Filipina entreps make it in Dubai

FILIPINA nurses, teachers, engineers and singers have long been recognized abroad for being topnotch in their fields wherever they may be. In business, Filipinas are also making their mark, from Josie Natori and Monique Lhuillier in fashion to Loida Nicolas-Lewis, chairman of TLC Beatrice, in business and finance.

In Dubai, two Filipinas are making it in the business world. Named Women of Substance by Dubai-based lifestyle magazine Illustrado are: Engr. Mary Jane Alvero Al Mahdi, a Filipina chemist who rose to the position of CEO in a reputed multi-disciplinary testing laboratory in the UAE and the first Filipina awardee in the prestigious Emirates Business Women’s Awards in 2008; and entrepreneur Isabelita Sabado-Warren, creator of Nanay Tuneng, a Filipino brand of condiments. Warren is also an active community volunteer and philanthropist who launched a feeding program in her hometown of Magdalena, Laguna last year.

This marks the second year that Illustrado magazine presented the Women of Substance awards to celebrate female empowerment and to be a source of inspiration to the local Filipino community. “This is our way of saying thank you and acknowledging the contributions of our female compatriots to society, and at the same time a vehicle with which to uplift the morale and profile of our community out here,” remarked Lalaine Chu-Benitez, Illustrado publisher and editor-in-chief. “By highlighting the achievements and efforts of our kababayans [compatriots], we wish to drive the message that all of us can make a mark someday if we only put our mind to it.”
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