Entrepreneur Somayeh Noor’s Journey from Defying Patriarchy to Becoming a Leading Businesswoman

Women throughout the world face several challenges in life that include gender inequality, exclusion from the workforce, and dealing with a patriarchal society, amongst others. After decades of suppression and turmoil, women are finally emerging from the shadows of men, defying the societal norms and gaining independence and recognition for themselves. The women of today are highly educated, run successful companies, and are active in various domains. One such interesting journey is of a leading businesswoman and author, Somayeh Noor.

Noor is a shining example of a woman from the Middle East who grew up in a patriarchal household and worked towards forging her own path in the world. She grew up in UAE and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering.

Post her graduation, Noor entered the family business, which was a path-breaking step considering the prevalent male-dominated society. Today, she an investor partner at Multibank and is responsible for leading the firm’s investment strategy and management and the research team. She is also a member of the compliance and hiring committees of the firm.

Noor furthered her ambition by reading and learning the tropes of investment through books, magazines, and newspaper articles. She extends her acute financial expertise towards overseeing investments across a broad range of sectors, including commodity, currency, gold, and petrol. In 2009, at the height of the recession, she capitalized on her knowledge by investing heavily in residential properties in the UAE and subsequently selling it at a profit.

The year 2020 has been of double celebrations for Noor. She debuted as an author on Amazon with her self-help book, ‘Success Vitamins,’ which met with an overwhelmingly positive response and was selected as the most fashionable businesswoman in the UAE by the international association, ‘World Beauty.’ She also plans to launch her own fashion label this year.

Noor is committed to promoting gender equality in the Middle East by creating scope for women to enter every industry and public office and empowering them to climb the corporate ladder to reach the top decision-making position.