Dubai Women Establishment launches Arab Women Leadership Forum

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; and lead by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, UAE; the Arab Women Leadership Forum is an annual flagship conference organized by Dubai Women Establishment, as part of its continuing effort to promote professional development and career advancement among women. The forum will feature national and internationally recognized speakers, accomplished women role models and career coaches, as well as provide a networking opportunity for the among highly motivated conference attendees.

Commenting on this occasion, Her Highness Sheikha Manal said, "Over the years, this annual forum has gained tremendous traction as one of the only platforms for women that tackles the hard issues facing them in the workforce in addition to professional-advancement issues. Women represent an integral part of our overall human capital and human resource and are playing an increasingly important role in the workplace. In light of today's global environment, it more important than ever to focus on leadership development as - evidenced during previous sessions of this Forum - women are going to be increasingly vital to this effort."

Sheikha Manal added, "I am optimistic that the third edition of the Arab Women Leadership Forum will once again serve as a leading voice on issues facing Arab women in professional and management positions. Our vision for this annual event is to support women in business from the classroom to the boardroom. Through a spectrum of presentations by expert speakers and ongoing professional guidance, it will provide invaluable mentorship and networking opportunities to help prepare Arab female executives for more senior roles as well as meet their own measures of success."

The third edition of the Forum which is supported strategically by Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance & Mudara - The Institute of Directors ,will see an elite group of women leaders from around the region deliberating on topics related to 'Women on Boards of Directors' and will identify the factors that impede the progress and participation of women on the Boards of institutions. Over the course of two days, the speakers will also share practical ideas to stimulate the participation of women in the commonly male-dominated boardroom; in addition to discussing plans to raise the level of administrative governance practices in the UAE.

Commenting on the event program, Sheikha Manal added, "This year's Arab Women Leadership Forum will highlight key issues related to the inclusion of female professionals in the Board of local and international organizations. The few women who rise to senior levels often attract substantial media attention, which may give readers the false impression that barriers to women's advancement are a thing of the past. However, in reality, studies show that the prevalence of women in management positions is in fact quite low. Among others, the line-up of speakers during the over the course of two days will highlight some of the challenges women still face in the workplace and suggest some practices for overcoming the barriers."

The Arab Women Leadership Forum is one of many initiatives established by Dubai Women Establishment for the benefit of women with the active participation of private and public sector organizations. It aims to particularly ensure that Emirati women pursue an aggressive growth agenda that positively impacts the UAE economy, and the overall Gulf region.