Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, UAE, Chairperson of Nama Women Advancement Establishment and Founder & Patron of Sharjah Business Women Council, AIWF was delighted to organise in collaboration with AIWF Global Platinum Partner the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) a Joint Seminar showcasing journeys of businesswomen in the UAE and the UK. The Seminar was held on Wednesday 27 July 2016 at The Royal Automobile Club in London under the theme of Partnership for Innovation in Entrepreneurshipand sought to strengthen joint cooperation between British and Emirati businesswomen and entrepreneurs.
The Seminar was addressed by distinguished representatives of SBWC and AIWF including the late HE Ameera Bin Karam, Deputy Chairperson of NAMA and Chairperson of SBWC; and Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder Chairperson of the Arab International Women’s Forum. In her opening remarks, Mrs Al Kaylani expressed her sincere appreciation and deepest thanks to Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi for her valued presence and extended her great appreciation to AIWF Global Platinum Partner, the Sharjah Business Women Council, for their full and invaluable support in organising the Joint Seminar. The Seminar was moderated by Rania Rizk, AIWF Board Member & Senior Vice President & General Counsel, PepsiCo AMEA, UAE. Attended by over 200 business women from across various sectors in the UK and UAE, all members of both AIWF and SBWC, the Seminar featured Guest Speakers on each panel who made invaluable contributions to the discussions.
AIWF’s core focus in this initiative, in collaboration with its valued partner the SBWC, was to provide much needed future direction for women entrepreneurs and to shed light on the importance of education, leadership training, capacity building and self-development for young women entrepreneurs to be more innovative and adaptive to the changing business environment. AIWF and the SBWC are highly committed to developing the future generation of young women entrepreneurs and empowering them to break new ground in entrepreneurship as well as in public life. This Joint Seminar, which took place as part of an official UK Trade Visit for the SBWC, aimed to support women entrepreneurs in pioneering new business ideas, solutions and products, and to optimise their networking, business and personal skills and enable them to contribute more effectively and confidently to the growth of their communities and their economies overall.
Accordingly, the Seminar was organised with the close involvement of AIWF and SBWC leaders and member entrepreneurs, who enjoyed the opportunity to engage and explore potential innovative entrepreneurship initiatives between the UAE and the UK, and exchange challenges, success stories and best practices on innovation in entrepreneurship. AIWF was proud to welcome prominent speakers on every panel who brought the Seminar’s objectives to life, including Alia Abdulla Al Mazrouei, Chief Operating Officer, Al Mazrui Holdings and Co-Founder, Just Falafel, UAE; Noor Saab, Designer and Founder, Noor Saab, UK; Sheikha Hind Majid Al Qasimi, Emirati designer of Designed by Hind collection of Porcelain, UAE; Dr Amal Ibrahim Al Ali, Emirati Coach and Corporate Trainer, Founder and CEO of Cardiff Management Consultants, UAE; Sara Abdelwahab Al Madani, Fashion Designer and Entrepreneur, Founder of Rouge Couture, UAE; Heba Khairallah Al Emara, UK Head of Relations EMEA, Vistra Services (UK) Limited, UK; and Dr Zanubia Daud Shams, Co–Chairperson, Zulekha Healthcare Group, UAE.
