WISTA UAE is proud to announce that our member Ms. SuhaObaid has won the Young Personality of the Year Award at Seatrade Middle East Awards 2015. We have an immense pleasure to see how she has grown over the years to the confident young individual, who is almost at parallels with her father Abdulla Obaid, Managing Director at Folk Shipping. Suha, like many others believe that “WISTA UAE is a rising star, the future support and anchor that every woman needs in this industry.”
WISTA as an organization has aimed to help women find their ground in a male oriented industry. When we asked Suha how WISTA has helped her with her career, she responded by stating, “My greatest struggle in this field was networking and my job depends heavily on this aspect. It was therefore a major challenge. I had to overcome my cocoon and stand up myself. WISTA UAE has helped me establish this confidence level and be able to stand out in a crowd. Being a woman in this industry has only made me further stand out. WISTA has supported me tremendously by giving me a platform to speak at conferences and events.”
Suha has defied the odds against herself being a young lady in the shipping industry and has become a crucial asset to her company. WISTA provided her with the comfort to build herself
up and be comfortable in the rigorous work environment of the shipping industry. Additionally, WISTA in the UAE has helped with the new integrity of women in the business sphere feel secure and content. On this note Suha stated, “I am a very strong believer of my generation and the coming one, most woman are extremely passionate about what they are doing, they are perfectionists and strivers to success. I just hope once a woman is married it shall not affect her focus on her work.”
This optimism is inspirational and something that must be remembered. With the rate she is growing, she will become a young leader in the industry. We are so proud of her and wish her all the best in the upcoming years!
About WISTA
Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) is an international organization for women in management positions involved in maritime transportation business and related trades. WISTA aims to be a major player in attracting more women to the industry in supporting women in management positions. With networking, education and mentoring in focus, WISTA sets out to enhance members’ competence and empower career success. WISTA counts around 1600 individual members in 34 national WISTA associations.
WISTA UAE
WISTA UAE was established in 2010 and as the first WISTA organization in the Middle East has by now more than 30 active members.
The UAE chapter’s mission is to raise awareness of the Middle East shipping industry amongst professional women inside the country and abroad, to encourage more to join the maritime & trading sector and to build a network platform for women within a mainly male dominated industry. WISTA UAE is meeting on a bi-monthly base and more importantly organizes regular seminars and training programs to educate young women and highlights the many opportunities that exist.
If you would like to know more about our membership or have more information, please contact Mrs. Jasmin Fichte, presiding President of WISTA UAE on info@wistauae.com
