#DrivenByWomen: Dr. Eng. Suaad Al Shamsi, The UAE's First Female Aircraft Engineer "You need to understand that you are capable. There's no rulebook in the world that says you cannot do something just because you're a woman."
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For Emirati Women's Day 2024, Entrepreneur Middle East and AW Rostamani Group's Arabian Automobiles Company, under the banner of #DrivenByWomen, are putting the spotlight on four female achievers from different walks of life in the UAE who, with their unique capabilities and contributions, are essentially driving the future of the nation.
Under the banner of #DrivenByWomen, these ladies will offer a peek into the precepts and principles that have guided their personal journeys to success; plus, by finding common ground between them and some of the finest automobiles under the banner of AW Rostamani Group's Arabian Automobiles Company, they will also seek to distill their own particular driving forces, and how they can be harnessed by other Emirati women wanting to follow in their footsteps.
In this edition of #DrivenByWomen, we catch up with Dr. Eng. Suaad Al Shamsi, who has the honor of being forever known as the UAE's first ever female aircraft engineer. However, Al Shamsi admits that there were a fair share of detractors and naysayers on her path to realizing this particular achievement. But Al Shamsi didn't let such cynics and sceptics bring her down. On the contrary, they only served to fuel the ascent she has since seen in her career trajectory (her resume now includes stints at globally renowned aviation and engineering companies like Airbus, Boeing, and others), and they remain an impetus for her even today.
Dr. Eng. Suaad Al Shamsi is pictured here with the Infiniti QX80, a luxurious, full-size sports utility vehicle that comes equipped to adapt to every facet of one's life. When asked why she picked this particular vehicle for herself, Al Shamsi replied that the first car she ever bought was an Infiniti, with her ride on the QX80 proving to be as solid and luxurious as she remembered it to be. Source: AW Rostamani/Entrepreneur Middle East
"I think what drives me every day is [the notion that] I don't want a new generation of women to face whatever I faced previously," Al Shamsi says. "That drives me to show people they can do what [they may be told] they cannot." This, therefore, is the sentiment that underscores her message for women in the UAE today. "Chase your dream," Al Shamsi declares. "I do believe that if you can dream it, you can achieve it… You need to understand that you are capable. There's no rulebook in the world that says you cannot do something just because you're a woman."
For Emirati Women's Day, we take a ride with Al Shamsi on her vehicle of choice—the Infiniti QX80—to a location in Dubai that is especially meaningful to her: Dubai Frame. Find out why, as well as Al Shamsi's message for Emirati women, in the full video.
Related: #DrivenByWomen: Fahima Falaknaz, The UAE's First Female Boxer
