AIWF President & Founder Haifa Al Kaylani recently chaired a key panel at the Aurora50 Inclusion Summit in Abu Dhabi. The session, titled ‘Stakeholders vs Shareholders – Linking diversity and inclusion to long term business objectives’, welcomed as valued speakers generously sharing their expertise and insights:
Shamsa Al Falasi, CEO, UAE, Citibank
Dr Parmjot Bains, Gulf Cluster Country Manager, Pfizer
Belgacem Merad, Vice President MENA, Weatherford
Damian Brown, Group Head of Talent Acquisition, Chalhoub Group
The business case for diversity and inclusion in the GCC and the broader MENA region is well-documented, clearly evidenced and indeed, multifaceted. Research consistently shows that gender-diverse companies are more likely to outperform their less diverse counterparts. This is because women bring different perspectives, leadership styles, and competencies to the table. In doing so, women contribute to a more holistic and empathic approach to problem-solving and decision-making. In other words, women humanise workplaces, working practices, and working culture.
It was indeed a pleasure for Haifa to moderate the excellent discussion between business leaders on strategies to embed D&I into working practices in the region ahead of the 2030 SDGs watershed. As she shared in her Opening Remarks: “Linking diversity and inclusion to long-term business objectives, especially regarding the inclusion of women, requires a strategic, holistic, human-centred and culturally sensitive approach. It is a journey that involves redefining policies, reimagining leadership, reshaping culture, and relentlessly pursuing progress.’
AIWF expresses warm thanks and appreciation to Diana Wilde, Aurora50 Co-Founder, and extends all congratulations to the Aurora50 team on an outstanding Summit programme which was exceptionally well-attended and covered salient points for women’s empowerment and inclusion as key to the region’s future economic growth and prosperity. AIWF is proud to have been a Supporting Partner for this event, and looks forward to working with Aurora50 in the future on key DEI initiatives in the UAE and the broader MENA region.
