middle East
Amina completed her bachelor’s and master’s in electrical engineering in 1996. She also received a doctoral degree in electrical engineering from the George Washington University in 2001. She started her career in Dubai in 2001 as an electrical engineer with TECOM Group. Recently, she was involved in the development of Dubai Design District and Dubai Wholesale City.
Amina was selected as the Advertising Person of the Year by Dubai Lynx for 2015. She left TECOM Group in February 2018 and was appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the AW Rostamani Group. In 2021, Forbes recognised her among the Middle East Power Businesswomen 2021.
Currently, she board member of Dubai Healthcare City Authority, Noor Bank, and HSBC Bank Middle East. She is also working as the Director and board member of the family business, AW Rostamani Group.
Conclusion
These journeys together are more than just achievements. They demonstrate resilience, vision, and a dedication to making an impact that goes beyond boardrooms and balance sheets. These stories remind us of how far women have advanced in business and give us a glimpse of how much more they will achieve. As we explore the inspiring journeys of 10 Female Entrepreneurs Who Are Redefining Success in the UAE, one thing becomes clear: they are not just breaking barriers; they are shaping the future.
FAQs
Q1. Who are the most successful female entrepreneurs in the UAE?
Huda Kattan, Mona Ataya, Raja Easa Al Gurg, and Hana Al Rostamani are among the most successful female entrepreneurs in UAE.
Q2. Why has the UAE become a significant ecosystem for women in business?
Thanks to supportive policies, investment opportunities, and platforms encouraging women, the UAE has become a major hub for female entrepreneurship.
Q3. How has Huda Kattan influenced the global beauty industry?
Through her beauty blog and cosmetics line, Huda Beauty, she turned false eyelashes into a global trend, making her brand an international powerhouse.
