Who is Dagmar Symes? She is the General Manager at HILL ROBINSON Project Management. What helped shape the woman you are today? There are three core parts that best describe me: strength of character, being down to earth and kind, and my spirit for adventure. I was blessed with a beautiful childhood, powered by continuous support from my parents who were my safety net in all phases of my life. I would describe them as my solid steppingstone into who I am today, having a sound foundation based on my upbringing and values. Throughout my entire life I had to prove myself, might this have been in education, sports, or my professional career path. Family and friends throughout the way have certainly added in their very own personal way to who I am today. It is fair to say everyone I have ever met and every single one I have yet to meet. There were challenging times, too such as the early passing away of my mother after over a decade of sufferance which accompanied my high school years. And whilst still trying to digest the loss, it has brought into sharp focus what is important in life and where my priorities lie. Difficult times make you very humble and grateful. Until today gratefulness is one of my key guiding lights. Not everything in my life went according to plan and the toughest times and failures were with hindsight the most valuable experiences. As such I might be able to say that all experiences joyful and challenging have deeply shaped me. Considering how stressful your work environment can be, how do you manage stress and avoid burnout? It is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to dynamically sustain your own energy in the challenging fast-paced business environment nowadays. Every day I engage myself for at least one hour of exercise. I have also learned to generate defining rituals and spacious moments purely to myself in order to grasp the much-needed deep breaths to remain focused and calm in any situation. You need to assess and recognize your personal energy and depleting behavior, and then take responsibility for change. Greater capacity makes it possible to get more done in less time at a higher engagement level and on a more sustainable note. Going slow is sometimes the best way to move fast.  If you had a chance to change anything in this world, what would you change and how? I am a fierce advocate for education on all levels. Only through education can we grant a sustainable society considering diversity and inclusion by the acquisition of knowledge, values, skills, morals, and beliefs. Respect, empathy, and compassion are three corners of a solid system and are clearly fundamental to me to make a better world. Education should be the main stimulus for governmental funds to administer adequate school education, particularly for those living in poverty to advance educational equity.  Can you talk about one woman who has greatly influenced your life? Without a doubt, my mother has always been my inspiration. Having been courageous enough to escape across the inner-German border, the Berlin Wall, impelled by political and social events, to live a free life under the opportunities of the West. Having taken such a bold and fierce decision to shape her own life for the better whilst starting from literally scratch in a new country. She taught us the morality of life, to be grateful, and to appreciate simple things in life. Values such as discipline, respect, and perseverance were key pillars at home. She nurtured, guided, and comforted us at all times. Her embracing way and kindness paired with a huge portion of generosity were deeply engraved in our breeding and upbringing. She was the enabler to create a vision board for my own future, being bold and daring in decision-making. If you could introduce one piece of legislation to further gender balance, what would it be? I find the usage of the word legislation somewhat contradictory to gender balance. None would enjoy an association with legal components regarding gender balance. I equally loathe the word “Women’s Quota” which to me, represents a form of positive discrimination. I firmly believe in the need of remodeling cultures where exclusion and bias (implicit and explicit) exist, thus creating unseen barriers for female talent. Rather than focusing on gender specificity, the business community needs to redefine the leadership model versus classical stereotypes. What was the most challenging moment in your entire career? What was the lesson learned at that moment? There is no specific moment to be singled out. I would rather say that my entire career was based on assuming responsibilities and assignments that would somewhat not be in my comfort zone. I always took opportunities and made them fit for myself rather than the other way around. The ability to learn and not be afraid of tapping into the unknown. The upside of daring and believing in what you can do is so much greater than the downside of failure. Challenging moments overall might have been those that contradicted my own values, especially with regards to business morals at the workplace. Implementing and managing organizational integrity and business morals, turned out to be the biggest challenge in the broader picture. No matter how, your behavior defines you, and thus, in other terms, your behavior is a reflection of your personal brand and what people can expect from you personally and professionally. Whilst flexibility and adaptability are essential commodities, defining your own limits as of when you stand up for your beliefs and walk away is key. A business without values is a business at risk. Where do you see the future of Women in Hospitality & Tourism in the Arab region years from now? The sky is the limit! There are countless advancing developments in the Arab world in the hospitality and tourism sector. Moreover, you can see