“In Finland, the number of female leaders is significantly higher, and there are very few positions that have not been held by women. Currently, our ambassadors in some of our most central postings, such as Washington, Stockholm and Berlin, are held by women.”

Finland’s current female prime minister is the world’s youngest and has raised the profile of Finland as a progressive and diverse country that offers its residents unparalled social care, including its famous Kela Maternity package, a box full of necessary baby items that is given to all expectant mothers.

In the Middle East, Nissilä is involved in regional gender diversity including the Dubai Global Women’s Forum.

“As a diplomat in the Middle East, my work is split between two cultures. In the Finnish Embassy, I am surrounded by the diverse culture Finland has worked so hard to build, and it is very natural to see women in leadership positions.

“In fact, gender diversity is so entrenched in our workplace culture, today we need to pay attention to having enough men working in our embassies! Approximately 50 percent of ambassadors and diplomats in the Finnish foreign service are women, and we have the previous generations to thank for allowing us to reach this milestone.”

Nissilä notes that in the Finnish Foreign Ministry if you work hard, you are rewarded with more work and greater responsibility, usually resulting in a leadership position at some point.

“When I joined the Finnish Foreign service in the late 1990s, we were already beginning to see a rapid acceleration for women after our first female foreign minister, Tarja Halonen had been appointed. She went on to serve as president for 12 years.

“As part of her policy, she clearly stated that if there were two candidates with equal merit, she would appoint the female candidate. This policy was upheld for a short period and changed the game for women working in diplomacy in Finland and aspiring towards leadership positions.

She is passionately committed to nurturing younger colleagues, both male and female, who have to balance the demands of their careers with the choices they may have to make about having a family; she is adamant that no one should have to choose between the two.

“While women in leadership positions in the UAE are still in the minority, they are increasing, and those I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and working with are extremely strong, determined women. I see younger, female generations at the beginning of their professional journeys, striving to be part of the next generation of leaders.

“I believe it takes a critical mass of women rather than a few being hand-selected to make waves of change, and we already see signs of this change. I am a firm believer in mentoring. It doesn’t have to be structured; it could be just listening over a casual lunch or a moment in between work to reflect on the obstacles we may be facing and working through how we can cope with the reality of balancing personal and professional commitments.”

In her role as ambassador, she is frequently invited to speak at events focussing on equality and the role of women within the workplace. Recently, together with other Nordic embassies and the Dubai Women Establishment, she launched a mentoring initiative, Young Emirati Women for Success (YES!) to support women who are taking an active role in the development of the UAE’s public and private sectors.

“It is important to note, however, that  when we strive for more female leaders, and are working towards equality we should involve men in the process. Having both women and men working for equality is the key to success and allows us to move forward as a society as a whole.”