It’s simply a fine morning in Dubai, and Jamilla walks the now familiar marmoreal flooring, peering up at the 14th floor of the high-rise she works in. A slow, relaxed smile forms on her face as she reminisces about a time nearly a decade ago. Jamilla first entered these glass doors and walked these white corridors as a recent graduate, with hands wrought in nervousness and a laptop bag tucked under her arm. She chuckles softly at the now fond recollection, “Oh, what a naive, clueless young girl I all but was, once upon a time.” As her mind wanders down memory lane, she takes the elevator up to the 14th floor when she suddenly realizes this: 10 years ago, she was the only woman in the interview room, as well as the only woman who applied for the entry role at this top company.
Present day, Jamilla stands straight with her head held high, steering strategic decisions for her firm in the entire Gulf region. She knows she has come a long way—a path that wasn’t all pink and dandy; a journey filled with navigating shifting terrains full-time. Her story reflects an important change happening across the GCC in real-time: in boardrooms and in organizations long dominated by men. Now in 2025, the Gulf is seeing a new era in leadership—one of diversity and inclusion and the rise of female representation in senior leadership roles.
The Current Landscape Facts
Across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, the road to an inclusive leadership shows uneven development. According to the GCC Board Gender Index Report 2025, women now hold 6.8% of board seats in public corporations—up from the 5.2% observed in the previous year. Moreover, an article by Aurora50 reveals that the UAE leads with 14.8% of board seats held by women. The Gulf News also shares data showing that Gulf companies with greater female representation in leadership are 25% more likely to outperform on profitability. These figures tell a story, one where the region is changing but the pace and scale of progress remain uneven; nevertheless, hopeful.
What Change Looks Like When it’s Real
Remember Jamilla from the introduction? In her third year at her company, she found herself leading an internal project: a gender-diversity task force. At first, her colleagues met her youthful fire with an air of polite distance. One male colleague remarked, “We’re used to the way things are presently run. Why change now?” Undeterred, Jamilla launched mentorship sessions, reverse shadowing (senior executives spending time observing female junior employees in workspaces, to help or provide feedback), and inclusive leadership training. And things started to look up. Not even 18 months later, her division changed: 40% of the firm’s senior managers were women; the attrition rate dropped; and when a C-suite seat opened up, a woman candidate was appointed. Jamilla’s journey portrays how leadership isn’t just about clients, deadlines, and meeting quotas; it’s also about culture, commitment, and persistence.
From National Vision to Company Practice
Today, governments across the GCC have incorporated diversity and inclusion in their national vision statements. For instance, targeted policies in Saudi Arabia and the UAE clearly highlight female talent development and gender balance in workplace environments. A research conducted by Bain & Company reveals that 70% of women in the GCC region cite gender bias as a major obstacle to their career growth. Addressing this, many corporations now hold a holistic Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) strategy of talent development, leadership commitment, inclusive culture, and measurable goals. The business case is also equally compelling, proving how diverse teams make better decisions and deliver stronger performance.
Why is Progress Still Stalling?
Despite the positive momentum, challenges and hardships know no borders. According to an article by Bain & Company, the tipping point of meaningful inclusion often occurs when women hold around 30% of leadership roles. But the reality is beyond this. Cultural beliefs, gender-stereotyping, limited access to sponsorships, and a lack of visible role models continue to slow progress for women. For fresh graduates or emerging leaders, male or female, this is a straightforward message: career advancement requires more than just expertise; it needs visibility, networks, support, and adaptability to change.
How Leaders in the Gulf Create Real Inclusion
- Lead with Visibility + Voice. When leaders like Jamilla ask questions, speak up early, champion others, and are enthusiastic and full of youthful fire to learn and grow, they create momentum.
- Build Inclusive Leadership Habits. Meaning, listen to different perspectives, create a safe space for diverse inputs, and measure inclusion as part of performance.
- Design Employee Growth Journeys. Organizations should carefully design job roles, mentor women into skill-building projects, and ensure equal access to leadership training.
- Align with National Purpose. Gulf leaders can connect D&I to a broader organizational strategy. Currently, the UAE’s Gender Balance Council Strategy 2026 and the Saudi Vision 2030 are two such strategies encouraging economic diversification, global competitiveness, and innovation.
- Stick to Patience and Progress. Change doesn’t happen overnight, nor does growing a startup. Both take time, effort, and lots and lots of patience—even when policies exist. And so, emerging leaders must learn to balance ambition with strategic pacing, build supporting evidence, and forge strong allies.
The Next Frontier
As the Gulf region continues its steady transformation into knowledgeable- and service-led economies, the leadership landscape must also evolve. The aim now will be to shift from “women in the room” to “women shaping the room”. Tracking performance, such as executive-level roles, career changes, equal pay, and support networks, will gain more and more importance. Organizations that embed D&I into their own leadership traits will likely gain a competitive edge, not just in the Gulf markets but globally as well.
Your Role in the Next Chapter of Gulf Leadership
It doesn’t matter if it’s a startup founder from Bahrain, a junior executive from Kuwait, a business owner from Qatar, or a recent graduate from Oman. What matters is every person’s role in the company they work for. Leadership in the Gulf is no longer defined by title alone but by inclusivity, deliberate action, and influence. Women like Jamilla prove this by coming forward, paving paths, and inspiring a progressive culture. Whether or not the Gulf should include more women in senior leadership roles is not the point. Instead, it’s about how quickly and how well it can be done.
For more articles, visit Entrepreneur Gulf.
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