Inclusive Leadership in Middle East Real Estate
The real estate sector in the Middle East is at the forefront of urban transformation, yet it has been historically limited in its inclusion of female leaders. That’s changing. Businesses are discovering the power of diverse perspectives in leadership, and consequently, women in real estate are taking on more senior roles in development, infrastructure planning and capital markets. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of them. Reforms, recognition, and the rise of female leadership are coming together to change the industry, and I believe inclusive leadership isn’t just the future; it’s already here.
National Strategies as a Catalyst for Inclusion
Across the GCC, national transformation programmes are acting as accelerators for inclusion. In Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030 has put female empowerment squarely at the centre of national transformation. Its reforms have significantly increased Saudi women’s participation in the workforce and business. Other countries including the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain are also advancing reforms that put women at the heart of economic diversification and leadership development.
From Emiratisation in the UAE to Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030 and Kuwait’s New Kuwait 2035 strategy, governments are recognising that national progress hinges on broader talent participation.
These initiatives are about localisation alongside modernisation. Central to that modernisation is the recognition that women bring critical leadership capabilities to businesses. The sector has responded strongly, hiring women in real estate roles that didn’t exist a decade ago, from development directors to capital advisors.
At BWP, we’re seeing mandates shift as governments and state-linked entities prioritise workforce diversity. There is a growing expectation that leadership roles will be both local and inclusive. That’s not a contradiction. Major urban projects represent the Middle East’s culture and identity on a global scale as well as attracting major international investment. Excluding half the talent pool weakens that vision.
Challenges of Gender Parity in Real Estate Leadership
Despite much progress, challenges remain. According to the World Economic Forum, it will take 185 years to reach gender parity in MENA at the current pace. The PwC Women in Work Index estimates $575 billion is lost annually in the region due to legal and social barriers to female employment. Even in forward-leaning markets like the UAE, where we’ve seen a 4.5% annual increase in women entering leadership roles, the highest in the region, real estate leadership still skews male.
Talent pipelines for women in real estate are often limited, not by lack of ability, but by systemic constraints. These include limited access to industry networks, unconscious bias in promotion decisions, cultural expectations around family roles, and a lack of early exposure to the sector through education or internships. The barriers are rarely explicit, but they are deeply embedded.
The reality is that many of the sectors we work in, including construction, development, and investment, have been male dominated for decades. Rebalancing leadership requires intentional reform and long-term commitment.
What Progress Looks Like
Thankfully, reforms are catching up to ambition. From foreign ownership laws to workplace equality initiatives, governments across the GCC are breaking down old barriers. In Saudi Arabia, women can now own property, start businesses without male guardianship, and access executive-level training.
Clients across our real estate portfolio are requesting diverse shortlists. Boards are setting gender targets. Developers are embedding inclusion into their HR strategies. And crucially, these actions aren’t just driven by compliance; they’re driven by performance.
There’s a rising tide of female leaders in real estate who are not just stepping into the room, they’re helping redesign it. Throughout my career, I’ve worked closely with women now leading development planning for giga projects, managing portfolios of international investors, and overseeing construction milestones in high-visibility markets. These are women in real estate who are breaking the mould not by imitating male predecessors, but by redefining leadership altogether.
We’re also seeing younger talent coming through with more confidence. They have role models now. They see women in boardrooms and project sites. That visibility matters more than any policy ever could.
Impact in Action and What Comes Next
Our own placements tell the story. In 2024, we successfully placed a female Director of Development at a flagship project under the PIF, overseeing a multi-billion-dollar portfolio. She’d previously worked across Europe and the Gulf and brought not just skill, but cultural fluency and strategic vision.
Another placement saw a Saudi female capital advisor join a sovereign-backed investment platform in Riyadh, one of the first in that space. She’s since played a central role in structuring funding for hospitality and housing assets aimed at diversifying the Kingdom’s real estate exposure.
These placements represent a new benchmark. And BWP is proud to the upward trajectory of women in real estate through insight-led, cross-sector recruitment.
If you want to future-proof real estate and infrastructure development in the Middle East, women must be central to that story. Not just as beneficiaries of reform, but as the authors of it. To every client still debating the business case for female leadership, I say: look around. The market is moving. The question isn’t if women should lead. It’s whether your organisation will be one they choose to lead.
At BW&P, we see women in real estate leadership as the architects of a more inclusive, more resilient, and more competitive future. If you’re hiring for leadership roles in real estate across the Middle East, contact BWP’s expert consultants.
We’ll help you shape a senior leadership team that reflects the future you want to build.