Muna Harib: Real Life Superhero Inspires AED

On Wednesday the 23rd of September 2020, Muna Harib, globally recognized as one of the worlds most influential women, delighted the AE department by joining us for our Virtual Council Meeting on MS-Teams to share her personal experience in business and social development of future jobs in the digital age.

In her talk, Harib highlighted the impact of COVID on the job market, and while we can't deny the negative repercussions this pandemic has had on thousands of lives and businesses, we can't ignore the technological advancements it had inspired. Due to the current situation, businesses were able to achieve their five and ten year plans within months, if not weeks.

This rapid development will forever change the course of jobs in industries as made evident by the new opportunities available in customer and medical services. For instance, individuals can now conduct medical consultations online rather than in person. Companies like Uber and Kareem, on the other hand, tapped into new markets to ensure their survival, and have thus expanded into delivering groceries and retail entities. All industries are going to have to adapt to this digital boom. In fact, a study by Microsoft highlighted that, though we were expected to have 41 million digital jobs worldwide in 2020, this number is expected to increase to 190 million by 2025 due to the COVID pandemic. It is therefore absolutely necessary to develop our digital and technological skills to ensure we are ready to enter this new market.

However, we must not forget the importance of empathy and human relationships amidst the rise in technology. Machines cannot replace sentient beings. At the end of the day, we must all support and care for one another. It is true that we claim to be connected by the internet, however we couldn't be more distant. Our attention span is a second less than that of a goldfish, and our self worth is measured by numbers. We must redefine the rolde of technology in our lives: taking full advantage of its benefits while maintaining control of our personal, social and emotional wellbeing. No technology can replace the experiences life has to offer.

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About Muna Harib:

Muna Harib describes herself under many titles: the Chief Marketing Officer of a new Dubai FinTech (financial technology), an investor, a student, a humanitarian activist, a traveler and a mother. Harib is globally recognized as one of the worlds most influential women for her multiple humanitarian endeavors, including her volunteer group "The Seeds of Change" and the "Breathing Numbers Humanitarian Act".