The panel of judges for the 2013 ITP Arab Woman Awards Qatar met yesterday in Doha for a pre-event luncheon to discuss this year’s nominations.
Launched in 2009, the Arab Woman Awards recognise and reward inspirational Arab women who have made a positive impact on society in areas such as business, arts, charity and fashion. This is the second consecutive year that ITP Consumer Publishing is bringing this prestigious award to Doha. ITP follows a set of strict criteria to ensure that winners of this award are nominated objectively, based on their accomplishments over the past 12 months and their contribution to Qatar.
The judging panel is made up of six distinguished women drawn from the worlds of commerce, medicine, arts and journalism, including Buthaina al-Ansari, senior director of human resources at Ooredoo. “The Arab Woman Awards are vital in inspiring younger generations of Arab women to strive for success in their chosen field,” she said.
The other judges for 2013 include Dr Nawal Sheikh, director of communications at Securities and Exchange Commission, Mashael M al-Ansari, marketing and communication director at Anti-Doping Laboratory Qatar, and Amal al-Aathem, one of Qatar’s leading artists.
Al-Aathem expressed her delight at being part of the judging panel, saying: “It is fantastic to be involved in the Arab Woman Awards Qatar and to help ensure that these inspirational women get the recognition they deserve.”
Another judge, Aisha al-Bedded, creative director of Darz Designs, said: “I look forward to working with my fellow judges, who are all inspirational women in their own right, and celebrating the achievements of other inspirational women from across the region.”
Nadine El-Chaer, editor-in-chief of ITP Publishing who was also a member of the judges’ board at last year’s event, said: “It is my absolute honour to be a member of this esteemed judges’ board for the second consecutive year. I was delighted to witness last year’s awards in Qatar and see how much Qatari women have done to inspire other Arab women around the world with their ingenuity and aspirations to achieve their goals. I wish all the nominees this year the best of luck.”
ITP Consumer Publishing, the region’s largest publisher of women’s magazines, will hold the Arab Woman Awards in Qatar on October 21 at W Doha Hotel & Residences, which will be hosted by Al Jazeera news presenter Fairouz Ziani. The Arab Woman Awards are presented at a gala ceremony attended by 300 guests comprising winners, their families and friends, VIPs and leading family members.
The Arab Woman Awards now run annually in the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait and will be launched in Saudi Arabia in 2014. Till date, they have recognised the achievements of more than 130 inspirational Arab women. Notable past winners include Aisha Hussein Alfardan, vice-chairwoman of Qatari Businesswomen Association; Ilham Yousef al-Qaradawi, professor of physics at Qatar University; Vanity Room owners Aisha al-Misnad, Alia al-Attiya and Al Banderi al-Attiya; Abu Dhabi businesswomen Huda al-Matroushi and Fatima al-Jaber as well as Sheikha Manal bint Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, president of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the UAE.



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