Back in 2018, we featured a list of distinguished Bahraini women entrepreneurs on our 2nd Issue, Bahraini women who have transcended local stereotypes to mould and inspire a new generation of Bahraini women in society. For 2020 our current issue once again depicts the emergence of a new genre of women in business– young, driven and ambitious. Brave women with the tenacity to defy gargantuan risks, many of whom come from modest beginnings leaping unto unpredictable success and an enduring presence that inspired a new paradigm for Bahraini women in society. Learn about these women and find out from where they draw fountains of inspiration and drive. They come from different sectors of the industry, from government institutions to private companies, in the field of food and beverage, fashion, education, arts, IT, health & beauty.

Leena Al-Olaimy

Leena Al Olaimy is co-founder and executive chairperson of 3BL Associates (3BL) a people+planet strategy consultancy working on interconnected sustainable development issues like peace, climate change, and equitable economic growth. She has advised Nobel Peace Prize nominees, impact investment funds, governments, and corporates, on innovative, inclusive, multi-stakeholder models to advance development. Through 3BL’s think-do-tank, Leena has also cofounded social ventures like Diversity On Board and PublicPlanet Partnerships, which was awarded a Dubai Expo 2020 Global Impact Innovator. Leena’s career started early at the age of 18 when she worked for an international PR company handling communications strategies for Fortune 500s. After studying Culture & Communications at New York University, she went on to organize high-profile events such as pre-Grammy parties, and forums convening Middle East heads of state, G8 foreign secretaries and the World Bank President. Leena is a Dalai Lama Fellow and the author of Compassionate Counterterrorism: The Power of Inclusion in Fighting Fundamentalism. Her interest in peaceful approaches to countering violent extremism is influenced by her time living in New York during 9/11. Leena is also a Wall Street Journal “Woman of Note,” and has given over 200 talks globally, engaging audiences like the World Economic Forum and several United Nations organizations. Aside from her professional background, many people may not know Leena loves to sing jazz and soul music..

Abeer Al-Matooq

is a business executive, life coach, HR consultant, author and entrepreneur. She is the founder and managing director of Thrive Coaching Consultancy, which provides coaching and training services to employees to develop their corporate management and leadership skills along with life coaching and support services to private female clients. Abeer is the author of, “Be true to the song in your heart” a reflection on selfempowerment, core values and purpose, a credo which fuels her mission in life in order to help individuals and organizations perform to the best of their abilities.

Budoor Steele

owns Chawan, a Japanese teahouse that brought Japanese Culture to the Gulf. Having lived in Japan for six years, she learned to embrace the culture to the point that she longed to bring to Bahrain the Japanese teahouse and enable Bahrainis to experience the Japanese’s exotic tradition of tea drinking. In the beginning she was already fully aware of the risk. But despite the odds, she had sworn to give it her best efforts. After several tries, she went back to Japan and shifted the shop to an online store which she manaed and operated while studying in Japan. That way, she was able to keep Chawan operating the whole time.

Huda Janahi

Huda Janahi started her business, Global Cargo and Traveller Services, with a startup capital of 1,000 Bahraini Dinars, and ran her business by herself from a small office in Muharraq. From that small and humble start, she has merged resources worth US$3m with Global Logistics Company, a
Kuwait-based cargo company providing services to the Middle East region. Over the years, the company has evolved into one of the most influential companies in the industry, a source of inspiration and empowerment for women across the world. Her businesses are diversified across the service, retail, media and manufacturing industries, with nearly a hundred employees and a net worth valued at $25 million USD. She has achieved an international footprint as one of the most powerful business women in the Arab world according to Forbes magazine, heralding the unprecedented rise of women entrepreneurs in the Gulf and the region.

