Power, Purpose And Progress: Women Shaping The Future Of Business

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) They are strategists, creators, operators, and decision-makers driving transformation across industries. From construction and hospitality to digital marketing, HR, and real estate, these women are leading organisations and redefining modern leadership. Their journeys reflect ambition, discipline, creativity, resilience, and authenticity.

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Full name: Neha Gupta

Title: Chief Financial Officer, Core42, a G42 Company

Sector for Operation of Business: AI and Cloud Infrastructure

Short Profile: Neha Gupta is the Chief Financial Officer at Core42, with over 15 years of expertise across AI, aviation, and consulting. She has led billion-dollar strategic partnerships, driven large scale mergers and acquisitions, raised over $1 billion in commercial financing with local and international institutions, and streamlined processes to drive over substantial cost savings, while championing inclusive financial leadership across the region.

What makes her an inspiration: Neha Gupta stepped into the CFO role at Core42 during a critical period of growth and has since been instrumental in shaping the company’s financial direction. Given her background, she brings that breadth of experience into how she approaches complex, high-stakes decisions.

In a sector that remains largely male-dominated, Neha has led some of Core42’s most complex financial transactions entirely in-house, without the support of external advisors. Her ability to manage large-scale, cross-border deals, including raising capital of over $1 billion with local and international banks, with clarity and precision reflects both her technical grounding and strategic confidence.

Full Name: Amreen Iqbal

Title: Founder & Creative Director, Piece Of You

Sector for Operation of Business: Jewellery and Lifestyle Accessories

Short Profile: Amreen Iqbal is the Founder and Creative Director of Piece Of You, an award-winning personalised fine jewellery brand. She drives brand vision, design innovation, and strategic growth, building a contemporary label known for craftsmanship, emotional relevance, and strong commercial performance in the regional lifestyle space.

What makes her an inspiration: Amreen’s leadership goes beyond commercial success. She has earned multiple industry awards recognising creative excellence and entrepreneurial achievement, while remaining empathetic and purpose driven. She supports community and charitable initiatives, using her platform responsibly. Her balance of business discipline and genuine compassion defines her influence and lasting impact.

Full Name: Sofiya Poland

Title: Group Director, Strategic Procurement, ALEC Holdings

Sector: Construction and Built Environment

Short Profile: Sofiya Poland is Group Director of Strategic Procurement at ALEC Holdings with more than 22 years of global procurement and supply chain experience. A Fellow of CIPS, she champions ethical sourcing, sustainable practices, digital transformation, and high-performing teams across multinational organisations.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Sofiya leads with optimism and curiosity, placing strong emphasis on truly listening to people. She believes leadership is less about having all the answers and more about empowering others to grow and encouraging them to see the world from a broader perspective.

Full Name: Oksana Domanska

Title: Director of Operations, Richmind

Sector for Business Operation: Real Estate Development

Short Profile: Oksana Domanska is Director of Operations at Richmind with nearly a decade of 360° experience across Dubai’s real estate ecosystem, spanning brokerage, master agency models, and large-scale developments. She drives strategic transformation across sales, marketing, and international expansion, building disciplined, data-driven operating frameworks that enable scalable growth, strong commercial performance, and long-term market positioning.

What makes her an inspiration: Oksana represents the shift from execution to leadership. Rising from hands-on operational roles to Director of Operations in a highly competitive, male-dominated industry, she demonstrates that mastering systems, numbers, and strategy creates real influence. She champions the belief that operations is not support - it is the engine of an organisation - and encourages women to move beyond reliability into decision-making authority, owning performance, margins, and long-term direction. What distinguishes her leadership is its balance of composure and clarity. Her journey reflects that ambition and integrity are not opposing forces, but partners in building sustainable growth.

Full Name: Pooja Rathore

Title: Chief Operating Officer, Tissoli Luxury Development

Sector: Real Estate Development

Short Profile: CA Pooja Rathore is Chief Operating Officer at Tissoli Luxury Development, driving operational excellence and strategic expansion. A Chartered Accountant, she strengthens financial frameworks and supports global collaborations in real estate.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Pooja leads with purpose in a competitive industry. Her journey reflects resilience, strategic thinking, and a strong belief that leadership is defined by competence, courage, and vision.

Full Name: Taneem Shaikh

Title: Lead Architect, Casagrand

Sector: Real Estate

Short Profile: Ar. Taneem Shaikh is Lead Architect at Casagrand, integrating design excellence with commercial insight. She oversees feasibility, positioning, and execution strategy to ensure residential developments deliver measurable value.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Taneem evolved from designer to strategic decision-maker, taking responsibility for business outcomes. She champions commercially viable creativity and leads with courage, clarity, and accountability.

Full Name: Noni Anand

Title: Co-Founder and Designer, LEVA Hotels

Sector: Hospitality

Short Profile: Noni Anand is the Co-Founder and creative force behind LEVA Hotels, redefining lifestyle hospitality through art-led design and bold vision. She shaped the brand identity from the ground up, blending innovation, creativity, and operational focus.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Noni built the design DNA of LEVA Hotels despite a background in finance and sales. She transformed LEVA Hotel Mazaya Centre in 62 days into a lifestyle property, proving bold ideas paired with action deliver results. She balances creativity with discipline, building brands with purpose and personality.

Full Name: Aparna Rajesh-Navin

Title: HR Director Middle East and Pakistan, SGS

Sector: Testing, Inspection and Certification

Short Profile: Aparna Rajesh-Navin is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience. She leads HR across the Middle East and Pakistan at SGS Group. Her career spans IT, sustainability, marketing, and communications across multiple regions. She is also a trained dancer and mother of three.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Aparna balances a multi-functional career with dedication to family and classical dance. She demonstrates that leadership and family responsibilities can grow together, reflecting resilience, discipline, and authenticity.

Full Name: Omnia Mohammed

Title: Head of Client Success, PIXL Global

Sector: Strategy and Account Management

Short Profile: Omnia Mohammed is a strategic commercial leader with a background in architecture and experience in marketing and account management. She combines structured thinking with storytelling to drive growth and strengthen long-term client partnerships.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Omnia leads with a people-first philosophy. Her journey reflects adaptability and curiosity, and she blends analytical structure with empathy to build high-performance teams.

Full Name: Surbhi Daga

Title: CEO and Marketing Consultant, Nine Dots Marketing

Sector: Digital Marketing and Personal Branding

Short Profile: Surbhi Daga is the Founder of Nine Dots Marketing in Dubai. She helps professionals own their narrative and step into authentic visibility, transforming personal branding into a strategic business asset built on clarity, courage, and purpose.

What Makes Her an Inspiration: Surbhi built her firm from passion and belief in storytelling. She leads a team focused on personal branding and is known for guiding founders and executives to communicate with clarity and confidence.

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