Eman AlMannai
Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Golden Gate – Bahrain Bay

As an influential – and highly inspiring – woman in our society, what is your biggest wish for your fellow females in Bahrain?

My biggest wish is for them to not underestimate education. Knowledge is the single most powerful tool because, as Bahraini women, we are all capable of holding high positions – and with that, helping other women shine. Not only can a woman in a high position accomplish so much, but she’s also ideal in setting an example for other women to follow.

A very complicated year is finally coming to an end. What is the single biggest lesson you’ve learnt in 2020?

That’s a tough question. I can’t summarise it in a single lesson as 2020 taught us so many. No one expected even two percent of what happened in terms of social isolation, in terms of the impact on the economy and the aviation industry. Humans suffered, the government suffered, the world suffered – and so many ways of thinking have changed as a result. I think we should look at every crisis as a lesson, so this year taught me that every single thing that we are doing in life can be done more efficiently and more effectively. Humans often insist that things can only be done in one way, but the pandemic proved that is not the case. Everything can be done in a different and smarter way. Education has changed. E-commerce is booming. People are creating new businesses to cope with this situation, and resourceful people have come up with ideas that are smart, unique, and different. The biggest lesson here is to always think about how to open one door when another closes. Finding that exit might help you reach your dreams much faster.

New Year’s resolutions are made to be broken – true or false? Have you thought of yours for 2021?

I agree and disagree because the most important thing is to have a plan. The new year will bring with it more surprises – after all, no one could’ve predicted everything that happened in 2020. But we should plan anyway. Some things will go right, others will go wrong, but what’s important is that you do whatever you can do, achieve whatever you can achieve, and keep adding bricks to build the walls of your dreams. Everyone must have a plan about how to end the year and start the new one. It’s been a tough year, but it trained us for 2021, so I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to building taller towers and educating more people on real estate. Maybe I’ll write my second book, maybe I’ll become a minister, so I have several dreams for 2021. InshAllah, a majority will come true.