Senior manager at DUBAL earns EBWA accolade

The award, which was presented to Ms Al Jallaf by HH Saeed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum during a gala ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai, is a fitting tribute to the exemplary contribution that she has made to DUBAL since joining the company as a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering graduate in April 2002.

DUBAL's Mohamed Nagib, Director of Smelter Operations explains, 'Over the past six years, Ms Al Jallaf has demonstrated strong goal orientation, complemented by a determination to use her knowledge and technical expertise to achieve the company's goals while transferring knowledge and skills to her direct reports and colleagues. She has also regularly enrolled for courses to further her self-development, with specific emphasis on building technical and management competencies. These efforts have earned her both respect and acceptance in a traditionally male-dominated field.'

The success of Ms Al Jallaf's career to date attests to the fruits of these efforts. She has progressed through the ranks of Assistant Process Engineer; Process Engineer; Senior Process Engineer and Head of Process Control Cell Lining Department to her current post of Manager at Process Control Potrooms and Cell Lining. She currently manages a team of 63 people.

During her career to date, Ms Al Jallaf has played an active role in four of DUBAL's capacity expansion projects. She was involved directly in the quality control aspects of 332 expansion cells as well as the construction of approximately 100 new cells each year. The knowledge gained during Ms Al Jallaf's undergraduate training at Al Ain University has been enhanced by her participation at numerous conferences, technical aluminium training and international post-graduate courses and her enrolment in a New Zealand-based PhD programme. The latter was to develop her own knowledge and skills as well as to help her to empower her staff for greater responsibilities. She has also personally completed several Continuous Improvement Team and Performance Enhancement Programme projects.

'Ms Al Jallaf's pro-active and innovative contributions to DUBAL's ongoing success have not gone unnoticed,' continues Mr Nagib. 'To the contrary, she has been named 'Best Lady Supervisor' for three consecutive years and received a 'CEO's Special Recognition' certificate for two consecutive years in DUBAL's Suggestion Scheme. As an Area Representative in the same scheme, she represented 197 men in the potroom general area during 2007. In short, Ms Al Jallaf is a true asset to DUBAL.'

A firm believer in equal opportunity, DUBAL currently employs 223 women across the organisation, equating to 5.7% of its 3,900-strong workforce. The company's commitment to the employing and developing UAE Nationals is clearly evidenced by the fact that 44.8% of DUBAL's female employees are Emirati citizens.

Asked what the EBWA accolade means to her, personally, Ms Al Jallaf says, 'I believe that to succeed I must continually re-invent myself and grow, otherwise, if I become complacent I will become obsolete. Always striving for more is the first step to multiple successes. I also believe that doing things the right way, without compromise is the only sure way to sustainable progress. This award confirms my thinking, as it recognises that my whole-hearted dedication and complete involvement in all aspects of my work have played a vital role in developing my career.'