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Mila Smart Semeshkina, CEO and Founder of the WE Convention, has been honored with the title of “Woman Leader of the Year” at the Gulf Business Awards 2025. This prestigious annual event, recognized as the leading platform in the region for celebrating excellence, highlights the outstanding achievements of companies and individuals across the Gulf countries. The award acknowledges relentless dedication, innovation, and leadership that significantly contribute to the region’s economic development, offering winners the opportunity to stand among the most influential figures in the Gulf.

The Gulf Business Awards 2025 ceremony took place on September 24 at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, bringing together business leaders, innovators, and visionaries who are shaping the future of the region. Winners were selected by an independent panel of esteemed judges, including: Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner and Group Editor-in-Chief, Motivate Media Group; Mishal Kanoo, Chairman, Kanoo Group; Jawad Jalal Abbassi, Head of MENA, GSMA; Renita Dass, Partner and Senior Vice President, Frost & Sullivan; Gareth van Zyl, Group Editor, Gulf Business.

Mila Smart Semeshkina’s win in such a significant category highlights her remarkable contribution to business development and her exceptional leadership, which has made a profound impact on the industry. Ian Fairservice remarked, “Over more than a decade, these awards have become the benchmark of excellence, recognizing visionaries, trailblazers, and organizations that are shaping the region’s future.” This recognition is not only a personal milestone for Mila but also a landmark achievement for the entire WE Convention community, whose core mission is to expand the global network of women leaders and empower female voices around the world.

Inc. Arabia, the Middle Eastern edition of the renowned American business magazine Inc., has included Mila Smart Semeshkina — founder and CEO of the international educational platform Lectera — in its list of the Most Influential Women of 2025.

In her interview, Mila shared her inspiring journey from employee to entrepreneur, the challenges she faced in transforming her mindset, and valuable advice for those just starting their business path.

She emphasized that one of the toughest yet most important decisions in her career was leaving employment to build her own company — a transition that required a complete shift in thinking and professional identity.

Mila also highlighted the growing role of women in business ecosystems worldwide, stressing that their influence will only accelerate in the coming years as female leaders not only build companies but also foster supportive communities and healthier workplace cultures.

“Looking back, I would give my younger self from ten years ago one key piece of advice: believe in yourself, trust your strength, and have confidence, and you will succeed,” Mila told Inc. Arabia.

Read the full interview with Mila Smart Semeshkina on the official Inc. Arabia website: link.

Inc. Arabia, the Arabic edition of the renowned American business magazine Inc., one of the most well-known publications in the Middle East and in North Africa, has published its 2025 Women of Influence rankings. This esteemed list honours thirty exceptional female leaders from MENA countries who have significantly influenced the region’s business environment through innovation, inventive high-tech approaches, and their personal determination. Mila Smart Semeshkina, founder of the educational platform Lectera and president of the international women’s organisation WE Council, also ranks among the top four!

Inc. Arabia acknowledges Mila Semeshkina’s accomplishments in online education and her role in promoting female entrepreneurship and leadership in the Middle East and beyond.  Mila features on the cover of the latest special August 2025 edition of Inc., alongside Basma Ahmed Albadi Aldhaheri, Head of Value Creation at Hub71, Anna Rozwandowicz, Founder and CEO of The Story Mob creative agency, and Yara Milbes, Vice President of Marketing at the innovative company Lucidya.

These remarkable women inspire through their example, demonstrating that nothing is impossible when you have a dream. They have unwavering self-belief, relentless determination, and excellence, paired with an insatiable hunger for knowledge and a drive to transform our world. Congratulations to Mila on another incredible achievement. We’re confident there are many more to come!

Be among the first to secure your place at WE Convention 2025 — the premier international forum for women leaders, taking place on November 1–2, 2025 at Atlantis The Royal, Dubai. The event will gather over 2,000 distinguished guests and world-class professionals for an unforgettable experience that celebrates personal growth, professional success, and a new era of women’s leadership.

