womanthismonth.com | DECEMBER 2025 INTERVIEW 11 Ms. AlAnsari grew up with a passport always in use. Her parents were based in Switzerland when she was born in Lebanon, then her early years unfolded between the Alps and Moscow during the Cold War. Life in the ambassador’s residence was controlled, yet the world did not feel smaller. Later moves to Brazil and India added warmth and colour. Brasília’s striking architecture contrasted with Moscow’s grey order, while an American Embassy school in India took her beyond diplomatic circles to see everyday life up close. She reflects: “Home changes but values do not. That was the thread my parents gave us.” On the front line That thread was tested in 1990 when Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait. A summer visit turned into exile and Ms. AlAnsari watched the crisis from her college in New York before deciding that distance did not cancel duty. She volunteered as a medical interpreter and joined around 300 Kuwaiti men and seven other women, becoming part of the first eight women in Kuwait’s armed forces. Trained for front line medical work rather than ceremony, she flew on C-130 aircraft evacuating wounded Iraqi prisoners of war during the ground campaign. Ms. AlAnsari says: “They were 16, 17, terrified. They were more afraid of being sent back to Iraq than of their wounds. I told them we would follow the Geneva Conventions, that we would treat them, then they could decide their future. In the middle of a war, you have to hold on to humanity.” After liberation she helped interview Kuwaitis who had endured assaults, disappearances and loss. The experience reshaped her view of power. She says: “Decisions taken by leaders land on the shoulders of the innocent. If our region had chosen dialogue instead of war and focused on business and shared growth, the Middle East could be one of the most powerful forces for good today.” She also changed her own plans, leaving interior design and photography to study business, believing it would give her tools to survive and contribute in a world that could shift overnight. Markets and mentors Armed with a business degree, Ms. AlAnsari joined a two-year training programme at the Kuwait Investment Authority, then chose a demanding private sector role over a safe public sector career. The start-up that recruited her, later Global Investment House, was led by a woman chief executive and a group of ambitious founders. They began as 12 employees and grew into a regional financial force. For a young woman in the industry it could have been daunting, but she found support instead. Ms. AlAnsari says: “I never felt as supported as I did in those years. My bosses opened doors, my colleagues respected the work. We grew from 12 to more than 600 but it still felt like family.” She moved into international asset management, travelling to the United States, Europe and Asia to meet hedge fund managers and interrogate strategies. The American market taught her about liquidity and short selling, Europe taught patience and nuance. Watching her chief executive debate ministers and secure regulatory change showed her how expertise and conviction can move whole systems. Rotary and quiet revolutions Eight years ago a different kind of calling emerged. After years of travel and professional success, Ms. AlAnsari began to feel that something essential was missing. She says: “It is one thing to enjoy your life, travel, spend on yourself. At some point you have to look up and really see the people around you who do not have the same chances.” A Ramadan food box distribution with the Rotary Club of Salmaniya in Bahrain brought that realisation into focus. She delivered a parcel to a widow living alone in a crumbling house and was struck by the depth of her loneliness. When she tried to find the woman again, she learned that she had died. That encounter became the seed of her presidential year. Now leading the club, she has launched Dream Homes, a project to repair and refit the houses of people who have no family support and live in unsafe conditions. More than 20 homes have already been identified and the club is working with sponsors and volunteers to transform them. Ms. AlAnsari says: “My slogan is: ‘You can’t change the world, but you can change somebody’s world.’ If you do that for one person, it is already huge.” Her second flagship project tackles isolation. Partnering with a geriatrics hospital, Rotarians will prepare care packages and, more importantly, spend time with patients who receive no visitors. As she puts it: “It is not just food or exercise that keeps you alive. It is connection. Loneliness can kill faster than any disease.” She measures success in practical steps she can take before her term ends: doors repaired, rooms made safer, elders who feel seen again. For young women wondering how to weave such purpose into their own lives, Ms. AlAnsari says: “Break the mould. Reinvent yourself. Be your own person. Do not let other people’s fears become your limits.” And for anyone curious about Rotary, she stresses that service has many entry points for both leaders and volunteers. She concludes: “Wherever you are, you can choose to make one life better. You start there and the rest follows.” ‘You can’t change the world, but you can change somebody’s world.’ If you do that for one person, it is already huge.” - Hanadi AlAnsari
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