If Alia Saleh FCCA was actively looking for a challenge in her career as an accountant, working as a senior finance professional in a multinational construction company would certainly be high on the list. At a time when women are still negotiating the ladder to senior finance positions, she has been finance director for South-East Asia and the Middle East at the construction giant ISG for more than seven years. In January, following the sale of the Middle East arm of the business to US/UK company BluSkye Investments, she was promoted to CFO.
Construction is, she acknowledges, very much a man’s world, but Saleh has successfully carved out her place, on her own terms. ‘My style of leadership and communication is very different from that of a man,’ she says from her office in Dubai, ‘and that’s particularly noticeable on construction sites, where things can get very rough and shouty. It hasn’t been easy, but eventually they let me use my voice and started listening.’
‘It’s fine to be different, as long as you get results’
The defining moment, she says, was being told at a board meeting that she wasn’t seen as a leader because she wasn’t forceful enough. ‘I could either have given up at that or fought back. I chose to address it. I met with that person after the meeting and explained that I had my own leadership style, which was not the same as theirs, but the fact is that I still get results. That was the turning point. It’s fine to be different, as long as you get results.’
Owning it
Technology executive and writer Sheryl Sandberg’s advice for women in business – ‘if you’re offered a seat at the table, take it’ – is on her mind. ‘That’s the message I want women accountants to hear and act on. Take your seat, own it, and never be afraid to make your voice heard.’ But she adds that company culture is an essential ingredient and the values that ISG employees live by – speak frankly, dream smart, never stop learning, and always care – have allowed her to flourish.
Born in Dubai, Saleh is the first accountant in her family, and she credits the ACCA qualification with opening many doors when she didn’t have anyone to show her the way. ‘The qualification has brought me more than just credibility, it’s a worldwide network that I can lean on,’ she says. ‘It was a lifeline when I worked in Singapore for a few years, it’s given me the chance to connect with like-minded professionals and has built my confidence.’
‘I’m a person who likes to grab the bull by the horns’
After qualifying with Deloitte in Dubai, Saleh joined tech consultancy CommTech, a sister company of ISG, as a finance manager in 2015, becoming senior finance manager at ISG in 2017 and finance director for South-East Asia and the Middle East regions in 2018. As FD she led finance teams and oversaw IT operations in both Dubai and Singapore.
‘I realised early on that I wanted to be a decision-maker, rather than an adviser,’ she says. ‘The best part of my job is having a direct influence on the future of the business. As a senior finance professional, I aim to think in the short, the medium and the long term – and reflect on how we can continuously improve as a business.’
Corporate divorce
In normal circumstances her role would have involved financial planning, analysis, treasury, tax planning, systems implementation and managing relationships, but recent months have been seismic for ISG after its UK operations, which had revenues of more than £2bn, entered administration. For the remainder of the multinational group, it has meant a rapid decoupling that Saleh describes as akin to ‘a messy divorce, although not from a people perspective’.
It has been a steep learning curve, Alia says. ‘It’s a unique challenge – I’ve had to learn how to carry out an accelerated transaction, which involves lots of conversations with banks, lawyers, consultants and so on. But we’re pushing forward and keeping focused on what’s important. It’s easy to second-guess your decisions, but what I’ve learned is that as long as you act with integrity and good faith, things will work out.’
‘I wanted more for the women accountants in the Middle East’
It’s clear she is relishing the challenge: ‘I’m a person who likes to grab the bull by the horns, to figure it out together. I’m a fixer. It’s exhausting, but it’s also exciting.’
In fact, Saleh seems to have energy to spare, as well as an endless drive to support others. In addition to her day job, she is an angel investor in four start-up companies in the UAE and is a facilitator for Google’s #IamRemarkable initiative, which aims to empower women and under-represented groups to celebrate their accomplishments.
Superconnected
As a result of her own experiences of struggling to find her ‘tribe’ as a young, female, expat accountant, in 2023 she co-founded the ACCA Middle East Superconnected Women’s Community, which after a lot of hard work – which Saleh describes as ‘juggling snowballs in a blizzard’ – now has 150 members. ‘I wanted more for the women accountants in the Middle East,’ she says. ‘More opportunities to connect, share knowledge and build real, professional relationships.’
The power of human connection is something she feels strongly about. ‘I felt that in this world where social media dominates, we need spaces where people, and women especially, feel comfortable about sharing their thoughts and experiences. Even Generation Z is beginning to turn away from online connections and is looking for more human contact. They want to make connections so that when they have a question, or a problem, they can pick up the phone and talk it through with someone who’s been through the same thing. That’s the power of a community. That’s where the magic is.’
More women will reach the top of the finance profession (and others), she says, when people realise that you can take a chance on someone who might not fit the traditional mould, but who may bring a valuable new perspective. Saleh herself is still young, and her future looks very bright indeed. ‘I have plans, and I want to continue to grow and learn,’ she says, ‘but I will always make sure that I hold the door open for others who come after me.’
