Former Assistant Undersecretary for Social Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs,Kingdom of Bahrain

HH Sheikha Hind Salman Al-Khalifa, a member of Bahrain’s royal family, is a former Assistant Undersecretary for Social Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Kingdom of Bahrain and an expert on labour and social affairs. She graduated from the American University of Beirut and has been involved in voluntary work from an early age. In 1993 she founded the Information Centre for Women and Children, and continues actively as a member of the Board. She chairs the Board of Directors of Mothercare B.S.C. and is also a member of the Supreme Council for Women.

The Board of Trustees are all successful women giving voluntary support and advice to AIWF

HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi is United Arab Emirates’ Minister for Foreign Trade having been first appointed in November 2004 as Minister for the Economy, the first woman in the country’s history to assume a cabinet position, appointed to manage the UAE’s newly merged economy and planning portfolio.

After honouring Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi as the “Distinguished Government Employee Award” in 1999, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Defence Minister appointed her as the CEO of Tejari (www.tejari.com), the Middle East’s premier electronic business-to-business marketplace. She now serves as a board member.

Prior to managing Tejari, Sheikha Lubna was the senior manager of the information systems department at the Dubai Ports Authority (DPA), a position she held for more than seven years. Before joining DPA, Sheikha Lubna acted as the Dubai branch manager for the General Information Authority, the organization responsible for automating the federal government of the United Arab Emirates. She has more than twenty years of information technology & management experience in the Middle East region.

In 2001 Sheikha Lubna headed the Dubai e-government executive team responsible for instituting e-government initiatives throughout the public sector. Sheikha Lubna holds a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University of Chico, and an Executive MBA from the American University of Sharjah.

Sheikha Lubna volunteers extensively with the “Friends of Cancer Patients” Society and serves on the Board of Directors for the Dubai Autism Centre. She also serves as a Board Member for the following organizations: Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dubai; Electronic-Total Quality Management College, Dubai; The American Graduate School of International Management, Phoenix Arizona; Zayed University, UAE; and the Emirates Foundation-Abu Dhabi

Forbes.com recognizes Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi as one of the women to watch in the Middle East. She was also recognized in May 2005 by Women News in New York as one of 21 leaders in the twenty first Century. Sheikha Lubna received her Bachelor of Science from California State University of Chico and an Executive MBA from the American University of Sharjah.

The Board of Trustees are all successful women giving voluntary support and advice to AIWF

Khalidah Ahmed Al-Qatami - as a Bachelor of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Science, Khalidah worked in the Ministry of Public Health from 1968 until 1981 and became Deputy General Manager of the only pharmaceutical plant in Kuwait. In 1982 she joined her father’s business Al Khunaini Al Qatami General Trading Company as a division head and became Chairman of the company in 1995 and up to 2001 when they sold the business. She is also the Chairman of the Gulf Equipment Company in Dubai, a sister company.

She has been the chairman of Khatif Holding Co. K.S.C.C. since inception in April 2008, a 50 million USD capitalized company with focus on M&A and venture Capital in Kuwait. Khalidah was board member of Kremenco, a specialised oil services company in Kuwait for eight years and Company Vice Chairman from 1999 to 2001. She has had her own pharmacy, Al Qatami Pharmacy, for the past 25 years and owns another Company Al Khaldiya International General Trading. Khalidah has been a founder member of the Kuwait Pharmaceutical Association since 1970.

Dr Al-Shuaiby was appointed Secretary General and Chief Executive of the Joint Arab - British Chamber of Commerce in September 2007. Before that, from 1998, she worked as Advisor to the President of the US Saudi Arabian Business Council in Washington, DC.

She was educated at King Saud University in Riyadh and holds a Masters of Art in Educational Administration from the American University in Washington DC. She then continued with her PhD studies at the George Washington University in Washington DC specialising in Leadership Administration. Dr Al-Shuaiby also holds a certificate in Peace and Conflict Resolution from the School of International Service at the American University Washington DC. She has previously held appointments as Director (Government Affairsand Business Development) at Qorvis Communications and as Assistant Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Investment Agency (ADIA) in Washington.

Dr Al-Shuaiby is an Executive Board Member of the Friends of Saudi Arabia in Washington and the Committee for the Development of International Trade of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Sheikha Hanadi holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of London, and a Batchelor’s degree in Economics from Qatar University. Sheikha Hanadi started her career as a lecturing assistant in the Economics Department of Qatar University.

