Raja Al Gurg meets WBLS leaders

She also said that their central role in the process of sustainable development and community service had to be reinforced.

She was speaking at her meeting at the Hyatt Regency Hotel with officials of the Women Business Leaders Summit (WBLS), headed by Mrs. Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, WBLS chair, president and CEO of Pace Communications and former U.S. Ambassador to Finland, in the presence of other DBWC board members.

During the meeting, Mrs. Raja Easa Al Gurg welcomed the attendees and participants, and wished them success in their endeavors to achieve the objectives of the summit.

She stressed the importance of such summits and forums that work to bridge the gap in viewpoints between local and international businesswomen and serve as a platform to discuss important issues.

Al Gurg reviewed the most important achievements of the DBWC and reviewed the status of the Emirati woman, who, she said, now occupies a privileged position in society and in the world.

She said that the council was established under the umbrella of Dubai Chamber (formerly Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry or DCCI) in 2002, to achieve multi-sectoral goals.

The council has sought since its establishment to play its mandated role and to represent Emirati businesswomen in the best possible way at regional and international forums, in order to reflect the position reached by the UAE in general and Dubai in particular.

The UAE has also encouraged the participation of Dubai businesswomen at international forums.

This has raised the status of the Emirati woman and made her the focus of world's attention.

It happened due to the constant support of the chamber and the confidence placed in the council by it, she said.

The council, she said, also seeks to discuss the problems facing businesswomen in Dubai.

It made recommendations to solve these problems in accordance with the regulations of the chamber, presented proposals on services and events that could be provided by the chamber to help members, provides a forum for communication and networking between businesswomen and the business community in Dubai to strengthen relations between them, spread awareness of the importance of Emirati women's participation in various economic activities and encouraged women to break into new areas of work and participated in events organized by the chamber.

Referring to the commendable professional journey of Emirati women, Mrs. Raja Easa Al Gurg said that they met the challenges of life with confidence and achieved significant successes in all sectors, particularly in the fields of finance and business.

They have laid the foundations and developed the ability to achieve more successes that are no less important than the men's in the sectors of trade, economics, services and information, among others.

Emirati women entered the finance and business world due to the availability of several factors created early on during the formation of the State that allowed them to break into the world of business.

One of the factors that helped them was the increase in their university and post-university education rate in the 90s.

Another factor was the UAE government's attention to human development in general and women's development in particular, plus the presence of new infrastructure and legislative structures that stimulated investment and growth, in addition to government initiatives that created more new job opportunities.

Mrs. Raja Easa Al Gurg gave the audience a quick glimpse of her life and took them on a virtual tour of her growth as a businesswoman.

She noted all the managerial positions that she occupied, including Board Member of the Dubai Chamber, Member of the Dubai Economic Council and President of the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC).

She is also a representative at the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative and has the honor of being selected as being one among the four most influential businesswomen by Forbes Global magazine in April 2006.

During the meeting, she also described some of the initiatives undertaken by Dubai Chamber and the activities of some of the governmental institutions in Dubai vis-à-vis business development in the emirate which sought to provide various means to create a favorable climate and develop an environment conducive to businessmen and businesswomen.

In this regard, she recalled the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award launched by Dubai Chamber, which encouraged companies to develop their businesses, as well as the importance of the FORSA company launched by Dubai World, which is a private investment fund related to women investors and entrepreneurs.

At the end of the visit, members of the delegation were escorted to "Interiors," which is one of Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group companies, where they were briefed on the nature of the work of the company and the latest products displayed there so that they could familiarize themselves with its working.