Reham: After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems at King Saud University, I had a passion for IT and went into the IT industry working for a multinational software company for four years. In 2015, I moved to SAP, where I started as a Healthcare Account Executive, then proved myself and became Healthcare Director. In my role, I managed the complex needs of the government and healthcare industries across sales, partners, services, and marketing.
In 2018, SAP decided to expand its footprint in the Kingdom of Bahrain. In line with SAP’s belief in empowering women and providing equal opportunities to top female talent, I was promoted to Managing Director of SAP Bahrain.
Reham: SAP has long played a role in enabling the digital transformation of Bahrain’s public and private sector organizations. Bahrain’s organizations that digitally transform into Intelligent Enterprises are more responsive to employee and customer needs, are more innovative and competitive, and are supporting Bahrain’s diversified economic growth.
Under my leadership, SAP has expanded its operations in Bahrain, supporting government-led digital transformation in line with the Economic Vision 2030 goals, government-led VAT initiatives, and developing and hiring local talent.
Over the past several years, SAP Bahrain has been one of the strongest markets in SAP’s EMEA South region, achieving double-digit growth in FY2019 and FY2020, and receiving the top market unit award for H1 FY2020.[SB1]
At SAP, we have also been committed to supporting the workforce of the future by upskilling local talent in Bahrain, through the Training and Development Institute’s Young Professional Program and Dual Study Program.
In 2020, SAP graduated 25 young Bahraini talents from the Young Professional Program. During the 3-month-long program, recent university graduates gained technical and soft skills to become SAP Associate Consultants. More than 99 percent of program graduates across 24 countries have successfully been placed into careers.
SAP is continuing to support innovation and educational development, including launching Bahrain’s first Next-Gen at Bahrain Polytechnic. The virtual Next-Gen Hub, at leading universities, enables the SAP ecosystem of customers and partners to co-innovate and co-create with students.
Reham: In Bahrain and the Middle East, women in the technology industry are increasingly receiving support from their families, from their organizations, and from the government to achieve their career goals. The technology field is constantly evolving and is increasingly embracing diversity and inclusion initiatives. There are strong opportunities in the technology sector for women who believe in themselves.
At SAP, we have many female leaders who are acting as mentors, career coaches, and role models to support women in their career growth. The SAP Women Forward LinkedIn community brings together professionals from all industries who support women’s issues to help drive awareness, share knowledge, and success stories.
Reham: There is no better time than now for women to enter and advance their careers in the technology field. Bahrain and Middle East countries are providing all the support that women need to achieve their career goals. Women have succeeded in technology roles before in more challenging times. As a woman, your success depends on how much that you believe in yourself, and how much that you can proactively develop your skills and capabilities.
