Women in Tech Take the Stage at Dubai’s AIBC Blockchain Event

The SiGMA Asia and AIBC Asia Summit 2022 saw a great number of innovative leaders in technology. To highlight one panel in particular, brought women in technology to the stage. These women sat together and had an insightful discussion on what women are bringing and will be bringing to the industry.

In detail, the panel was led by Her Excellency, Laila Rahhal, President & Founder of Business Gate & I Am Africa Platform. Joining her are five empowered leaders in the industry. These include Alex Chan, Co-Founder and CBO of Oly Sport, Eleonora Menichetti, Partner at Human Factor Italia, Sanja Kon, CEO of utrust, Sonia Saleem, CEO and Founder of SET International, and Zu Tohtayeva, CEO and Founder of SteelRose Legal Ltd.

Education Is the Key to Leadership 

To begin, Her Excellency warmly welcomes the crowd and welcomes her panelists. She first asks Alex if she believes more women will enter technology. In reply, Alex says that education is the key to empowering women. Presently, women are leaders in technology. Thus, she says that it is up to them to reach out and connect to people, find resources online, and find mentors because women need to believe that they are the future of technology.

We can be the creator, the innovator, we can be whoever we want to be and take that power and responsibility upon us and take action.

The next question went to Eleonora who shares her thoughts on how digitization is empowering women. Eleonora says DeFi was a huge breakthrough for all. It connects us by removing barriers and puts us all on equal footing.

Similarly, Sanja shares her thoughts on how crypto payments are changing the world. Specifically, she draws light to the shift from traditional banking. The majority of the unbanked happen to be women, this is changing now thanks to the blockchain. Sanja says that this is the biggest revolution that came to current times.

Meanwhile, Zu brings focus to how new the crypto sector is and how important it is for new companies to understand the legal workings and regulations that come with it. After all, it is imperative to navigate this uncharted territory carefully for a successful future to avoid nasty surprises.

Feminine Energy Drives Capable Leaders

Coming back to women in leadership, Her Excellency asks the panel a question: How can more women enter the space? Also, if they do, how should they approach the position of a leader in technology?

On the former, Sonia says that seeing women as equals should come from the household. She says, if children are taught to see each other as equals and respect one another, then gender inequality will soon become a thing of the past.

On the latter, Alex shares her approach to being a leader at Oly Sport. She says that embracing her feminine energy helped her create a safe space for her team. Instead of trying to be a dominant leader, she focuses on being empathetic and encourages her team to learn and educate themselves and one another. “Connect to your core energy and focus on making a positive impact on the world,” she adds.

Next, Eleonora points out how out of the current statistics, 33% of crypto investors are women. She says this number will only continue to rise. Thus, it is important to build on the capabilities, skills, and competencies of women in the space as well as those looking to enter it as well. Women have the right attitude and they are ready. It seems all they need are the right platforms.

Adding to the last line, Sonia expands on how important it is to give women the platform to connect with other women. Together they can connect, grow, and help one another. She says, “If I know something that can help you, I will connect you to those opportunities. Possibly, from all over the world”.

Cryptocurrency Gives Women a Platform and a Voice

On the topic of the globally rising crypto adoption, Sanja mentions how at first, investors used crypto to make earnings. It is no secret that many turned their Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) holding into profits over the past. However, the more common practice now is the use of stablecoins such as USDT and USDC. This means that the world is beginning to accept crypto as what it originally planned to be — a simple and safer form of payment. She concludes by saying that more countries will soon make crypto payments a norm.

Adding to that, Zu says that it is important for countries to understand the technology and truly embrace it before making any legal decisions. Much like Dubai, which is genuinely understanding and integrating the technology, she says regulations should be set in such a way that young tech developers should feel heard and encouraged to work there.

What Defines Women in Technology?

To shift focus, Her Excellency asks her panelists about the role of women as mothers. Especially because, if a mother enters an industry, the children automatically enter it as well.

On this, Alex says parents get to decide how much their children can partake in this sector. They are the gatekeepers, so they should take an active part in their children’s technological lives.

Likewise, Eleonora, mother of twins, says that it is important for children to learn and understand the industries as it will bring them more opportunities. Similarly, Sonia says children are the future, so they should learn what is new, but from trusted sources.

Meanwhile, Sanja shines a light on the industry instead. She says that when developing a business or a program they should keep in mind to work ethically so that all people can interact in a safe and friendly manner.

Agreeing with her, Zu adds,

I think what we need here is a technological solution to protect the children so they can learn and grow and develop in a safe environment. And obviously, hopefully, regulators will catch up and help us protect our youth and our future.

Finally, to conclude the panel Her Excellency asks her panelists to sum up women in technology with one word. In response, the words are as follows: Alex “Powerful”, Eleonora “Freedom”, Sanja “Fierce”, Sonia “Love”, Zu “Strong”, Her Excellency “Future and Sustainability”, and this writer adds “Unstoppable”.