Celebrating the strength in our differences

For the first part of her career, Hala focused on succeeding in the male-dominated financial sector in Saudi Arabia. Because opportunities for women in the financial sector were sparse, Hala knew that her work needed to stand out and speak for her -- and it did. She was a force to be reckoned with, breaking barriers and earning opportunities that few women had before her. After more than 20 years in the finance industry, Hala was approached by PwC Middle East, who was determined to attract her to the firm as she was an accomplished woman in finance. She saw joining PwC as an opportunity to serve a higher purpose and pay forward the success she had in the first phase of her career.

At PwC Middle East, Hala uses her knowledge and influence to help her team grow and succeed. In her opinion, there’s no better place to do this than PwC. With an abundance of knowledgeable people, and compelling platforms and propositions to solve clients’ most important problems, the firm provides the perfect environment in which to excel. Hala sees diversity as a key component in creating this kind of workplace because she believes in the power of a person’s uniqueness. For Hala, when you harness the uniqueness of individuals on a team to solve problems, that is how magic happens. And she’s passionate about the role she gets to play in promoting diversity. As she explains, “Every conversation that I have with my team is an opportunity to tease out and celebrate differences. Every opportunity that I get to hire people is an opportunity to augment the diversity of a team. Every time that I have an opportunity to reward and recognise people, I celebrate the power and the uniqueness in our differences.”

Hala helps those around her to reach their goals by maintaining an open door policy. As a mentor, and sponsor, she helps others shatter the glass ceilings in their minds so they are better able to take on the ones in the environment around them.  Hala’s mentees aren’t the only ones benefitting in their relationship. She’s keen to acknowledge that they are helping her in return as she learns from their experience, social motivation, digital savvy and hunger for innovation. 

Hala sees every conversation, with clients or colleagues, as an opportunity to impart her knowledge, learn from others and give back in some way. She is a fierce believer that creativity and independent thinking power the strength of the firm’s community of solvers. She would like to see an environment where inclusion and diversity are no longer everyday topics because they are simply the only way PwC knows how to conduct business. By advocating for herself throughout her career, and now for other people on her team, Hala is a voice and engine for Inclusion & Diversity in the Middle East.

On a more personal front Hala acknowledges that she is a softie at heart. She recognises that while she comes across as a really determined resilient leader, deep at heart she is a soft person that has learned to strengthen the perimeter so she can get on with life and get things done. In her spare time she really enjoys travelling and absolutely loves fine dining. Food is a passion, and whenever she finds the time Hala loves to cook.