Women in Business Committee
Women in banking
On February 26, the Women in Business Committee hosted two of Egypt’s most prominent women bankers, Sahar El Sallab, vice chairman of Commercial International Bank (CIB), and Samar El Molla, country manager of Arab Bank, to address the topic “Women in banking.”
The two female bankers spoke briefly about their careers and of lessons learned while climbing the corporate ladder. El Sallab explained that to achieve success one has to have an edge that makes them stand apart. She pointed out that one edge women often have over men is compassion: women tend to relate to and sympathize with people around them, which helps them succeed professionally.
El Sallab encouraged women not to let gender stand in their path to success and achievement. She argued that contrary to what most people think, men in Egypt do indeed welcome and appreciate a smart, ambitious woman. El Molla, however, pointed out that the professional ascension of women will, more likely than not, happen at a slower pace than that of men, and that women have to work harder than their male counterparts to achieve the same things.
El Molla identified several points that she considers crucial to a woman’s professional success: having vision; never boasting about one’s achievements; fitting one’s skills to one’s workplace rather than expecting the workplace to fit one’s skills; and having a positive, winning attitude. She said the cornerstone of success is to strike a balance between work and family, while at a professional level it is the balance between firmness and softness. El Sallab advised women not to let their colleagues see that they are feeling the pressure of balancing work and family.
Finally, El Sallab lamented that her female clients are usually less informed about the latest developments in finance and banking than their male counterparts. She encouraged all women to read up, stay updated and make informed, independent decisions.
Top
Media’s changing role in Egypt
On February 13, AmCham’s Women in Business Committee held a talk with Lamees El Hadidi, executive chief editor, Al-Alam Al-Youm newspaper, and a senior business correspondent, Al Arabiya satellite channel, to discuss the media in Egypt.
El Hadidi opened the session by stating that the media in Egypt has been very effective recently, but mostly in a negative way. She said that the media has hindered economic reforms, fostering public opinion against privatization. As evidence of a positive impact, she cited the media’s support of political reforms, human rights reporting and efforts to combat bird flu.
The media’s role is to inform and not mislead, by presenting and analyzing all points of view, El Hadidi said. The media should inform the public about the government’s activities and cabinet meetings and report on whether the government’s behavior is right or wrong.
El Hadidi challenged the view that any media in the world is truly independent, although she granted that satellite television news today has a greater degree of freedom. She said whether a journalist writes for a government or private newspaper the views expressed still reflect the owner, regardless. The journalist’s job is to balance the interests of the owner and the audience.
Journalism has actually become a career path for the unemployed, she said, due to several factors, including a poor education system. Going ahead, El Hadidi recommended that the media have a clear, unified goal, and should decide whether it is for or against reforms.
Top
|
