Shaima Saleh AlHusseini, a graduate in English literature, is a fan of the works of the English 19th-century author Charles Dickens. “People see his books as very gloomy, but he was a visionary as well. He depicted society and saw it from a different lens that always gave hope.” Both as a student and as a business leader, she finds fascination in exploring narratives and their complexity. In particular, she values the insights gained from studying the same phenomenon from different perspectives. Another favourite book was penned by a Westerner on her own country, Saudi Arabia. The Road to Mecca was written by Muhammad Asad.
“The percentage of global leadership positions in sport held by women is in single figures”
“It’s very interesting because it’s an experience of a Westerner going to Mecca, and it shows you things from a different lens and from a different perspective. And it’s very interesting to see your [own] culture from a different perspective. It helps me in my work because it’s very important to put yourself in other people’s shoes.”
Meeting people from diverse nations and cultures was an important part of the appeal of studying for an EMBA at IMD – not only to learn about the differences, but the similarities.
Since 2021, including her time studying for the EMBA, she has been Vice-Chair and Vice-President of the General Assembly of the Arab Sports for All. The status and opportunities for women in the Arabic world, including in sport, is often raised as an issue both internally and in international media and political circles. Yet she learned that the actual experience in other nations, including in the West, can be similar.
“In the sports sector, having females in leadership positions is very rare, but when you look at the statistics, and this is one of the things that we took in one of the [IMD] classes – we had a guest speaker, a managing director of one of the major sports clubs, he said the percentage of global leadership positions in sport held by women is in single figures.”
Her parents encouraged her to be ambitious from a young age and be open-minded about her study and career options. In her generation, she encounters a preference among ambitious people to study in IT, medicine or engineering, associating these specialisms with offering the best prospects for successful and high-earning careers. Her father helped her have the confidence to follow her interests. “He said, go do whatever you will succeed in, and stand out, even if it’s archaeology, because if you stand out, that’s more important than going to be a doctor or an engineer.”
This turned out to be wise counsel, and following her passion has hardly held her back. “I was in love with literature, and it’s helped me a lot in many aspects. I can read faster. I can skim through things, I can analyze.”
Her father is an eminent politician, having served as Deputy Minister for Trade and Industrial Affairs in the Saudi Arabian government, KSA Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and as Ambassador to India and Egypt. She regards herself as being blessed to have had an internationally diverse upbringing, having attended school in the USA. She also spent time while young in Switzerland. IMD was effectively on a short-list of one when it came to her decision regarding a place of study for an EMBA. She was impressed by the global perspective, the closeness of theory to practice, the teaching capability and the maturity of the alumni.
Shaima addresses in depth the cognitive, intellectual and societal challenge offered by the leadership role – how a blend of near-opposite strengths has to be brought into play, and how the impact is felt beyond the business. “The challenge is, how can you be empathetic while driving value for companies? And this is what I believe will be the biggest challenge for businesses and business leaders.”
Specifically, the combination of “being a P&L, driven and focused [leader], enhancing your business, achieving your targets, reaching the growth that you need, your KPIs, etc, while making a positive impact, not just for your business, but also for your society, for your people”. She adds: “I think the result will be beautiful, but it is challenging.”
Leadership coaching at IMD nurtured both her ability and her confidence. The use of a video recording in an exercise, followed by informed feedback, helped her realize that she was often performing at a higher level than she realized. This is the common experience of high-intellect individuals, who display more ability and confidence in the role than they actually feel in the process.
In her current role, the strategic objective of increasing participation in sport for all is linked to the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. It is beneficial for health and encourages community participation. “We had no resistance when we started female sports because we always associated it with something positive. So the parents had no issue with their daughters playing football… When you have transformation or change, there’s always resistance. But when you associate it with something that people believe in, the challenge becomes less.”
This ability to comprehend the big picture, while being able also to understand the implications for individuals and their families, is a key strength for a business leader. It is a quality of a great novelist like Dickens, also.
“It’s very interesting to see your own culture from a different perspective”
