Arab International Women's Forum holds 'Young Arab Women Leaders - The Voice of the Future' conference

As the third of a series of events planned for the year and beyond, the conference, held at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry,aimed to assist a wide spectrum of young women leaders in and across the region to further optimise and strengthen their personal business skills and overall contribution to the business world and community at large.

Designed to assist young women leaders in understanding the role of gender equality in shaping political, economic and social opportunities available to women in the Arab world, the conference's main objectives provided the ideal opportunity for participants to gain key insights into best practice methods that transform challenges and barriers into success stories and various opportunities for development and enhancement. It also served as a platform for the young aspiring Emirati women to support, engage and network with other women in pioneering political, economic and social leadership roles in the Arab world while learning more about the qualities of leadership for women in the 21st century.

In opening the forum, Mrs Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder Chairman of AIWF said "At AIWF, we are always looking for new approaches to the youth unemployment challenge and we believe that these include incentivising young people to develop marketable skills and educators to emphasise skills development whilst encouraging private sector firms to recruit and develop Arab graduates so we have an employed, educated youth. AIWF clearly sees job creation as the crisis of our time, and for this reason we are heavily invested in the success of the Young Arab Women Leaders initiative, and are very focused on empowering youth in emerging economies to become entrepreneurs and job creators which, we believe, is key to building a strong, viable and educated Arab middle class."

Mrs Al Kaylani added:"AIWF whole heartedly shares and support the UAE government's strategic vision for women and youth because it is based on providing them with the necessary tools to achieve academic and professional excellence. This strategy has energised women's role in public service as well as the private sector, and the commitment and enthusiasm from Emirati women themselves to benefit from these unprecedented opportunities has moved gender empowerment forward not only within the UAE but throughout the GCC"

Commenting on the Forum, Warwick Hunt PwC's Middle East Managing Partner said "We at PwC view women as a critical talent group to enable the firm to continue its growth in the marketplace and to deliver the best in client solutions. Firm networks provide a strong collaborative group for women at pivotal points in their careers, giving them the resources, role models, mentors and contacts which contribute to their career success and the ongoing success of PwC. Our partnership with AIWF comes from our genuine belief of the mission AIWF stands for. Therefore, our series of engagements will continue to make a show case for a proper and appropriate partnership that has one goal and aspiration, that is a better future for our society and more opportunities for our women, youth and children."

Mr. Hunt added "New developments in the way business is growing, is going to be beneficial to the career advancement of women. In this new economy, it is becoming increasingly clear that businesses based on consensus, collaboration and team work are more successful. This is a leadership style that women tend to be very good at. It is also the case that technology has provided a whole new world of opportunity for working women in terms of enabling them to work remotely during the years when their children are young rather than putting their careers temporarily on hold."

Raja Al Gurg, Managing Director, Easa Saleh Al Gurg group.and President, Dubai Business Women's Council speaking in the Beyond the Glass Ceiling session gave the following advice, "The lack of women in leadership positions is primarily a problem of internal talent management. Challenges such as these exist in any industry. Those aspiring to be the leaders of tomorrow must persevere. At the same time, they should not be afraid to speak their minds. Those who excel in their professional lives did not get there without sacrifice. Here in the UAE we have learnt that the higher you aim the greater the risks. But the tactic is never to compromise on your goal. Upgrade your ambitions instead."

Sara Akbar, CEO & Founder, Kuwait Energy, Kuwait spoke of her belief that women 's empowerment and economic development go hand in hand in our world today and if you care about economic growth then women have to part of the solution.

Sara Akbar, CEO & Founder, Kuwait Energy, Kuwait spoke of her belief that women 's empowerment and economic development go hand in hand in our world today and if you care about economic growth then women have to part of the solution.
MsIman Al Midfa, Director General, Shurjah Business Women Council identified the biggest challenge for every woman as being her own perception of what she can and can't do and said "If she can break the glass roof that she has placed on top of her own head she can reach her targets"

Relating the benefits women bring to the labour market, MrBadrJafar , President Crescent Petroleum & Co Founder The Pearl Initiative, UAE, stated "Companies that learn to adapt to all its employees needs will be better able to respond to the challenge of an ageing workforce and the demands of the next generation of knowledge workers. That is, the optimisation of women's talents boosts the bottom line."

There was a wealth of other esteemed speakers addressing the conference that included:
Ms Shelly Porges,, Senior Adviser, Global Entrepreneurship Programm, State Department USA
Ms Maryam Darwish, Customer Relations Executive, Al Futtain Motors, UAE
MsMalak Fares, Business Presenter, Sky, News Arabia
MsHalaKazim, Founder, Journey Through Change, UAE
MsRasha Al Danhani, Chairman and Owner, PappaRoti General Trading LLC. UAE
Ms Lara Tarakjian, Executive Director, Silkor Holding, UAE
Dr Nadia Younis, Country Regulatory Head-Gulf & Levant Markets, Pfizer, UAE
MsAmna Al Falasi, Real Estate Consultant, UAE
MsIbaMasoud, Co-Founder& Chief Executive Officer, Gradberry
MsNohaTopalian, Senior Director of Treasury, Asia, Middle East and Africa, PepsiCo, UAE
Ms Farida Kamber, Managing Director, Cinmar Design, UAE.

Mrs. Al Kaylani summed up the aim of the day when she said "Together, we want to create a network for the exchange of ideas, experience and opportunity for and between young women in the Arab world. AIWF is proud to work closely with PwC and all AIWF's Global Corporate and Institutional Partners in this important initiative introducing a new generation to commonly shared principles, .developing their leadership skills and harnessing the energy and talent of potential young women leaders to contribute to the social and economic development of their communities and the Arab region as a whole."