Twitter launches UAE platform 'to inspire people to do good'

Dubai - The global initiative aims to create a platform for prominent and influential leaders to come together to network.

Twitter has made an inspiring move with its latest #LeadersForGood initiative in the UAE, aiming to bring leaders in one platform and inspire others in the region to do good.
The social networking service recently launched #LeadersForGood in Dubai in the presence of prominent UAE leaders such as French Ambassador to the UAE Ludovic Pouille; Chalhoub Group CEO Patrick Chalhoub; Boeing Mena and Turkey president Bernard Dunn, and more.
The global initiative aims to create a platform for prominent and influential leaders to come together to network, connect and share best practices on how they are creating a positive impact on their communities.
Twitter executives - including Bruce Daisley, vice-president for EMEA, and Benjamin Ampen, managing director for Mena - welcomed the leaders and introduced how #LeadersForGood can bring about inspiration for both organisations and individuals.
"Your causes can often be as powerful as the corporate cause itself. We see that the more those programmes can be embodied with individuals, the more these messages really seem to hit home. We want to empower you to be the conveyors of that message," said Daisley.
Right at the launch of the initiative, the UAE leaders tackled best practices and challenges in corporate responsibility - from diversity and inclusion to digital literacy and youth job creation.
French Ambassador to the UAE Pouille, for one, called on leaders to spread the word about an initiative launched by the Women Empowerment Committee of the French Business Group of Abu Dhabi.
"In presence of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, we had 22 French multinational companies join a UN initiative dedicated to gender equality and commit to the Women's Empowerment Principles. But we need to create more momentum.
"These are basic commitments which many companies are probably already implementing. We are planning another event to further build this programme because we know that this is an important issue in this country."
Some other leaders who shared their inspiring initiatives included Batoul Husseini, director of CSR at SAP Mena; Centre Antonia Carver, CEO of Jameel Arts; and Asad Rehman, director of media and digital transformation at Unilever Mena.
Talking about how SAP launched a digital literacy drive to prepare the workforce, Husseini said: "We rolled out an initiative in the region in 2015, where we introduced basic coding to refugees and hosted nationals in around 10 countries. As for the age group of 18 to 24 years who were interested in pursuing a career in IT, we started a 16-week coding bootcamp. So far, we have 483 young men and women who have found employment with an average salary of $1,800 per month, 10 times the average salary of an IT university graduate. Employers include global and local companies such as Wikipedia, Amazon and Weather.com."
Dunn, on the other hand, said he was proud of the programme his company started with the Light and Hope organisation in Egypt.
"It trains visually impaired women with artistic skills, such as playing instruments. They even went as far as creating a world-class orchestra that has conducted concerts around the world. I personally am a big supporter of women empowerment and it's encouraging to see a strong focus on women across our region. I believe women come with the right skills to succeed, all you need to do is give them an opportunity."
The Twitter #LeadersForGood event will be followed by a series of activities throughout the year to further build the community. And the firm is planning to roll out the initiative globally, including across Europe and North America.
saman@khaleejtimes.com