This year’s theme, “All In: Career, Money, and Life,” will bring two inspiring days of discussions on balance, financial independence, career building, and business growth. The program features global experts from more than 25 industries, alongside exclusive interviews, mentorship sessions, roundtables, and hands-on masterclasses.

The 2025 speaker lineup includes Mila Smart Semeshkina, Founder of Lectera and WE Council; style icon and former Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour; and Sex and the City bestselling author Candace Bushnell. Platinum and VIP ticket holders will also enjoy the exclusive WE Night gala dinner at a Michelin-starred Greek restaurant.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this landmark event!

Get your ticket now: weconvention.com

As International Women’s Day approaches, 150sec has published a list of 15 influential women who are shaping the future of business, technology, education, and entrepreneurship. Among those featured is Smart Mila Semeshkina, the founder of the global educational platform Lectera, which has supported over three million students in 65 countries. Her invaluable contributions to the advancement of EdTech and her unwavering support for female leaders are profound. The Women’s Empowerment Council she established now boasts a membership of 30,000.

The esteemed list features Ángela Álvarez, the founder of Aglaia Capital and Action Monkey, who merges technology with crypto-economics. It also highlights Jas Schembri-Stothart, the creator of Luna, an innovative digital health assistant for teenage girls that challenges taboos and empowers them to understand their bodies better.

These pioneering women illustrate that leadership, education, and technology possess the power to transform the world. Their stories inspire millions across the globe, demonstrating that with determination and faith in your ideas, anything is achievable.

According to a PwC survey, 93% of business executives reported an increase in their employees’ productivity after they completed professional development programmes. As part of a new initiative by the European Commission, more than 540 million people in Europe will also be able to go through additional training by 2025. Mila Semeshkina explains what opportunities this opens up for businesses, as well as how to properly measure the profitability of such training, in her article for the popular publication Entrepreneur UK.

First of all, Mila Semeshkina advises companies to consider investments in team development not as a budgetary expense, but as a tool for increasing profits. At the same time, however, it is important to timely identify ineffective training programmes and abandon them. To do this, a company should evaluate the KPIs of an employee before the training, then assess changes in the KPIs afterwards and compare the results. It is also relevant to assess the quality of the acquired knowledge, for example, whether the employee uses it in practice, whether their performance has changed favourably, etc. 

Another important indicator of the effectiveness of training implemented in the company is employee retention. According to statistics, the availability of corporate educational programmes reduces staff turnover by 58%, as employees perceive this as the company’s interest in their development and success. As a result, a culture of upskilling, Mila Semeshkina believes, is the most important trend in today’s labour market. It is a way to ensure healthy and fair competition among candidates, as well as to stimulate the emergence of new talent.

Read more about the opportunities for a culture of upskilling and assessing the cost-effectiveness of such training in the full article on the Entrepreneur UK website.

We are delighted to share that our Founder and President, Mila Smart Semeshkina, participated in the Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards 2024. This prestigious event, held at the Bluewaters Forum by Banyan Tree Dubai, was a testament to the powerful impact of women-owned and led businesses in the global economy.

Mila was honored to join the event as a speaker, contributing to a dynamic panel on “Innovation and Creativity: Fueling Business Growth,” which is one of her favorite subjects. Alongside fellow panelists Alya Al Zarouni and Amnah Ajmal, and moderated by Beata Mońka, the discussion highlighted the crucial role women play in driving innovation, progress, and change within their industries. Mila shared her insights on building businesses through innovation, using her experience as the CEO of the educational platform Lectera.com as an example. She offered her vision on the future of professions and AI, and emphasized the significant efforts women put into running businesses and the outstanding achievements they accomplish.

We congratulate all the winners of the Mastercard Women SME Leaders Awards 2024 and praise Mastercard for organizing such an impactful event that not only celebrates the achievements of women entrepreneurs but also provides a platform for learning, connecting, and being inspired.

For Mila and the WE Council, this was a wonderful opportunity to engage with top leaders and innovators, reinforcing our commitment to championing women’s empowerment and leadership.

Thank you to our esteemed partners at Mastercard for inviting us to this remarkable event. We look forward to continuing our collaboration and supporting more initiatives that empower women globally.