Dare to lead like a woman

Being part of a network makes you feel like you’re not alone. The 22 young women leaders praised their mutual support when they reunited during a workshop in Cairo 

By Rowan El Shimi

During a visit to the National Museum for Egyptian Civilization, a group of Danish and Egyptian women paused in front of the royal mummy of Queen Hatshepsut: Despite not being a male like almost all her predecessors, Queen Hatshepsut ruled Egypt for 22 years during the New Kingdom.

“Her reign was the most peaceful and was known as a time of construction, restoration and rich trade,” Simone Didrichsen, IT and Projects Manager in the Copenhagen Municipality says. “It reminded me of one of the mottos of a fellow participant in the network; Dare to Lead Like a Woman,” she says.

Simone Didrichsen is one of 22 female leaders who were selected to take part in the Women Take the Lead Network 2022. The group first met up in Copenhagen in August and convened for the second workshop in Cairo in November.

“We talk a lot about assertiveness in the Network, but do we have to copy all the male qualities to become respected, good leaders or be in the workplace? I think it’s a balance. Dare to lead like a woman – or simply, dare to be yourself,” Josefine Bak, a fellow participant and Administrative Officer at the Region of the South of Denmark comments.

Advancing and pay it forward

 During their three days in Cairo, the women visited the workplace of their colleague Neama Ebeid who is the Marketing and Planning Director of Mitsubishi Motors Egypt.

The automotive industry, known for being male dominated, was not a particularly easy industry to establish yourself in as a young female leader, Neama Ebeid told the group. However, she beat the odds.

“Stereotyping women’s capabilities whether within certain industries or within a role in an organization is a key challenge facing female leaders that I feel very strongly about because I’ve been through it myself,” she shares. “Being part of our network is like sharing a lot of positive energy, you feel you’re not alone in this. It also gives you an opportunity to pay it forward to your colleagues.”

“It’s a gathering of very influential global women leaders from different cultures, different backgrounds, diverse institutions. We are all connecting and trying to relate to our challenges, our business needs, our personal needs and trying to help each other overcome challenges to advance ourselves, our businesses and our countries as well,” Neama Ebeid explains concerning the Women Taking the Lead Network.

During the first workshop in Copenhagen in August, the women visited the workplace of participant Anna Bjørn Reland, cBrain, where she is a project manager. This turned out to be an unexpected opportunity for a business partnership to Neama Ebeid.

“cBrain builds digital platforms to help other companies with their processes. During that time, my company was working to get proposals from companies to enhance CRM and digital platforms as well. It was a great opportunity to explore a business partnership together,” Neama Ebeid explains. “It was a surprise for me because I thought we were all coming from completely different businesses but at the end we could all relate. Not only on a personal level but on a professional level as well.”

Sharing and Networking

 A major part of the Women Take the Lead Network is to create a safe space for the participants to share their challenges, knowing that they are among peers who will not judge them but will support them.

Through asking the participants to share success stories, host conversations and share their grievances, everyone gets as much as they give.

For Josefine Bak, the journey has been life changing.

“During the Copenhagen workshop, I had dilemmas in my job especially related to work-life balance. I felt everyone came together to support me in my situation. This led me to a lot of reflection and the realization that I needed to completely change my career path,” she remembers. “Between both workshops, I changed jobs and the job that I applied for an got hired for, I wouldn’t have applied for it if it weren’t for the workshop. This whole experience hasn’t just been career changing but also life changing – because career is a huge part of life. It’s been an incredible journey that helped getting me on a better path for myself.”

The question of work-life balance was a major issue for many participants. Amira Hossam has a very busy job as the associate minister for sustainable development affairs at The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development. She also struggled with maintaining a healthy work life balance.

“We were very honest with ourselves and each other. We listened to each other’s challenges and helped each other find solutions,” Amira Hossam says. “After the workshop, I was able to finally admit to myself that work-life balance is a must and not a luxury. I have to make time for exercising, hobbies and spending time with family as this is not only good for my mental health but also gives me the energy, that I need to do my job well.”

Networks create impact

 While professional networks, especially for women, are common in Europe and starting to gain attraction in Egypt, Women Take the Lead Network has a unique aspect as it brings together both Danish and Egyptian women from diverse work environments who would otherwise not meet.

“When you meet people from the same background you can very fast feel like you’re very aligned and agree on everything. But when you meet people from very different backgrounds it makes you reflect more and it makes you get into discussions that maybe you wouldn’t do if you only met people that you already understand and know,” Josefine Bak says.

Simone Didrichsen, who has also been part of other female leaders networks believes that networks are a major driver for change.

“What needs to change is the fact that it’s more difficult for a woman to become a leader,” she says. “When we have these sorts of meetings and networks, we move towards that because we also change our perspectives so the next time, we’re hiring a woman we will be more conscious about our own biases and we can pass on these learnings to our bosses or to our colleagues. This is where the change actually happens.”

This project was managed by Project Officer Doaa Fayyad and Facilitated by Margrethe Lyngs Mortensen and Menas Saleh.

Read more from DEDI:

Meet the participants of Women Take the Lead 2022

Women helping women

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