Employee Resource Groups Emerge as Next Frontier of Workplace Innovation in MENA

Business leaders from regional and global organizations gathered at SAP’s Dubai headquarters recently for the first Employee Resource Group (ERG) Summit in the Middle East and North Africa, co-led by the SAP UAE Business Women’s Network (BWN) and the ERG Leader Summit. The event brought together diversity and inclusion professionals, ERG leaders, and executives from across industries to explore how employee networks can accelerate innovation and shape more inclusive, high-performing workplaces.

ERGs are employee-led groups that advance inclusion and belonging within organizations. Originating in the US during the civil rights movement, they have evolved globally into business enablers that connect people with shared goals and experiences. The Dubai summit, themed “Think Big. Act Small. Beyond the Cupcakes,” encouraged participants to move beyond symbolic gestures and focus instead on measurable outcomes that align with business strategy.

“Employee Resource Groups are strategic partners collaborating to drive cultural and commercial impact,” Sheryl Miller, CEO of the ERG Leader Summit and a speaker at the event says. “By equipping ERG leaders with frameworks and metrics to measure success, we can ensure their passion translates into progress that is visible, valued, and sustained.”

According to Meena Confait, Global Co-Chair of SAP’s Business Women’s Network, inclusion has become a core part of how modern organizations strengthen performance. “The conversations at this summit focused on how ERG leaders can anchor their work in evidence, build accountability, and link inclusion to day-to-day decision-making.”

Representation and meaningful inclusion of people of determination were key to the conversation. Shuruk Elwarrak, Founder and CEO of Enabled, says, “Creating accessible and equitable workplaces is not a side initiative — it’s essential to how we build sustainable, competitive economies. The conversations at this summit showed that inclusion done right is not only about fairness but about business strength.”

From the corporate sector, Sheriza Bazari, Diversity, Integration & Belonging Lead at Etihad Airways, adds that the discussions resonated strongly with the airline’s own priorities. “At Etihad, our employee communities – Women of Etihad, Youth of Etihad, and the upcoming People of Determination network – are moving from passion to impact. This summit reinforced the need for clear metrics, leadership accountability, and purpose that connects across generations.”

SAP BWN’s Confait notes that the summit reflected a growing regional appetite for structured collaboration between organizations committed to inclusion. She believes stronger cooperation between private companies and public-sector institutions will be essential for building ERG models that deliver measurable business impact, helping workplaces across the Gulf link belonging with innovation and long-term performance.