Female leaders from the Middle East come together at the INSEAD Abu Dhabi campus to discuss the empowerment of women and their contributions to society
INSEAD, the leading international business school, honoured International Women’s Day 2014 by hosting a half day public forum at its Abu Dhabi campus with influential female leaders from the Middle East. The event, entitled ‘Inspire, Impact, Empower’, was sponsored by A.T. Kearney and featured a number of prominent female figures who have made important contributions to society in areas such as business, academia, health and law.
Speakers at the event from the Middle East and further afield included Kholoud Ahmed Juan Al Dhaheri, the UAE’s first female judge and current Director of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Bureau at the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, and Sadia Khan, CEO and Founder of Selar Enterprises. Also participating were Burcu Cetinkaya, a TV Presenter and Turkish Rally Driver, Fatma Al Jasmi, Assistant Dean of Clinical Affairs at the College of Medicine & Health Science and Isabel Neiva from A.T. Kearney.
Miguel Lobo, Associate Professor of Decision Sciences and the Director of INSEAD’s Abu Dhabi campus, commented on the event and on the empowerment of women in the Middle East: “Today’s event has highlighted the contributions that women have made to the region and the need for continued support for female educational and professional development. In the Middle East, the government of the UAE has been leading the way in terms of empowering women. This is something that should be celebrated - both for its own sake and because it opens the world up to new ideas and ways of thinking that will be important for overcoming the challenges of the future. At INSEAD, we are proud to be supporting this process and feel privileged to be working alongside and building the female leaders of tomorrow.”
Hal Gregersen, Senior Affiliate Professor of Innovation and Leadership, The Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank Chaired Professor of Innovation and Leadership reinforced the views expressed by Professor Lobo: “International Women’s Day is now in its 103rd year and I think it is important to reflect on how far we have come in that time. From the achievements of the early day suffragette movements, to the first female prime ministers, the progress that has been made in the struggle towards women’s empowerment has been astounding. That being said, we still have some way to go. Female representation in business, for instance, and particularly at board level is still low. More needs to be done to ensure that women as leaders have the full opportunity to excel.”
About A.T. Kearney
A.T. Kearney (www.atkearney.com) is a global management consulting firm that uses strategic insight, tailored solutions and a collaborative working style to help clients achieve sustainable results. Since 1926, we have been trusted advisors on CEO-agenda issues to the world’s leading corporations across all major industries. A.T. Kearney’s offices are located in major business centres in 39 countries. From our Middle East offices in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai and Riyadh, A.T. Kearney supports both private and public sector clients as well as nations to excel and prosper by combining our regional expertise and global business insights to achieve results.
