Accelerating Action for International Women's Day
- Friday, 21 March 2025
Celebrating International Women's Day, Middlesex University (MDX) Dubai hosted an event showcasing the strength, resilience, and achievements of women.
Organised by MDX Lens and the Student Council, the panel, which took place on 12 March 2025, featured six distinguished female alumni from the university.
This year’s global theme, "Accelerate Action", called for moving beyond conversations and taking tangible steps toward gender equality.
The panel shared their insights about breaking barriers in leadership and STEM, implementing policies for workplace inclusivity, leveraging technology to empower women, and fostering mentorship to shape future leaders.
The panellists included:
- Heetali Mehta, People Manager at Giorgio Armani, discussed the importance of leadership and inclusivity in the fashion industry. Heetali said: “People will try and undermine you, as long as you understand yourself and your worth, there is no one who can stop you.”
- Maleeha Murad, Product Manager at Smart Crowd, spoke about the role of technology in empowering women and shaping future opportunities.
- Suzan Shaban, Trainee Solicitor at Pinsent Masons, emphasised the value of mentorship and breaking down barriers for women in law.
- Priyanka Awatramani, Consultant at Grant Thornton, shared her experience of overcoming challenges: “You don’t have to be aggressive to be assertive.”
- Jana Habson, Psychologist and Social Therapist at MCM Dubai, discussed the need for support when a woman starts a family and the role it plays in fostering a positive, inclusive workplace environment.
- Tala Bayado, Learning Support Assistant at Arbor School, shared her insights on how education can be a powerful tool in promoting gender equality.
Throughout the panel discussion, the speakers highlighted the importance of mentorship, inclusivity, and leadership in creating opportunities for women in male-dominated industries.
In addition there were interactive games hosted by student social clubs, including design challenges and trivia, followed by a meet and greet session with bestselling author and philanthropist Sarmistha Mitra.
The event was concluded by Professor Fehmida Hussain, Deputy Director Engagement and Student Experience, Head of CEI, MDX Dubai, who said: “Thank you to all our alumni on the panel, MDX Lens and Student Council who have made this such a great event.
“We take one day out a year to celebrate our achievements, but it is something we are working on day in day out, 365 days a year, and at MDX Dubai we have embedded this in all our teaching and programmes.
“We are continuously working on Sustainable Development Goal five, Gender Equality, it is a shared responsibility across the university and wider society.
“Through this we can build a future where leadership is defined by vision, where talent knows no gender and where equality is not an aspiration, but a reality.”
