Why are women entrepreneurs in the real estate sector thriving in the UAE?

Besides the sunshine, the reason most of us live in the UAE is because there are few places in the world where you can find a better place to do business. The UAE's pro-business and entrepreneurial policies create a level playing field for all. We recently gathered 7 women who are at the pinnacle of their careers and hold senior positions in some of Dubai's top real estate and property management companies. They were brought together to share their stories of how they came to the UAE, how they broke their dependence on management and started their own businesses, and what it takes to succeed in a country where women not only drive cars but also make important decisions.

These women have much in common: while living in Dubai, they all realized that it's not just possible, but profitable to run their own businesses; they each survived the recession in 2008 and say they are stronger now; and they all attribute their success to the UAE's business environment. But this is where their paths diverge, because there is no single story about how women succeed in a male-dominated world.

The varying numbers of men in Dubai should be noted. By the end of 2016, 70% of foreign workers in the emirate were male, according to the Dubai Statistics Center. However, efforts by the government and women in leadership positions in the private sector are creating a new image of women in the Middle East. As of November last year, nine of the UAE's 29 government ministers were women, and Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazroui, aged 23, is the youngest minister in the world.

The UAE is only slightly outside the top 20 countries for ease of doing business, according to the latest Knight Frank ranking. This year, it moved up five places to 21st place.

Louise Heatley, chief executive of Exclusive Links Real Estate, arrived in the UAE in 1996 as an Emirates flight attendant. Within 4 years, she had reached the top step of flight attendant and didn't know what to do next. Real estate proved to be her chance, and she started a business with a local Emirati woman who sponsored her property management company in 2005. She now supervises 40 employees.

Hind Juini, chief executive of Real Choice Real Estate, is witnessing the regulation scrolling right. "Everything is sorted out," she says, citing the efforts of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority and the Dubai Real Estate Department. "Now we're mostly working with end users, things are running smoothly. It's time to grow.".

This optimism was finished. Juini came to Dubai from Tunisia in 2001 as an employee of a stamped concrete firm. She felt overworked and underpaid, so after just a year in the UAE, she started her own business. Fifteen years later, through the recession and having done millions of deals, she heads a successful agency with hundreds of proposals and a team of 30 people.

"It's a promising market," says Giuini. "A woman will achieve success from what she puts into her work and believes in herself. If she has both, she can succeed. "

Hadje is chief commercial officer of Propertyfinder Group; Varner is editor of Propertyfinder Group. The opinions expressed in the article are their own and do not reflect the policies of the newspaper.