“Now you understand

Just why my head’s not bowed.

I don’t shout or jump about

Or have to talk real loud.

When you see me passing,

It ought to make you proud.

I say,

It’s in the click of my heels,

The bend of my hair,

the palm of my hand,

The need for my care.

’Cause I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.”

Excerpts from the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou, renowned American memoirist, poet and American Civil rights activist.

A rendition of this excerpt from Maya Angelou’s poem kicked off the second edition of the ‘W’oice event by Media Fusion which commemorated International Women’s Day 2023 on March 10 with a celebration of women in the industries of aviation, built environment, commercial cleaning, and waste & recycling. The two-hour event was co-hosted by the editors of the respective magazines – Megha Mathews, Marisha Singh, Samiya Andrabi, and Keerthana R.

Media Fusion as a brand and business house is powered by women and the ‘W’oice event is a reflection of the brand’s commitment to acknowledging the contribution of women in all spaces. This platform launched in 2022, is an effort to highlight the women in the industries we cover. This platform was conceptualized as a budding eco-system to showcase women achievers and leaders in these sectors. 

The event was supported by AG Facilities Solutions, BK Gulf Facilities Management, Ejadah, ENGIE Solutions Middle East, Farnek Services LLC, Facilio, Imdaad Group, and iREC Holdings.

The event saw two activities organised by ENGIE, and Imdaad which asked the attendees showcase their creative and thoughtful side. Caroline Hill, HR Manager from Engie Solutions Middle East had the women draw/ illustrate “What the word ‘woman’ means to you.” The 15-minute activity had female attendees dig deep to come up with unique and touching interpretations. This was followed by an activity by Imdaad. The 30-minute group activity had women form teams of six to design a gift for a child’s birthday party. From birthday cards with thoughtful messages to pet-toys to interactive messages, the teams showcased immense creativity while carrying out the activity. 

These sessions were followed by a Keynote address by Dr. Eng. Suad Alshamsi, Senior Program Manager ORAT and Sustainability, Etihad Airways. Dr. Suad was the first female aircraft engineer in the United Arab Emirates. She qualified as an aircraft engineer in London before returning to Dubai to pursue the role in her home country. She then progressed to other areas of aircraft operation, including being a technical service engineer. 

She now works as a technical adviser for the Midfield Terminal Project with Etihad in Abu Dhabi. She continues to inspire those around her. When the country announced its ambition to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030, Eng Suaad Al Shamsi came up with an initiative to offset the airline’s carbon footprint and address climate change. She is the brain behind Etihad Mangrove Forest, which was launched on Jubail Island in Abu Dhabi, with Al Shamsi planting the first tree. Since then, thousands of mangroves have been planted.

The keynote address was followed by a short-film screening. The film titled ‘Cash’ has been directed by Tan Weiting. Cash won Singapore’s Best Director award at the 2018 National Youth Film Awards. The film was chosen to be shown at this event to highlight the power that women as a collective can exercise in the face of adversity. 

A panel discussion followed the film screening. The panel comprised of Eng. Suad Alshamsi, Emma Barber, Director of Dgrade, Karla Reid, Regional Director for the Middle East of IFMA FMCC, and Maryke Tredoux, Associate Director - Soft Services of Nakheel.

The panel discussion addressed - Digit-ALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality & gender equity and was moderated by Marisha Singh, editor of Built Environment. The discussion was based on the United Nations’ sustainable development goals which has included gender equity as an ESG parameter. Foundational challenges such as an underrepresentation of women in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in major industries such as the built environment, technology, and governance.

At the same time, digital technology is opening new doors for the global empowerment of women, girls and other marginalised groups. From gender-responsive digital learning to tech-facilitated healthcare, to tech-enabled workspaces, the digital age represents an unprecedented opportunity to eliminate all forms of inequality, and the creation of a gender equitable space.  

The last activity of the day was a brain-storming session which had women address some questions under the theme - What women want. Keerthana R, editor of Waste & Recycling started of the session with this question and highlighted the fact that this complex issue had been debated for centuries. She said, “The truth is, women are not a monolithic group, and what each woman wants may be different. This may range from having a real pocket on your jeans to the freedom to pursue your dreams. Sometimes, it is about an opportunity to be heard.”  

The brainstorming session addressed issues such as:

1. What do women want from their workplace?  
2. Did you climb the corporate ladder the way you wanted to? 
3. What do women want in terms of health and safety? 
4. What do women want from their personal and social circles - hence society at large? 
5. What do women not want ?

These questions received powerful responses from the 100-plus attendees and the event concluded with a promise to keep the conversations going on back at our homes and workplaces as well as through the ‘W’oice platform.