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Breaking down Barriers with 2022 edition of Middle East Women Board of Directors

Event on December 13th is a unique opportunity for female leaders from different industries to network and communicate. As champions for the advancement of women, we will be working closely with various associations, institutions and corporate partners

The government of the UAE has set a great example by making it mandatory to have one female member on the boards of public companies. While the number of senior leadership positions occupied by women in the GCC is increasing by leaps and bounds, much still needs to be done. The promise is there, but what steps and policies need to be incorporated to accelerate the placement of women on regional boards? Is a quota system necessarily the best approach?

Khaleej Times brings back Middle East Women Board of Directors that focuses on elevating women in the workplace, bringing together female leaders to share their stories, struggles and journeys to success in order to enlighten and inspire the next generation.

Poonam Chawla, Head- Khaleej Times Events and Conferences and Content partnerships, said: “It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Middle East Women Board of Directors Summit 2022. Personally, this is one of my most cherished summits of the year and one that I am personally invested in. With this summit, we want to take the opportunity to celebrate our strength and support other women to make this world a more beautiful place. Seeing women leaders in various sectors only makes me aspirational about the next chapter in this wonderful series. I welcome you all to embark with us on this one-day enthralling summit that will help every aspiring women to catapult her career to the next chapter.”

The Middle East Women Board of Directors will feature Opening speech by Ebru Tuygun Gullu, Advisory Board Chairwoman — Middle East Women Board of Directors, Welcome Speech by Poonam Chawla, Co-Founder – Middle East Women Board of Directors. The conference will feature a keynote speech on “Why women is a secret weapon in business and life?” by Naomi Bagdonas, Corporate Strategist and Executive Advisor, Lecturer— Stanford Graduate School of Business and Jennifer Aaker, Behavioral Scientist and General Atlantic Professor— Stanford Graduate School of Business. The conference will also include a women power talk on “Achieving gender balance in boardrooms” with Barış Karakullukçu, Next Generation Entrepreneurship Group President— Türkiye İş Bankası and Diana Wilde, Co-Founder — Aurora 50.

Other speakers in the summit include top female leaders— Candice D’Cruz, Vice President — Luxury Brands — Marriott International, EMEA, Feyza Narlı, General Manager— Manpower Group, Golnaz Bahmanyar, Partner— Middle East Consumer & Retail practice— Egon Zehnder and Duncan McCulloch, General Manager – Middle East and Africa – Effem.

We were beyond thrilled to have some scintillating discussions, providing insight into new-age leadership. These women have paved the way for the next generation of women leaders, so as to be proud of the society that empowers you. We’re looking at women leaders who’ve risen in their careers, delving into entrepreneurship and empowerment. We will focus on the shifting workplace, understand recurring battles, and marveled at the power of technology in the corporate world today.

Baris Karakullukcu, Next Generation Entrepreneurship Group President— Türkiye İş Bankası quotes, “My participation in the event has the main focus of supporting more women to be empowered to have Professional roles in the Board of Directors of the MEA companies, as well as experience sharing with other women in the C-Level roles as an experienced Board Member myself and a solid believer in the power of diversity as a virtue. I believe there is so much that we can learn from one another, and so much that we can do for one another. To that extend, it is an honor to be here today, supporting the powerful women of the MEA.”

In reference to our awards ceremony at this year’s Middle East Women Board of Directors, we will be awarding 10 male CEOs at the annual summit awards ceremony. The awards are in recognition of men who actively champion and empower women board members, setting the example and encouraging more CEOs to support female leadership.

The forum is sponsored by MOTF, BEE Concierge & Travel & Events Services and Marriott International Luxury Brands as our Lead Sponsors.

The conference encourages women from the Mena region to attend, and to register at— https://khaleejtimesevents.com/women-directors/register. We— as women— are integral to tomorrow’s future, so that we can leave a stronger and economically sustainable environment in the Middle East.