For well over a decade, Pfizer Middle East has been a Platinum Corporate Partner of the Arab International Women’s Forum, a leading development organisation based in London with strong representation throughout the MENA region and especially the UAE and KSA where our Global Corporate Partners, including PepsiCo, PwC and of course Pfizer, have their regional headquarters. In the last two decades our programmes have been focused on women’s empowerment through economic inclusion, education, and entrepreneurship. In the years of our partnership, AIWF and Pfizer Middle East have proudly collaborated on highly successful initiatives such as the ‘Women on the Frontline in the Fight Against Covid-19’ webinar held in July 2020; the ‘Women Leaders in Health’ conference held at the American University in Beirut Medical School in April 2019, in partnership with the University of Massachusetts Medical School and PwC; and the ‘Women-Led Innovation in STEM’ conference held at the Royal Academy of Engineering in December 2017 which brought the World Bank and Shell on board as event partners.
Most recently, as a flagship project of the AIWF / Pfizer Annual Partnership in 2022-2023, our organisations also collaborated on a virtual panel series exploring salient diversity issues impacting women’s inclusion in global and MENA health – (i) the importance of mentoring and nurturing the next generation of women leaders in health through role modelling, recognition and visibility of women in discovery, research and innovation; (ii) addressing the gender pay and leadership gap; and (iii) driving diversity in the innovation landscape, including an exploration of the impact of enhanced diversity on clinical trials. The sessions were held in December 2022, February 2023, and June 2023 (recordings are available on AIWF’s YouTube channel here), and the initiative culminated in a report and recommendations published jointly by AIWF and Pfizer in November 2023 (available here).
DEI By Design KSA 2024-2025
AIWF and Pfizer are now collaborating for this follow up series with a special focus on women’s leadership and legacy in the health sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where women experience the same challenges encountered by working women all over the world and yet where there are still some lingering barriers that are being addressed by widespread reforms that are delivering significant and exciting new opportunities for women’s economic inclusion in the Kingdom.
Through this series, co-hosted by AIWF and Pfizer in KSA, we will bring women in health together to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities for women in the sector in the Kingdom, noting that these challenges are similar to those faced by women in many other parts of the world, hence there is significant scope for cross-cultural and experience exchange. Some of the challenges that might be considered in the DEI by Design KSA series include:
The Glass Ceiling – Navigating the invisible barrier that prevents women from advancing to senior leadership roles. In KSA, this barrier might include lack of confidence and limited awareness of capacity building opportunities which could help women build confidence and capacity through skilling, networking and training.
Work-Life Balance Challenges – This session is about balancing work and family responsibilities can be particularly challenging for women, especially in societies where they are expected to shoulder a larger share of domestic and childcare responsibilities. This challenge can be exacerbated by factors such as the lack of available childcare facilities and support networks for working women.
Mentors and Role Models – The universal need for more mentorship and role modelling for women leaders is well documented in many countries in the world, and this is especially important in a thriving economic environment such as KSA where there are now more women in leadership positions than ever before and there are exciting opportunities to bring aspiring young women leaders together with established women in leadership in health.
Registration now open
Register now for Session I: DEI by Design KSA Session I: Building confidence – Understanding universal challenges for women’s progression in health and spotlighting distinct KSA challenges: how do we turn these into opportunities?
Thursday 30 May, 12:00 UK / 14:00 KSA time
Zoom guest registration link available here
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Register now for Session II: DEI by Design KSA Session II: Building community – Nurturing women’s leadership in health through role modelling, recognition, and visibility
Wednesday 18 September 2024, 12:00 UK / 14:00 KSA time
Zoom guest registration link available here.
Register now for Session III:DEI by Design KSA Session III: Building capacity – The importance of continued professional education, upskilling and training to further workplace progression
Wednesday 30 October 2024, 12:00 UK / 14:00 KSA time
Zoom guest registration link available here.
