AIWF along with Merrill Lynch hold Women in Banking and Finance meeting

The meeting was organized by Dubai Business Women's Council (DBWC), headed by Mrs. Raja Al-Gurg, DBWC president and managing director of the Easa Saleh Al-Gurg group of companies.

The meet was a synergetic coming together of AIWF and Merrill Lynch, both of whom have recently entered into a global partnership. It also coincided with the launch of the new offices in Dubai by Merrill Lynch.

The program included a panel discussion on Women in Banking and Finance that explored the role of business women in the Arab region, an overview of Global Markets & Investment Banking (GMI) and Global Private Client (GPC) by Merrill Lynch along with a look at the company strategy.

Merrill Lynch utilized the occasion to present to AIWF members and other global partners an overview of its business strategy in the region. It also demonstrated the firm's commitment to the development of professional women in the Arab World. The focus was on investment trends, issues for female investors and the increasing importance of diversity in maintaining company success. The agenda demonstrated how Merrill Lynch has positioned itself to take advantage of the next stage of globalization.

Senior participants from Merrill Lynch included Bob Wigley, EMEA chairman; Eva Castillo, head of GPC EMEA; Jeffrey Culpepper, head of GMI North Africa and Middle East and Maureen Erasmus, co-head of Global Corporate Strategy and Business Development.

Mrs. Raja Al-Gurg led the AIWF participation and Mrs. Faiza AL Sayyed, vice president of DBWC delivered the AIWF message at the meeting on behalf of Haifa AL Kaylani Founder & Chairman of Arab International Women's Forum, where she said:

"I wish to extend a warm welcome to all our distinguished guests, AIWF members and our Partners present today with Merrill Lynch and including Shell, PricewaterhouseCoopers, PepsiCo and DLA Piper, with a special welcome to the valued members of the Dubai Business Women Council.

This occasion celebrates our partnership together as well as the launch of the Merrill Lynch Offices in Dubai."

She added saying that, women in the Arab World have achieved significant advancement in recent years. There are women CEOs, women government officials, women professors, women engineers; women run e-businesses and financial institutions. However, the utilization of Arab women's capabilities through economic and political participation remains the lowest in the world in quantitative terms as evidenced by the fact that in 2005 women made up only 28% of the work force. One of the reasons identified is lack of awareness of the opportunities available. Another is the need for specific management skills and competences.