The first National Association of Women in Construction (Nawic) in the Middle East was launched in Doha on November 13.
Hosted at Msheireb Propertes’ Sahat Wadi Msheireb, the opening ceremony of the Qatar chapter saw more than 200 attendees.
Registered under licence 777 at the Qatar Financial Centre, this non-profit organisation will promote the construction sector as a viable career for women and enhance their professional development within the industry, according to the association.
Members will have immediate access to a network of women in various stages of their careers.
The network provides mentoring, professional and leadership development, education and skill advancement.
The official launch was announced by Nawic New Zealand president Jenny Parker.
It was followed by a panel discussion composed of Nawic Qatar founding board members: Nawic Qatar president Billie Teshich, associate director at Turner and Townsend for Construction Consultancy; Shaikha al-Sulaiti, design manager at Msheireb Properties; Ghada Darwish, design manager, founder and managing partner of Ghada M Darwish Law Firm; and Carly Jane Figgis, general manager of BBR for Interior Design & Fit-out.
They declared in a statement: “We formed Nawic Qatar in 2019 as a Qatari non-profit organisation. Nawic Qatar is the first professional association of its kind in the Middle East.
“The association is led by a team of volunteers who dedicate their efforts to champion, empower and inspire women in the construction industry to unlock their potential and to contribute to the construction industry in general.
“Our Nawic Qatar motto is ‘Connect, Lead, Diversify’.”
A video showing testimonials from Nawic’s members worldwide sharing their achievements was shown to the audience.
There were also presentations from speakers and a panel discussion with experts from the industry and the education sector.
