What Mervat Sultan Teaches Us About Building Equity and Opportunity for Women in Middle-East Aviation
AVIATE with Shaesta · Shaesta Waiz, Michael Wildes
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Show Notes
In this episode, host Shaesta Waiz speaks with Mervat Sultan—founder of Ramjet Aviation Services and President of the Women in Aviation Middle East Chapter—about how intentional leadership, structured mentorship, and policy support have transformed a handful of members into a 1,000-strong network and the largest women-in-aviation conference in the Arab world.
Over 25 years, Sultan learned aviation “from scratch,” built executive charter operations, and opened doors for countless pilots, engineers, and managers. They discuss reframing quotas as performance standards, embedding inclusion into systems, preparing students for AI and quantum-driven flight, and why “the sky is wide enough for all of us.”
Chapter Breakdown
00:00 | Opening call: “Skies are wide enough for all of us.”
01:32 | Host introduction & Sultan’s impact on Middle-East aviation
03:53 | Why Middle-East progress matters to global inclusion efforts
06:03 | Sultan’s passion: real stories of women transforming careers
07:30 | Founding Ramjet and learning aviation from the ground up
10:41 | Government backing & corporate accountability in the region
12:38 | Quotas vs. performance: reframing the gender-equity debate
17:31 | Effective strategies: executive intent, clear pathways, male allies
18:51 | Embedding inclusion: systems, metrics, respect in practice
20:24 | Advice to women: seek mentors, stay curious, trust your worth
23:34 | Cross-border lessons: sharing stories beyond geopolitical lines
26:22 | Future skills: integrating AI & quantum tech into aviation education
30:21 | Guidance for new entrants: matching personality to aviation roles
33:29 | Zero-error culture: fundamentals, time-management, real-world anecdotes
36:34 | Closing reflections: gratitude, next steps, and a shared vision
Follow Mervat Sultan
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LinkedIn: Mervat Sultan
Follow Shaesta Waiz
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Website: shaestawaiz.com
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LinkedIn: Shaesta Waiz
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Instagram: @shaesta.waiz
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TikTok: @shaestawaiz
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