While there is no dearth of talent in the Global South, it is women who have taken the lead in the corporate and entrepreneurial landscape of Pakistan. Over the years, the South Asian economies have been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with India and Pakistan in the center and front. They have worked at home, and they have worked outside of the home, gradually realizing their true potential to shine through the male-dominated, cutthroat world of the corporate. Here’s a look at the top businesswomen who made FUCHSIA proud:
Safinah Danish Elahi
Safinah Danish Elahi is a lawyer by day and a poet/novelist by night. The Unbridled Romance of Love and Pain, a poetry collection, was a delight to the heart mind, and soul. Following the same trajectory, she published her debut novel, Eye on the Prize, which has been successfully translated into Urdu and converted into a TV series. Extrapolating her love of writing, she founded the Reverie Publishers, which went on to become an award-winning publishing house in a short time. Her business acumen is manifested when she aligned her passion and was selected as a scholar at the International Writer’s Program with the University of Iowa, 2022 where she represented Pakistan as a writer and publisher. With several titles in the pipeline of her publishing house, we look forward to what she has to write as an author in her upcoming offering, The Idle Stance of the Tippler Pigeon, about to release in May 2023. So fingers crossed for this one! Safinah D. Elahi also serves on the board of Blue Ex and Agro Processor Ltd.
Musarrat Misbah
Humble by nature and robust by drive, Musarrat Misbah is an outstanding philanthropist and a creative businesswoman. She possesses a strong desire to make an impactful influence in however she contributes – whether philanthropically or commercially. As she continues to bring positive change in society, she also builds strong women along the way as she heals them and enables them to become productive members of society, making a substantial contribution as economic drivers of change. With her Depilex Smile Again initiative, she has transformed the lives of many girls and women with acid incidents, bringing hope, one person at a time. And it doesn’t there. Her brilliant work has prompted law enforcement agencies to regulate the buying and selling of acid, which will help in determining the acid abusers and saving the potential victims.
Rameeza Moin
The founder of Transparent Hands, Rameeza Moin, shouldered the responsibility of addressing the most pressing issue that receives truncated attention and priority – health. A charity endeavor by nature, it sets out to provide free medical treatment to the poor and needy people in Pakistan. Connecting the donor with the needy, Transparent Hands has helped more than 50000 people with medical attention and treatment. While all of us know the absolute necessity to resolve the health crisis in Pakistan, especially post-floods, Moin realized the dire need to urgently resolve the poor state of healthcare in Pakistan. So what started as a crowdfunding platform to raise funds for free medical treatment, has now morphed into an enterprising venture with philanthropic intention.
Sihah Waris
Sihah Waris is a rising tech entrepreneur with strong business acumen. She kicked off her career with Solugix, a web development, and design services company. Her latest startup, RiseMom is what set this woman apart from the rest. As a parent, this service startled me – pleasantly. With numerous women taking the lead in the corporate world, many do not realize the struggles behind a successful female career. Enter RiseMom. This is a stress-free online daycare monitoring system, which allowed women to leave home for work without having to worry about their children and become economic, productive members of society. Young mothers often take a career break as they have a dual responsibility of raising children and managing careers. Juggling both roles, they usually quit for the sake of children – a tough decision many professional women face. This is not only a downside for the women, but also for the corporate giants that lose out on a big chunk of the talented pool. A much-lauded endeavor!
While the list is not exhaustive, and the choice was tough, Pakistan needs more of these boss women in all the sectors for growth that enables an economy driven by women.