In 1998 she founded Qatar Ladies Investment Company (now rebranded Amwal), the first investment company to receive a licence from the Qatar Central Bank to conduct Investment Banking, Asset Management and Wealth Management in Qatar.

In 2005, she founded Al Waab City, a development of over 1.2 million square metres, with an initial cost of USD 1.8 billion. Al Waab City is a fully integrated community that offers residential, retail and commercial space surrounding a spacious urban piazza offering restaurants, retail outlets and entertainment facilities.

She is a fervent supporter of community activities and serves as trustee on the Board of the Arab International Women's Forum and the College of Business and Economics at Qatar University. She is a member of the Advisory Board of The Arab Business Angels Network (ABAN), she is also a founding member of Qatar National Competitiveness Council; she is the Chairperson of “INJAZ Qatar” and Board Member of “INJAZ Al Arab” the regional arm of “Junior Achievement Worldwide”.

Sheikha Hanadi was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2005 and voted as personality of the year by Arraya, Qatar’s leading newspaper, for her vision and contribution to the development of economy. She was named Woman CEO of the Year by the Middle East CEO Awards Institute in 2006, for her significant contribution in development of Qatar’s economic and social presence in the Arab world; she was selected by Arabian business magazine to be one of the 100 world’s most influential Arabs for the year 2007; she was also named the economic personality of the year 2007 by Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Business Council; Sheikha Hanadi was voted, by the Financial Times in 2008, among the top 20 global banking and finance women role models and in 2008, she received the ‘Businesswoman of the Year’ Award by ITP Publishing Group. Leveraging on her experience, she conducted and published several research papers on macro-economic issues in the GCC

Nadia Hassan Bakhurji is an Interior Architect and President of Riwaq of the Kingdom Co Ltd which she established in 1989 after graduating from King Faisal University, the College of Architecture and Planning in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Riwaq of the Kingdom specializes in the design and implementation of Architectural and Interior design projects. Under her guidance Riwaq has become one of the leading design firms in Saudi Arabia winning and executing projects Kingdom wide. Nadia is the first Saudi woman to run for the Riyadh Municipal elections in 2004 and is the first Saudi woman to be elected to the board of the Saudi Council of Engineers in 2005. She is Chair of the Women Engineers Committee and is considered instrumental in the professional development of women in Saudi Arabia. Nadia is currently supporting women’s empowerment through her role on the board of the Saudi Council of Engineers and through the Women Engineers Committee. She is also a creative writer and an artist. Nadia is instrumental in introducing AIWF in Saudi Arabia.

Debra Davis joined City TV Broadcasting in June 2010 after three and a half years as Director Public Affairs and Communications of Birmingham City Council. In that role Debra managed corporate marketing and communications, creative services and the press office as well as the international, national and regional affairs units and Lord Mayor’s Parlour.

As Director of City TV Broadcasting, Debra is setting up local television in major cities in the United Kingdom. The first station in Birmingham is scheduled to go on air in 2011.

She served as a political assistant under two different Canadian Prime Ministers, worked for the Canadian High Commission in the UK and has run her own UK-based communications consultancy. With a Bachelor of Social Science degree in psychology and law from Carleton University, Ottawa, Debra began her career working in advertising before becoming special assistant within the office of the then Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau in 1980. During the 1990s, she worked for Prime Minister Jean Chrétien as Special Assistant (Communications) concentrating on public education campaigns, special communications projects and outreach. In both offices, Debra assisted with state and royal visits to Canada among her other responsibilities.

In 1997 Debra was appointed Counsellor (Public Affairs) at the Canadian High Commission in London where she managed the public diplomacy programme, press and community relations, directed corporate communications and handled Ministerial and VIP visits to and from Canada. Since 2001, Debra has had her own communications consultancy specialising in public affairs, communications planning and project management.

Bineta Diop is the founder and Executive Director of Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS). She began her international career in human rights 27 years ago as Programme Coordinator of the International Commission of Jurists, where she obtained extensive experience in human rights issues not only in Africa but also in Asia and Latin America. Ms. Diop has led FAS in numerous peace-building programmes, including the creation of a strong West African women’s movement, the Mano River Women’s Peace Network (MARWOPNET). Ms. Diop has observed elections in post-conflict areas and facilitated peace talks, particularly for Burundian and Congolese women.

