Women in Leadership Economic Forum Opens

BUSINESS BAY, UAE - Oct. 28, 2019 - PRLog -- The 10th Anniversary Edition of the Women in Leadership (WIL) Economic Forum by Naseba opened today at the Address Sky View Hotel in Dubai under the theme, 'Daring to Build a Better Future'. The 2-day forum is the largest female economic empowerment platform in the Middle East and brings together leading regional and international organisations such as Siemens, Facebook, Allergan, FedEx, Philip Morris, PWC, General Motors and Emaar Hospitality to share their success stories on gender parity and inclusion.

In  his opening remarks, Nic Watson, Managing Director of Naseba, said,  "In the past 10 years, WIL Forum has travelled to 8 cities and connected thousands of men and women around the world, game changers who share a similar vision for a world where the gender divide is no longer a barrier to prosperity and innovation. WIL is more than an event, it is a community of people who believe in the power of connection, supporting, empowering and encouraging each other to make change happen".

In keeping with the growing recognition globally that the pace of women economic empowerment must be rapidly accelerated, over 50 thought leaders and panellists engaged in insightful conversations and informative sessions on advancing Gender diversity in our societies and economies.
Dr. Mark Esposito, Co-founder, Nexus Frontier Tech, made a case for 'Diversity in Times of Change' in his keynote speech. He questioned, "Why do many organisations still struggle to create inclusive workplace culture?"

The CEO's Panel on 'A Plan of Action for Diversity' moderated by Hadley Gamble, Anchor CNBC, highlighted key milestones achieved in recent years and roadmap for the next five years by some top companies. Participants Hani Ashkar, Senior Partner – Middle East Territory PwC; Elissar Farah Antonios, Chief Executive Officer, Citi UAE; Ozlem Fidanci, Chief Executive Officer, Philips Middle East & Turkey; Ali Matar, Head of Linkedin – MENA and EMEA Emerging Markets and Luciano Poli, President – Dow Chemical India, Middle East, North Africa & Turkey (IMENAT) shared views on how gender equality supports the diversification of the regional economy.

Franco Atassi, Senior Vice President Smart Infrastructure, Siemens Middle East, spoke on why gender equality is good for everyone – not just women and what is the role of male allies in achieving parity.