Thresholds of Purpose: A Journey of Leadership and Giving

On International Women’s Day, Dr Hiba Massoud, Senior Lecturer in Accounting and Finance at Cardiff Metropolitan University, looks back at her own experiences and explains how they inform the work she is undertaking with women in the Middle East.

When I look back on my journey, I often think of it as a series of thresholds – moments where I had to pause, breathe, and step into something unfamiliar, trusting that purpose would meet me on the other side.

The first of these thresholds was when I arrived in the UK as an international student, carrying with me a fierce determination and a belief that education could open doors that geography often closed. I completed my Master’s degree, then my PhD at the University of Nottingham, then gained an early research experience in Wales. Those years shaped me profoundly – not only as an academic, but as a woman learning to trust her voice in spaces that were not always designed for people like me.

When I returned to Syria, I didn’t go back to simply continue a career. I went back to build something. I worked across ministries, universities and international organisations such as UNDP and European Commission, helping to modernise higher education systems and strengthen research environments. I saw talent everywhere – especially among women – and I became committed to making sure that talent didn’t go unnoticed.

Years later, as the conflict escalated around us, another threshold appeared. This one was quieter, heavier, and deeply personal. My children’s safety became my absolute priority. Leaving behind a career I had built with devotion was not an easy choice – but leadership sometimes means recognising which responsibilities matter most. So I stepped away, knowing I would find my footing again.

Returning to the UK as a highly skilled immigrant wasn’t a return to the beginning. It was a return with experience, perspective and purpose. But rebuilding a career in a new system – while holding a family together through change – required resilience and an unwavering belief that what I had to offer still held value.

It did.

Step by step, door by door, I re‑established myself. Step by step, door by door, I re‑established myself. First as a lecturer, then through research, innovation, project leadership, and international collaborations. My work led me back to the Middle East – this time as a bridge‑builder – supporting research environments in Egypt, Iraq, and Türkiye, and empowering women academics to step into career progression.

Throughout this journey, women walked with me.

Women who gave their time, their mentorship, their encouragement. Women who said, “You belong here,” at the precise moments when I doubted it. Women who understood that giving does not diminish us – it expands us.

And because I gained so much from their generosity, I now give – intentionally.

I mentor women early in their academic careers.

I support researchers rebuilding their lives after crises.

I lead projects that expand access to networks, training, and visibility.

I create opportunities that allow others to rise – not after they prove themselves, but so they can.

This is what “Give to Gain” means to me.

It is the quiet strength of lifting others.

The courage of choosing safety and purpose over prestige.

The resilience to rebuild without losing yourself.

The belief that when women gain, entire communities rise with them.

My story is not one of loss – it is one of expansion.

Not one of escape – but of deliberate transitions.

Not one of starting over – but of building forward.

This International Women’s Day, I honour the women who gave to me, and I celebrate the power that emerges when we choose to give – and in doing so, allow ourselves, and each other, to gain.