In 1999, she was appointed General Rapporteur to the UNESCO Pan-African Women’s Conference on a Culture of Peace. As a member of the African Women Committee for Peace and Development (AWCPD), Ms. Diop played an instrumental role in achieving gender parity within the African Union Commission in 2003. In addition, Ms. Diop has been elected as vice-president of the African Union Women’s Committee, and also chairs the United Nations Working Group on Peace in Geneva, which is part of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women monitoring the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Ms. Diop also serves as a member of the Group of International Advisors to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Raghda Kurdi is Founder and General Manager of Advanced Pharma Services, a company that provides services to the retail Pharmaceutical sector. Ms. Kurdi was the first woman founding CEO of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in Jordan as the founding CEO of Hayat Pharmaceutical Industries and managed it for 9 years. Raghda is a founding board member on the Jordanian Pharmaceutical Center of Excellence.

Ms. Kurdi served as Member of His Majesty King Abdullah II Economic Consultative Council, and as a Member of the Amman City Council. In support of women’s issues locally & internationally, Ms. Kurdi serves on the board of the Arab International Women's Forum and on the International Women's Forum Executive Board of Directors and was the founding President of the International Women’s Forum - Jordan Chapter. She was a member of the higher council of the Jordanian National Forum for Women and is on the steering committee of the European Jordanian Advancement of Enterprise Program. Ms. Kurdi has a B.SC. in Pharmacy from the American University of Beirut and has participated in the Leadership and Team Effectiveness executive program at Yale School of Management.

Sylvia Perry, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, is Finance Director and Honorary Treasurer of AIWF. A former senior corporate manager, she now works pro bono in the field of non-governmental and similar organisations and charities as a NGO consultant and has considerable experience in the United Nations field attending key conferences and commissions and also held key organising roles for the UK committee supporting UNIFEM.

Sylvia has worked extensively in international organisations and supporting projects. Key among them was as President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women from 1996 – 1999 following on from three years as European Coordinator in the same organisation travelling widely and creating awareness and partnerships for the advocacy and project work. Currently, she is the BPW International Trustee and Chair of the History and Archives committee and in Mexico in October 2008, she was presented with the organisation’s new and highest honour, the Lena Madesin Phillips Award.

Other activities she undertakes are writing books, mentoring and international exchange.

Inge Relph, South African born but a long time UK resident, Inge’s corporate career was in marketing and customer services for British Airways and then as a senior executive in strategy and energy regulation at British Gas, representing the UK on UN and EU Energy Commissions. She co-founded and chaired the London Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Group and was a member of the Chamber Council. Latterly Inge has applied her skills in the not- for -profit environment as a consultant in strategic management and social enterprise.

She was appointed Chair of WOMANKIND Worldwide, an international development agency for women and sits on various government Advisory Boards including GAPS (Gender Action for Peace and Security), and the UK Foreign Office panel on Afghanistan and Iraq. She was Advisor to H.E. Mrs Suzanne Mubarak in establishing the ‘Women for Peace International Movement’ in the Middle East and was the founding Executive Director. She is a member of the Harvard Kennedy School Inclusive Security Colloquium and an advocate for women as vital agents for peace building and development.

Another passion is inter-religious dialogue and as Chair of Medio Media, a multimedia publishing company, she was actively engaged in high level exchanges with leaders of different faiths including the Way of Peace dialogues with the Dalai Lama in Northern Ireland.

Believing in ‘trade not aid’, Inge has recently established a pilot social enterprise to support communities in the developing world bring products to the international market place.

Ambassador Samiha Abou Steit has been Deputy Secretary General, National Council of Women since November 2000 in Egypt. Ambassador Abou Steit has a long and distinguished career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Starting her diplomatic career in 1965, Ambassador Abou Steit rose through the senior ranks of the department to become Deputy Assistant Minister for Western Europe Affairs & Egypt’s Coordinator of Euro Mediterranean Negotiations for the Barcelona process. She was the Egyptian Consul General in London between 1996 and 2000.

Dr Deisi Noeli Weber Kusztra, born in Curitiba, Brazil, is a physician. She graduated at the Medical Academy of Cracow, Poland, with a Master’s degree in Social Pediatrics and Public Health at St. Barnabas University, Livingston, NJ, USA, and a Doctorate in Maternal and Child Health Care at MSH College, Boston -USA. For many years she has been a consultant for designing and implementing maternal, child and family health programmes and projects for the United Nations’ major agencies such as the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Dr. Deisi Noeli Weber Kusztra is also specialist in organizing the work of the Third Sector (NGOs) to work in partnership with local governments and private sector in implementing Corporate Social Responsibility programmes. Since 1997, Dr Kusztra has been the President of the World Family Organisation based in Paris.