TBS's 1ST DBA CONFERENCE ON APPLIED RESEARCH IN BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

claudine aoun:
2025-06-06 10:28:54
Thank you, Walid, for such a thought-provoking and timely study. Your research examines how board composition, specifically in terms of gender, age, education, experience, and independence, affects the performance of boards in Qatari SMEs across four key roles: control, service, strategy, and CSR. It’s especially relevant in emerging economies like ours, where corporate governance is increasingly seen as a lever for sustainable growth. What makes your findings notable is that, despite the global literature suggesting that diversity improves governance, your study found no significant link between the composition of the board and its effectiveness in performing these roles. In the Qatari SME context—often informal and family-run—diversity appears symbolic unless board members are clearly empowered, trained, and given real authority. This resonates deeply with my research on women’s agency, particularly in public and political life. I often say the same about women in politics: it’s not about the quota alone. Real change happens when we have well-prepared, skilled, and confident women—and men—who are supported to lead effectively. Inclusion must be matched with training, clarity of role, and institutional support. Your work encourages us to reevaluate how we apply theories such as Stakeholder Theory and Resource Dependency Theory in the MENA region. These models assume that diverse voices naturally lead to better outcomes, but in our contexts, cultural norms, patriarchal power structures, and informal governance often silence those voices. So, I see your research not as contradicting global literature, but as refining it for our region. It’s a critical reminder that context matters, and that in places like Qatar and across the MENA region, gender parity must be matched by capacity-building and cultural transformation to truly improve performance, whether in business or politics.