Bashayer Al-Awwad is a Kuwaiti Computer Engineer graduated from Kuwait University, College of Engineering and Petroleum, after that she got a Diploma in French Language. She started her career as a Teaching Assistant, and the External Affair Unit Manager of computer engineering department till 2008. Her current job is in the Central Agency for Information Technology, Office of Technical Cooperation and International Relations. She is managing the National Project of E-learning Awareness in the state of Kuwait. And the e-learning Awareness, Media, and Educational Campaign, also she is the Editor of the "e-Tha7yah" magazine, the first e-learning Magazine in Kuwait.
She started her volunteering work by joining Kuwait Society of Engineers (KSE) as a working volunteer along with being the Chair of Women in Engineering Committee (WIE) and Chair of Kuwait Ligament of Computer Engineers (CELK) in the society.
As for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), she is a board member in Kuwait section since 2004 along with the chair of the Women In Engineering (WIE) Kuwait. She also won the Honourable Mention in the 2007 WIE Affinity Group of the Year Award presenting IEEE WIE Kuwait. Lately, she became the first Kuwaiti woman to be selected as The WIE Coordinator of Region 8 (Europe, Africa &Middle East) for 2010.
The World Federation of Engineering Organization WFEO was next being the establisher and Kuwait member in the Women in Engineering Committee. She was awarded “Outstanding Woman of the Year” in Brazil 2008.
Along with that, she was selected for the 2010 Edition of Marquis Who's Who in the World. With this volunteering life full of achievements, she was honoured to get a congratulatory letter from His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Emir of Kuwait for being an outstanding Woman engineer and for the great role and effort in serving the engineering sector in the Kuwaiti society for so long.
In 2011 she was elected to be the Vice president of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) and the Chairwoman of the WFEO "Women in Engineering" Standing Committee.
She is the Secretary of the e-City for Arab Countries.
Language: Arabic, English, French
What would you say are the most challenging and the most satisfying aspects of your work?
The most challenging is to keep up with the rapid change technologies, its really satisfying being able to utilize IT in enhancing the quality of Life.
What qualifications or certifications did you attain in order to reach your professional goals?
Having a degree in computer engineering coupled with profound experience and enrolling participation in international recognized organization specialized in IT such as ITU ,IEEE , ACM, WFEO, etc.
If there is one message you would like to convey to young women to encourage them to consider a profession in the ICT sector, what would it be?
ICT is currently the most promising sector that grantees self-improvement and job satisfaction.
