From megaprojects to human-centred cities - women are helping shape the UAE’s built environment according to new Grant Thornton report

PRESS RELEASE

From megaprojects to human-centred cities - women are helping shape the UAE’s built environment according to new Grant Thornton report

26 Oct 2026

The third edition of the Grant Thornton UAE Discovery Series, produced with Heriot-Watt University Dubai interviews five prominent leaders across construction, technology, real estate, architecture, sustainability advocacy and education, supported by academic research, industry reports, government publications and public data. More than one-fifth of the UAE economy is directly linked to the built environment, yet the sector remains the most gender segregated in the world.

• While women make up 56 percent of UAE STEM graduates, they are still underrepresented in leadership roles
• Leaders interviewed see the future in human-centred, sustainable communities, with AI supporting human judgement rather than replacing it

UAE, October 28th: More than a fifth of the UAE economy is directly linked to the built environment, with construction accounting for 12.9 percent of GDP in 2025 and real estate a further 7.4 percent. The UAE is the Gulf's largest construction market by project volume, with 628 active developments worth $138 billion as of mid-2026. 

Grant Thornton UAE and Heriot-Watt University Dubai have published new research showing that women are playing a bigger role in shaping the UAE's built environment than is often recognised. It points to a shift beyond landmark construction towards more complex and multi-disciplinary projects which require diverse perspectives and broader leadership approaches.

‘Building the UAE’s next chapter. How women are reshaping value, resilience and innovation in the built environment ’ is the third edition of the Grant Thornton UAE Discovery Series, following the report into female representation in financial services in 2025. It draws on in-depth interviews with five senior women leaders across construction, technology, architecture, real estate, sustainability advocacy, and education, and profiles a further 20 women who have visibly shaped the country's physical landscape.

The UAE has one of the strongest pipelines of female STEM talent, with women accounting for 56 percent of STEM graduates. The research shows that converting that talent into leadership is still a worldwide challenge.

Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai, points to the gap between the talent coming through and the leaders at the top. "The UAE has shown what is possible when policy, education and industry work together," she says. "The talent is there. The opportunity now is to ensure more women are supported to build lasting careers and progress into leadership. As the built environment becomes more complex and skills-intensive, this is more than a question of representation – it is a business imperative."

Women make up around 14 percent of the construction workforce in both the US and the EU, and in the UK almost half of the women who leave the industry do so before the age of 34. Long hours, rigid working patterns and male-dominated cultures are the barriers most often cited.

Hisham Farouk, CEO of Grant Thornton UAE, said: "The UAE has always been ambitious in how it has built for the future. The opportunity now is to be equally ambitious about who shapes that future. The women in this report are already shaping how communities are designed, how technology is adopted and how future talent is developed. By making their leadership more visible and widening the path for others to lead, we can build a sector that is more innovative, resilient and ready for what comes next.”

The leaders interviewed agreed that the future of the sector lies in liveable, sustainable places designed around human needs. And while AI is already helping to measure emissions, fix legacy data and automate fabrication, they see it as a tool that supports human judgement, creativity and experience, not a replacement for it.

The five leaders interviewed for the report are Dr Habiba Al Mar'ashi, Co-founder and Board Member, Emirates Green Building Council; Mireille Azzam-Vidjen, Executive Director and Head of Strategic Consulting Middle East and Africa, JLL; Dr Harpreet Seth, Head of Architecture and Associate Professor, Heriot-Watt University Dubai; Leila Sobek, Founder and Director, BMA Studio; and Dr Sonia Zahiroddiny, Chief Information Officer, Innovo Group.

Read the full report available at our website:

Notes to editors

About the research

The research was carried out by Heriot-Watt University Dubai in collaboration with Grant Thornton UAE. It combines interviews of 60 to 75 minutes, held in August 2026, with a review of academic literature, industry reports, government publications and public data. The list of 20 women who have shaped the UAE's built environment was compiled using media analysis, industry recognition lists and academic peer review.

About Grant Thornton UAE

Grant Thornton UAE is a leading professional services firm, providing audit & assurance, tax and advisory services across multiple industries. We have served public and private sector clients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for almost 60 years and are committed to delivering quality and excellence driven by fresh thinking, diverse perspectives, and a personalised approach.

Since April 2025, Grant Thornton UAE has been part of a multinational platform established by Grant Thornton Advisors LLC in the US.

It is also part of the Grant Thornton International Limited network, which provides access to its member firms in more than 150 global markets.'

About Heriot-Watt University Dubai

As the first British university to set up a campus in Dubai in 2005, Heriot-Watt University Dubai established itself as a pioneer in the higher education market in the UAE. The University’s reputation for world-class teaching and practical, cutting-edge research, combined with its strong links to business and industry, has seen it attract a thriving population of undergraduate and postgraduate students over the last two decades.  

It offers an extensive range of programmes, distributed across six academic schools. Heriot-Watt graduates are highly employable and sought after by the best organisations worldwide, seeing over 90% of alumni taking graduate-level jobs or further study within six months of graduation. 

For more information, please visit https://www.hw.ac.uk/dubai.html  

Media contact

For more information, interviews or follow ups, please contact Adam Gibson, Account Director, Acorn Strategy - Adam@acornstrategy.com

Experts / Authors

Hisham Farouk

Hisham is the CEO of Grant Thornton UAE who has successfully led the firm’s offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah for over 10 years. With a focus on innovation with exemplary leadership, he has played a key role in transforming the firm into one of the fastest growing companies in the UAE.

Professor Dame Heather McGregor

Professor Dame Heather McGregor is the Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai. With a career spanning investment banking, entrepreneurship and higher education, she is an experienced business leader, writer and broadcaster, and has championed greater diversity and representation in business throughout her career.