{"id":280499,"date":"2020-09-16T20:50:39","date_gmt":"2020-09-16T23:50:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=280499"},"modified":"2020-09-16T20:54:20","modified_gmt":"2020-09-16T23:54:20","slug":"beyond-the-uae-executives-point-to-promising-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/beyond-the-uae-executives-point-to-promising-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the UAE: executives point to promising markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The Arab market can be explored way beyond the tried-and-true hub that is the United Arab Emirates. Business experts from different countries and industries said more and more doors are opening up for businesswomen in countries such as Morocco, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. They shared information this Wednesday morning (16) during the webinar \u201cChallenges and opportunities for women doing business with Arab countries.\u201d The virtual event was hosted by WAHI \u2013 Women Who Inspire, the women\u2019s committee of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> (ABCC), and by the Women Inside Trade (WIT) group.<\/p>\n

The Citibank Group\u2019s Gulf and Iraq global subsidiaries cluster head Shamsa Al-Falasi (pictured above<\/em>) said much progress was made in the last ten years when it comes to women in business. \u201cMorocco is [also] opening up and encouraging new business. You have your business niches [in each Arab country]. And you\u2019d be surprised to learn that Kuwait is also actively pushing to promote new business. It\u2019s something to keep in mind,\u201d said Al-Falasi.<\/p>\n

Another powerhouse mentioned by the Citibank executive is Saudi Arabia. \u201cSome countries are on the right track with their programs, like Saudi Arabia, which keeps expanding [in terms of business]. From a cultural standpoint, it remains a conservative nation, but much of its population is under 30.\u201d<\/p>\n

Business owner Julia de Biase, who\u2019s active in Brazilian-Arab trade, inquired about the extent to which different Arab nations are welcoming to products from Brazil. \u201cI work with imports of Arab goods to Brazil. I am beginning to go the opposite route, which is exports. I\u2019d like to know which countries besides the UAE we might supply products to, like the a\u00e7a\u00ed and date mix I am developing,\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

Morocco\u2019s Heuda Farah Guessous, the cofounder of international exhibition Foodeshow, said segmentation is important in assessing market potential. She also named Morocco as a good choice. \u201cMorocco is a gateway to Europe, which it has 61 free trade agreements with. It has agreements with the Gulf Cooperation Council, with Turkey, with African countries. That is an interesting point to consider.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Heuda Farah Guessous of Morocco is the cofounder of Foodeshow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shamsa Al-Falasi stressed the need to keep up with the latest business tools. \u201cThe market is changing and we need to leverage these [digital] platforms. The future is here. We need to take advantage of what\u2019s happening right now. To jump at the opportunities. The more we collaborate with one another, the more powerful we\u2019ll be.\u201d<\/p>\n

And collaboration is what the webinar is all about, said Alessandra Frisso, the chairwoman of the ABCC\u2019s WAHI Committee and the commercial director for ABCC member company H2R Pesquisas Avan\u00e7adas. \u201cWe are pleased to share our partnership with the WIT. This is the Arab Chamber moving closer to international businesswomen. We are aware of the existing challenges in business and culture, but the more we learn about the culture, the more we feel comfortable doing business and finding opportunities.<\/p>\n

WIT cofounders Ver\u00f4nica Prates and Monica Rodriguez went over the partnership that spawned the webinar. \u201cI believe this is the result of women demanding more space, and it flies in the face of the myth that women don\u2019t help one another. This partnership goes to show women around the world are helping each other up,\u201d Prates said. \u201cThe way I see it, countries will tend to reduce their barriers to trade more and more. This synergy between the WIT and WAHI will yield great results, particularly an increase in female participation in international business,\u201d said Rodriguez.<\/p>\n

An ABCC poll revealed, among other things, that 67% of the webinar\u2019s female viewership feel comfortable in traveling to Arab countries. Most respondents (76%) said they never backed out from a negotiation due to cultural barriers. ABCC Institutional Relations manager Fernanda Baltazar believes these numbers show progress and are encouraging to women considering embarking on a business venture involving Arab nations. \u201cThe purpose of this event is precisely to break down barriers and to build ideas and opportunities. These examples are important. You have brought us something of great value.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The webinar featured business experts from Brazil and Arab countries<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ABCC president Rubens Hannun was also featured in the event. \u201cTalking about challenges and opportunities facing women in business with Arab countries is really important. That\u2019s what WAHI is working on, and we are relying on the WIT\u2019s collaboration. I would like to thank all of the women in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

ABCC and WAHI director Claudia Haddad wrapped up the webinar as she invited everyone to the Economic Forum Brazil & Arab Countries, taking place in digital fashion next October. She also relayed a message: \u201cContrary to what many people thing, Arab women have always had a fundamental role, because they run the family. Thus, it\u2019s not hard to envision them leading businesses. The topic of the webinar brought much synergy between WAHI and the WIT, and many more discussions and actions are sure to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event also featured Karen Jones, the head of operations at the Middle East and North Africa Office of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil); Grazielle Parenti, the board chair at the Brazilian Food Industry Association (ABIA); and Kellen Amorim, a strategist on Personal Branding and Positioning, Communication and Female Leadership. Business owner Cecilia Araujo of Brazil\u2019s Vitta Gold, a major business player in Egypt, discussed her experiences.<\/p>\n

For more on the webinar, check out Women claim their space in the Arab world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can watch the full webinar in the ABCC\u2019s YouTube channel:<\/p>\n