The Dubai Business Women Council ends the Year of Zayed with a 46% growth in total membership

Tuesday 08 January 2019
Dr. Raja Al Gurg during the Dubai Business Women Council meeting
Dubai - MENA Herald:

The Dubai Business women Council has concluded another year marked with success in its efforts to empower women and enhance their role in Dubai’s business community. The council revealed that it has increased its membership by 46% when compared to the previous year, and the total number of members has increased to 864, up from 591 members in 2017, which represents an increase of 273 new members joining the council in 2018.

The new growth in membership during 2018 reflects the diversity of the business community in the emirate of Dubai, in light of the fact that the council’s members belong to 81 different nationalities from all around the world.

During the previous year, the council organized a large number of initiatives and events to support business women, develop their abilities, and enhance their competitiveness. The DBWC organized 56 workshops and seminars, representing an increase of 70% when compared to the number of events organized in 2017, which included 33 events and workshops. The events were characterized by the diversity of their topics and goals, which focused on developing the abilities of the council members.

1,573 participants took part in the council’s events in 2018, which represents a record in participation for the council. This achievement reflects the success of these events in attracting a large number of business women that are looking to enhance their skills and develop their abilities in accordance to the requirements of the labour market. The record in participation for 2018 represents a growth rate of 31% when compared to the participation in 2017, during which a total of 1,200 participants that took part in the council’s events that year.

HE Dr. Raja Al Gurg, President of the Dubai Business Women Council, stated that the council has been able to add many achievements to its growing list of accomplishments during the Year of Zayed. She pointed out that the council has cemented its status as a leading platform and a vital resource that helps empower business women in Dubai to succeed in their professional lives.

“We have succeeded in attracting a large number of business women who are looking to benefit from the services and exclusive initiatives which we offer to our members throughout the year, in order to enhance their competitiveness and their abilities in the workplace,” Al Gurg added.

She also pointed out that many of the visiting international delegations during the past year praised the wise vision of the Government of Dubai, as well as its efforts to ensure that it remains an attractive investment hub that supports working women.

Al Gurg stated the council has adopted an advanced strategy in 2018 for picking the topics of its events and workshops that are aligned with the government’s directives. She remarked that the council focused on topics that both met the needs of its members and provided them with added benefits, in order for them to remain competitive in the emirate’s labour market.

The 'Spirit of Zayed' Mentorship Programme, which was launched in conjunction with the Year of Zayed in 2017 , is considered one of the council’s  most successful initiatives during the past year. The initiative, which was held for a duration of six months, aimed to enhance and develop the skills and expertise of council members in order for them to excel and innovate in the workplace. The programme attracted the participation of 18 selected members of the council, all of whom are business women that represented various sectors, such as tourism, hospitality, trade, consulting, healthcare, education and the media. The participants were provided with free mentorship by 18 mentors who represented various multinational companies and government entities such as JP Morgan, Société Générale, Naseba, ICON plc, and Expo 2020 Dubai among others.

During the previous year, the Dubai Business Women Council organized events that focused on innovative and emerging topics that are relevant to the current business climate. These topics included Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrencies, protecting businesses from cyber risk, and Intellectual Property. The council’s workshops reviewed the concept and laws of Value Added Tax, as well as ways to help participants improve writing skills in order to enhance performance in the workplace.

The council’s events also covered topics such as Corporate Governance of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the Gulf Region, Digital Marketing, leadership qualities of successful businesswomen, and ways to align personal goals with institutional goals. The council’s workshops covered topics such as drafting good contracts, mastering public speaking, balancing both personal and professional lives, using social media to promote businesses, and employing innovation management to achieve institutional objectives.

The council received 5 international delegations during the past year, where it held discussions on enhancing bilateral relations, facilitating the exchange of expertise, and reviewing methods of empowering women in the business community to benefit from the available opportunities.  The visiting delegations included both the Ambassadors of Serbia and Belgium in the UAE; a delegation made up of a group of female American entrepreneurs from the state of Michigan; HE Yannick Glemarec, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme in UN Women; and an American student delegation from Sam Houston State University.

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