It is no revelation to anyone that Middle Eastern women entrepreneurs are one of the strongest and most influential, as they appear to handle their social life, family and work. They handle everything together and at once. These women (in no order of importance) are remarkable in their courage to dream, succeed and aim for what they have never achieved before, showing a whole generation of women that anything is possible.

1. Marsha Lazareva

Lazareva  is one of the Middle East’s most prominent business women. She is a former chief executive of the KGL Investment private equity group, while Dashti headed a separate company named Kuwait & Gulf Connection Transportation Company. Investigators have alleged Marsha Lazareva of engaging in laundering $496 million from investors in the Kuwaiti government. Dashti was punished to 15 years imprisonment and Lazareva to 10 years of intense labour, whereas the two were mutually charged some $73 million. Marsha Lazareva recently received new 7-year additional sentences. In total, she now faced 22 years of imprisonment. At the same time there are also massive lobbying campaigns running on behalf of her, in order to get her out of the prison.

2. Esra Shafei

Esra Al Shafei is an entrepreneur and next in the list. She is a famous civil rights activist, writer and executive founder of Middle East Youth and founder, and a series of civil rights organizations like CrowdVoice.org. Mrs Esra’a is Bahrainian. She is a senior TED fellow and is among the “100 Most Innovative Business people” as per a Fast Company. According to The Daily Beast, she is also on the list of 17 bravest bloggers worldwide. In 2008, at Harvard Law School, Esra’a Al-Shafei won the Berkman Internet Technology Award from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society. She inspires women all around the globe to get out of their houses and try.

3. Eida Al Muhairbi

Eida Al Muhairbi is an Emirati businesswoman and scientist whose name includes 100 foreign inventions. Of those 100 creations, 46 are listed within the World Organization for Intellectual Property (WIPO). Eida currently serves as a Financial Operations Manager at Zakum Development Company (ZADCO) in Abu Dhabi. She even pioneered the 3D camera, a semi-inflatable pneumatic tire, a washer and dryer with separate chambers for washing different colors and types of clothing at one time, he disk iron and much more. The secret behind her success as a business woman is just that she loves to help and that is how she is changing the world around her.

4. Huda Kattan

Huda mentors many talented make-up artists and is regarded as the most powerful voice in cosmetics with a staggering 24 million followers on Instagram alone, after beginning off as a make-up artist to now own one of the most successful beauty brands worldwide. Huda Kattan’s startling rise to prominence from a career in finance to ruling the world of beauty is the material dreams are made of

5. Reem Ebrahim

The smart Harvard-educated Minister is wearing lots of caps. Her Excellency Chairs Dubai Cares, the Emirates Business Council and the National Bureau of Statistics not only play a pivotal role in Expo 2020. She also operates the office of His Highness Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of the Emirates of Emirates, and is concerned for ties with India, Pakistan, the African Sub-Saharan countries and the series of islands developing countries.

Paul Petersen