Dubai Women Establishment and Hawkamah graduate first class of “Women Directors Program”

Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) recently celebrated the graduation of its first class of ‘Women Directors Program’ participants. The leadership program was launched under the patronage of the wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and President of Dubai Women Establishment, in collaboration with Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance. The ‘Women Directors Program’ was established to support and enhance the role of women within various sectors, ensure their constructive participation in the country’s ongoing development and enable them to accomplish further achievements in multiple fields.

The graduation ceremony was held at the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa in Dubai, in the presence of HE Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Chairperson and Managing Director of Dubai Women Establishment, HE Hamad Buamim, Chairman of Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance, HE Ahmed bin Meshar, Secretary General of the Supreme Legislation Committee in Dubai, HE Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority and Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment.

Dubai Women Establishment also held a panel discussion about ‘The Presence and Effectiveness of Emirati Women on Boards’, which explored the challenges and obstacles that women face in obtaining senior leadership and executive positions. The panel discussed initiatives to support women, ways to enhance the implementation of corporate governance frameworks across various sectors, the qualities of effective boards of directors, along with the opportunities available for women in UAE and initiatives which drive the participation of women in the business sector at a decision-making level. The panel also reviewed the achievements of leading Emirati women who have proven their ability to handle responsibility in leading positions, across a range of sectors.

Constructive partnerships

During the panel discussion, HE Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Chairperson and Managing Director of Dubai Women Establishment, extended her gratitude to Hawkamah.

HE Mona Al Marri said: “This occasion represents an opportunity to highlight the contribution of Emirati women to the business sector, particularly on boards of directors, and the various steps taken to overcome obstacles and challenges to enhance their participation. We launched this program with our partners at Hawkamah, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and President of Dubai Women Establishment, to stress the importance of balance between the roles of women and men in strengthening and developing the UAE, and we are now celebrating the graduation of its first class.”

HE Al Marri also highlighted the wise leadership’s support to women and recognition of their skills, which qualifies them to represent 27.5% of ministerial positions in the country today. HE Al Marri said: “This support motivates us to work even harder to enhance the representation of women on boards, and to complete what we started with the ‘Women on Boards’ initiative, which was launched by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in 2010. The initiative has had a positive impact, leading to the UAE Cabinet’s decision to make female representation on the boards of directors of all corporations and government entities, obligatory.”

Emirati leadership

HE Hamad Buamim, Chairman of Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance stressed the contribution of the program in raising awareness about the importance of having female representation on boards of directors. HE said: “These achievements are testament to the UAE’s leading position in corporate governance, and enhance female representation on boards and leadership positions.”

HE Buamim highlighted the success of women across all sectors. HE said: “Each graduate of the ‘Women Directors Program’ holds distinct and influential positions within their organisations, and I’m confident that we will witness the positive results of their presence on company boards.” HE also highlighted how board diversity positively impacts the performance of boards of directors, and therefore the overall performance of companies.

Strategic goals

The ‘Women Directors Program’ is a direct outcome of the Women on Boards initiative. It was launched by the wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and President of Dubai Women Establishment, to drive balance and equality between men and women in all areas of development.

Thanks to the significant efforts of HH Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Women on Boards initiative led to a 30% increase in female representation on boards of directors in the public sector. The program targets Emirati women, and residents of the UAE and GCC, and consists of three main phases, including: preparing members of the board, an educational trip to meet with leaders of government entities and private institutions worldwide, and the implementation of corporate governance frameworks.

The first class of ‘Women Directors Program’ graduates include Maryam Al-Suwaidi, HR and Admin Director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Establishment, Fahima Al Bastaki, Executive Vice President - Head of Business Development Division at Dubai Financial Market, Hanan Ahmed, Secretary of the Board of the Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (du), Hind Al-Tamimi, Chief Legal Officer at TECOM Investments, Huda Buhumaid, Senior Vice President of Group Marketing and Communications at Dubai Holding, Igat Kanani, Director of the Dukes Group free zone in the United Arab Emirates, Manal Al Jasmi, Head of Governance Assurance section, General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs - Dubai, Mireille Babti, Chief Development Officer of Edamah, Nehal Badri, Head of Strategy and Planning at the Government of Dubai Media Office and Regina Doumit, Former Head of Legal and Compliance at Ras Al-Khaimah National Insurance Co.

In December 2012, the UAE Cabinet issued a decree requiring the representation of women on the boards of directors of all companies and government entities in the country. In May 2015, the Ministry of Economy (MoE) issued a decree stating that all companies are obliged to disclose the proportion of female representatives on their boards of directors within any annual corporate governance reports. The decree also stated that companies should consider at least one woman amongst candidates running for board membership and to disclose their rationale, if no women were elected.