Alumna wins Emirates Business Women Award
A Filipina chemist, who went on to become an engineer and now chief executive officer of Geoscience Testing Laboratory in Dubai, was among the eight winners of the Emirates Business Women Award (EBWA) 2008 honoured at a gala dinner held recently in Grand Hyatt Dubai.
The professional and business awards were handed over to the winners by Shaikh Saeed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
The Filipina awardee, Mary Jane Alvero-Al Mahdi, bagged the first runner-up in the Professional Category, which made her the first Filipino to receive such a prestigious honour in the UAE.
Married to an Emirati, Al Mahdi is a holder of Master in Quality Management degree and Master in Engineering Systems Management from the. She is also a certified ISO lead auditor, a dedicated certified trainer and one of the founders of the Filipino Digerati Association that assists Philippine emissaries in Dubai to train Filipinos in computer applications for free in the UAE.
On her involvement in the free computer training, she said, ‘Lifting the morale and lives of my kababayans (fellow countrymen) has always been embedded in my heart, and I will never fail them as I strongly believe that Filipinos have world-class talents and intelligence and the highest degree of professionalism.’
She started in the Emirates as a chemist but today, she is the CEO of Geoscience, a multi-disciplined testing laboratory owned by business tycoon Abdul Lateef Abdullah Ali Al Gargawi, which is now located in four emirates, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Little did she know that all the things she had been professionally doing all these years with zeal, determination, and perfection in the Emirates would one day bring her distinction and honour.
The recognition she received from the EBWA has fanned her desire to study further for a doctorate and, professionally, widen her vision to give her company a regional presence.
‘With my strong will, faith in our creator, determination and strength, I’ve achieved a lot of wonderful things, and I am very much successful,’ she said.
The lone Filipino EBWA winner added, “The main reason for the success is my leadership and vision, plus the highest degree of integrity and professionalism. To me, emotional quotient (EQ) is working hand-in-hand with intelligence quotient (IQ).”
(Note: Engr. Jane Alvero- Al Mahdi is a graduate of Adamson University, BS in Chemical Engineering, in 1991.)
