As Middle East's Economy Bounces Back, so Does Women's Workforce Participation

By: Rachita Sharma, Managing Editor | Friday, 14 July 2023

The pandemic was a testing for business landscapes across the globe. Surely yet steadily, economies are bouncing back to life and the GCC region is no exception. The regional economy has overcome the roadblocks out in place by the Covid-19 crisis and has emerged much stronger and resilient that before. Although the oil and petroleum sectors have been the most lucrative industries for the Middle East, yet other sectors have gained prominence and have also registered growth after overcoming the pandemic.

Key sectors such as tourism, transportation and hospitality have gained a new lease of life. Reports suggest that tourism in Saudi Arabia and Qatar has gained ground. The expat population has also strengthened, most notably in Oman which has also given a boost to the overall economy.

The region has also made strides in bringing more women into the workforce. While the rest of the world was grappling with women’s participation falling during the pandemic, Saudi Arabia’s total female workforce participation saw an increase. According to a report released by the Small and Medium Enterprises Authority, the number increased to 33.6 percent in the first quarter of 2022 from 20.5 percent in 2019.

The Women Entrepreneur platform intends to celebrate all such strides made by women of the world and thus we bring to you inspirational stories of Indian origin women leaders who have made a mark in the Middle East business landscape.

Gracing the cover is Tanvi Garg, Founder & Managing Director, Convention 360. A highly experienced professional, Tanvi is providing high-quality legal services to clients in various sectors. She personally has expertise in areas such as Legal Consulting, Company Mergers, Acquisitions & Restructuring, Debt collection, and Arbitration, with specialized knowledge of industries such as Retail, Hospitality, Real Estate, and Construction.

Drumi Sarkar, Director - Human Capital, Majid Al Futtaim is another women leader featured in the magazine’c current edition. Shatadrumi is an accomplished leader with over 14 years of experience in the field of HR Strategy, Talent Development, and Organizational Culture. Throughout her career, Drumi has spearheaded the design/implementation of transformative, organization-wide people and culture initiatives. As the Human Capital Director for a well-known regional conglomerate, Drumi has driven organizational change in remarkable ways. Outside her corporate role, she is a Life Coach and a certified Hypnotherapist, who is passionate about driving meaningful change and positively impacting people’s lives around her.

Drumi is joined by Annu Pramod, MD, Peoplepro International. Annu was born in Tanzania, Africa, and pursued her Graduation and Post-Graduation in the best colleges in Kerala. Currently, she is the Managing Director of PEOPLEPRO INTERNATIONAL, UAE. Annu's expertise lies in helping organizations build strong and efficient teams, developing leaders among school and university students, and enhancing employee performance.

Last but not the least, we feature Sudharshana Jagannathan, Director, Weatherford. Sudharshana is an Oil & Gas professional with wide international experience across Middle East, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Russia Caspian and Western Hemisphere in production segment. She holds Technology specialization in Electrical Submersible Pump and Gas Lift Systems, and is also skilled in P&L, Balance Sheet Management & bid preparation, and Field Operations Service Delivery.

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