Sofia Al-Asfoor

Sofia Al Asfoor is a founder and designer of a worldclass brand of luxury handmade bags and accessories. An alumni of the London College of Fashion Cordwainers Fashion Accessories programme, she consummated her passion and creativity by mixing cultures, pushing boundaries but at the same time embracing her Arabian heritage. Her interest in the craft started from childhood when she designed her own clothes and accessories. Her immersion in foreign culture and fashion enabled her to interact with cultures from around the globe in major fashion capital cities like Milan, London and New York. Although she belonged to a clan of influential entrepreneurs and her father owns a very successful business, she endeavored to create her own signature product and make a name for herself.

Aisha Abdulmalik

Bahraini jewelry designer is the owner of Aisha Jewels, a jewelry maker popular for their unique custom-made products created by skilled craftsmen from Bahrain and Milan, Italy and exported GCC-wide. Aisha began developing her brand at the very young age of 17, which she funded from her savings. Encouraged by the support of Mashroo3i by Tamkeen, she bravely pitted her unique creations against established international brands in Bahrain and Dubai. Aisha Jewels’ reputation for creativity and innovation in product development and strategic sales and management gained for it respectable awards including the Most Distinguished Business in Bahrain 2016 and Micro-Enterprise of the Year by the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship in 2017.

Huda Marzooq

introduced the dining concept, Jimmy’s Killer Prawns in Bahrain. Originally from South Africa, Huda said that bringing the restaurant to Bahrain was
the realization of their goal to generate jobs for people. Jimmy’s Killer Prawns originated from an old mining house in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1991. Huda and her husband signed a partnership agreement in early 2017 and became the representative of Jimmy’s Killer Prawns in the GCC.
The unique concept caught the attention of customer who longed to experience the unique flavors of Jimmy’s Killer Prawn, the only restaurant that focuses on prawns as their main core product. Huda acknowledges the WOMEN February – March 2020/ bentrepreneur.biz / 63 support of Tamkeen who covered up to 50% of their kitchen equipment, ICT and marketing costs and enabled her to secure some extra fund to invest towards a smooth opening and address their startups needs.

Azza Al Hujairi

is a recipient of the Sustainability in Business Award for her company, Azza International, during the recently held Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship. She is a designer who was enamoured since childhood by myths and legends surrounding the history of her homeland, which she deemed “magical”. A senior position in a legal consultancy firm drew a concrete border between her perspectives of reality and magic, and when she decided to venture in jewellery design, she was once again united with her whimsical nature. She delved on history and mythology in relation to Bahrain and studied at the Gemological Institute of America, and in 2012 launched her Fine Jewellery line which showcased eloquent designs in gold and natural pearls which symbolized the island’s rhythmic and aesthetic landscape.

Roaya Al-Saleh

Roaya Al-Saleh was awarded the Global Enterprise of the Year for her brainchild, Villa Mamas at the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship. For her, Villa Mamas, a restaurant in Saar and now London, that serves local cuisine with Mediterranean influences, is an extension of her home. She makes it a point to use local and seasonal ingredients which typifies her signature dishes inspired by the famous cuisine of Bahrain, Persia and other lands where she had travelled. She patronizes the farmers in Bahrain whose fresh produce spices up her dishes– homemade jams, chutneys, pickles, spices and sauces. Roaya is comnitted to promoting Bahraini food in Bahrain and across the GCC. She aims to preserve the identity of Bahrain through its extraordinary and distinctive cuisine— in a quaint surrounding where people can enjoy its exquisite flavor while at the same time relishing the beauty of the surrounding.

Sh. Latifa Al-Khalifa

C.E.O. and Co-founder of Clever Play, was recently awarded the Female Entrepreneur of the Year. Clever Play is built on the need to spark, inspire and nurture kids’ interest in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) in order to build a pipeline of future talent through learner-centered skill building on the fundamentals of the 21st century economy. Its methods are designed to expose students to an immersive,
interdisciplinary project-making that they would otherwise not experience in the classroom. Sh. Latifa feels that she has been learning how to serve all her life. Educated in International Studies, she describes her growth as a result of being She states that she was “schooled by life experiences. “I have always been a seeker of the big picture (global problems), and aspired to be an Ambassador for my country. I eventually found my special space in the company of children – transforming the way they learn and live, inspiring them to serve the future with their best.