It has been quite a year for Lubna Qassim.
In December 2010, she was brought in by Sultan Al Mansouri, the Minister of Economy, to oversee the passage into law of some of the biggest and most eagerly awaited economic reforms in the country in a generation.
In recent months, the 35-year-old lawyer's work has begun to bear fruit.
In November a draft bankruptcy law designed to support struggling companies was delivered to the Ministry of Justice, marking a final stage before it becomes law.
Then last month came the approval by the Cabinet of a new companies law, setting out guidelines for transforming business processes. It includes improved provisions for starting companies and protecting shareholders' rights.
This legislation opens the door to what many foreigners have been seeking for decades - a potential easing of ownership rules for international companies in certain industries.
The aim is to give the Emirates an advantage over other countries in the region in the race to attract foreign investment to bolster private-sector growth.
Despite carrying heavy responsibility, Ms Qassim shows no strain. "It's been a wonderful year, full of challenges," she says.
There has also been reason to celebrate in her personal life. Ms Qassim recently married, and her husband, she says, is fully supportive as she deals with the pressures her work entails.
In her role as director of the ministry's newly created economic legislations department, Ms Qassim has to ensure the economy's legal system is not only up to date and based on international best practice but is also tailored to the country's needs.
It is a huge task. The Ministry of Economy was overseeing 12 new pieces of legislation at the last count. "I'm very optimistic about what can be done to help make the business laws friendly," she says.
Ms Qassim is well qualified for the role. She has more than a decade of legal experience - including five years at the UK law firm Clifford Chance - and she speaks five languages.
She was also the first Emirati to work at Britain's House of Lords, as a law graduate. The two-and-a-half-months summer internship in the upper chamber of the UK parliament in 2000 helped Ms Qassim to cut her teeth in law.
She shadowed Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, the UK's first Muslim life peer and an often outspoken figure on issues relating to the Islamic community both in the UK and abroad.
During hours spent poring over legislation concerning issues such as arranged marriages and providing legal advice on racial issues, Ms Qassim developed a taste for a diverse and often controversial range of legal topics.
"It was electrifying," she remembers fondly. "I was assisting in writing speeches and researching laws of political interest at the time."
The internship taught her a lot, she says. "I learnt when dealing with a political figure like a lord or a minister you only have a minute or two to provide advice so you have to make it advice they can use to help them to make the right decision."
The experience also offered her first brush with senior political leadership, both past and present.
"It was quite an experience for someone so young to be bumping into [the former prime ministers] John Major and Margaret Thatcher in the red corridors," she says. "Meeting these people and exchanging notes on topics like the Middle East or the reason I was wearing a headscarf was an interesting experience."
She also met Tony Blair, the prime minister at the time. Nine years later, she would be invited to the White House for a meeting with President Barack Obama as part of a delegation of Middle Eastern business and political leaders.
Ms Qassim's choice of a career in law stemmed from her desire to serve people, she says. Medicine was her other option. Ms Qassim credits her parents with giving her the freedom to choose her own career. The eldest of four sisters, she grew up in Dubai.
"The biggest motivator in my life was my mother and father," she reflects. "What was beautiful in the way they raised my siblings and I was that they gave us the best education, taught us morals, ingrained trust in us and left it up to us to choose a career."
At 16, she left the UAE for a boarding school in Shrewsbury, England, where she studied for A levels. She then read law at Brunel University.
Her time in the UK sowed the seeds for what was to become an enduring relationship with the country. She now serves as UAE alliances director at the British Business Group (BBG) in Dubai, helping to foster links between the business communities of the UK and UAE.
"I was educated in the UK and privileged to have the opportunity to work in the House of Lords and a law firm in the UK, and when I came back home I always had this sense of wanting to give back to the British community," she says.
Her first full-time job after graduating was at Clifford Chance. It thrust her into the complexities of commercial and corporate law and working days of up to 20 hours.
She worked in both the London and Dubai offices of the firm, gaining a familiarity with laws across international borders.
It wasn't long, however, before the attraction of helping to shape laws in her homeland led to a move.
While working at Clifford Chance in London in 2007, she was contacted by the Dubai Economic Council.
The emirate's economic advisory body wanted Ms Qassim to help to create a legal affairs department, reviewing the impact of federal laws on Dubai. It was a big challenge as the Government sought to ensure the developing framework would not impede the emirate's rapid economic transformation.
At first she was unsure about whether to give up her blossoming career in the private sector.
"What made it happen was my recognising the real need for its existence, my passion for reforming laws and the call of my beloved emirate of Dubai," she says.
Her successes in the role were soon recognised, and it was not long before the federal Government came calling.
The biggest overhaul of the country's economic legal landscape was emerging, and Mr Al Mansouri wanted Ms Qassim to oversee the reforms. The role was another milestone in her aim to help to further develop her country.
"I don't treat it as a job as it's a challenge I enjoy doing," she says. "My career goals are very close to my personal goals, and that is to help and contribute in modernising the economic laws of the land."
In addition to her job and her role with the BBG, she is also a board member of Injaz UAE, an arm of the Jordanian youth organisation, and is a board member of the UAE Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.
Despite being a young Emirati woman in a position of power, Ms Qassim is modest about her achievements.
"Whether we are UAE nationals or residents, we are extremely lucky to be working in this country," she says. "Women are encouraged to achieve, and the region can learn from this country."
tarnold@thenational.ae
ASIAN%20RUGBY%20CHAMPIONSHIP%202024
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 2,000m
8.15pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
India Test squad
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
FIGHT%20CARD
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ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
Last-16
France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Company%20Profile
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A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
