Soha Nashaat: 'Woman banker of the year' (page 2 of 2)

Many things helped make the world an open place, such as the sociological evolution, the exchange of information, the fact that people travel a lot, not to forget technology. Technology has made it easier for women to have both a family and a career, as they don't really have to worry if the pot is cooking in the oven."

Self confidence is also something that Nashaat gives great credit. Women today are gaining a self confidence that wasn't accepted 25 years ago. Today this is not only accepted, but also encouraged and embraced by society and governments. A look at what the governments across the Middle East are doing to promote women's role highlights that it is a trend moving to this region.

And despite the fact that Nashaat hates stereotypes, she admits that women are looked at as emotional while men are seen as pragmatic. Her advice to aspiring businesswomen is to be aware of this and handle themselves appropriately if they want to be taken seriously.

We often speak of what women need in the different business sectors, but what about what companies need to get the best out of their female employees? Flexibility comes top for Nashaat, who thinks that companies should compromise when they have a talented employee regardless of gender.

"Companies must look for talent and when they find that in a female, they've got to understand her needs. And the smart ones would rather hire a part-timer with great talent than a full-timer with less talent. This is something that banks are becoming more aware of."

The sleeping giant

Over the past two years, Barclays has expanded dramatically in the Middle East. Nashaat says the company is a sleeping giant, and it is now extensively promoting itself as one of the top-three banking institutions in the region. And to achieve that she says it is "hiring the best people, developing a product offering that's second to none, and most importantly delivering the best services".

Barclays has also started to build up its wealth management division, where previously it put its efforts into asset management, where it is much stronger.

Priorities for Barclays in the coming years would be to explore the various licensing opportunities in different countries in the region. Saudi Arabia, the biggest of the GCC financial markets, UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait come top, while retaining a "regional vision that includes GCC as a whole, Levant, Egypt, and Turkey", Nashaat said.