Global Ambassadors Program: Qatar Day 4

Global Ambassadors and mentees got an early start Thursday morning for a Mentoring Walk* with members of the Qatari Businesswomen’s Association (QBWA) in Aspire Park in Doha. Program participants were matched with Qatar’s rising female talent in business, banking and retail, engaging as they walked together on a range of topics, including business management, mentoring and work-life balance.

“Mentoring is so important and we need the occasion to meet international women,” said Aisha Alfardan, local businesswoman and head of the QBWA. “We all have the same problems, the same passions. But women in the Middle East face many more challenges than women in the west, especially when it comes to managing work and family.”

After a break for lunch, mentors and mentees convened again for interactive presentations on their goal-setting work together this week in Doha. From Manal Zraiq advising her mentee Eman El Garhi on ways to keep her Sharm El Sheikh resort sustainable, to Laura Whitley and her mentee Ayat Ata-Allah discussing strategies for renegotiating loan terms for her compost business in Nablus, the constructive volley of feedback from the rest of the participants encouraged out-of-the-box thinking and further refined their short-and long-term business objectives.

“I learned something from everyone,” said Eman El Garhi, echoing a sentiment shared by both Global Ambassadors and mentees. While the program matches women for one-to-one mentorships, the power of the shared network allows participants to tap into knowledge and skills from women leaders representing a range of experiences and industries.

*The Global Women’s Mentoring Walk concept was developed by Global Ambassador Gerry Laybourne, founder of Oxygen Media, from early morning walks around Central Park in New York City with women professionals seeking career advice. Today, the Global Women’s Mentoring Walks pair established and emerging women professionals in mentoring partnerships in communities across the globe.

Watch this blog for updates throughout the week.

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