Her Highness Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi isn’t content with letting women sit on the sidelines. The United Arab Emirates-based royal, who is the daughter of the ruler of Sharjah, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, has broken down barriers for women in the publishing world—and she’s now moving into fashion. Speaking to Marie Claire, Sheikha Bodour says she “felt that there was a lot of work to do” in terms of leveling the playing field for women in business, especially in the Arab world.
Sheikha Bodour founded her publishing company, Kalimat Group, two decades ago after her children “really didn't like the kind of books they were reading in Arabic and they wanted something more interesting.” Her Highness tells Marie Claire that after she became the second-ever female president of the International Publishers Association (IPA), she “realized that there were very few women in leadership positions” in the industry.
