By Hermoine Macura-Noble
Special to The Times Kuwait
Business leaders must mentor and support women in the workforce to aid their professional development and help them establish careers and businesses, said panel experts at the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai earlier this week.
Launching a two-year program that aims to increase the number of opportunities available to female entrepreneurs, Laila Hatchet, Program Specialist, UAE Liaison Office for the GCC, UN Women, said mentoring was one of the top strategies for closing the gender gap in entrepreneurship and leadership.
“In the UAE, 95 percent of businesses are small to medium enterprises, and at least 50 percent of these are women-owned … They employ about 20 percent of the workforce and contribute to about 20 percent of the GDP. One can only imagine the impact mentorship can have on these inspiring women and their businesses,” explained Hatchet.
Mentoring was one of the most significant needs identified by a 2020 survey conducted by Sharjah-based organization NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and UN Women. The survey found that 60 percent of women entrepreneurs in the UAE believe having a mentor through their journey would help them improve their businesses.
The NAMA and UN Women program will create three six-month mentoring programs that women can apply to be part of – as either a mentor or mentee. There will also be an accelerator program to help women-owned businesses take control of their own future to create and launch a profitable business, a grow-your-business program to help women expand their businesses, as well as pitching-for-investment events to improve skills on how to acquire investment opportunities.
A panel discussion moderated by Jane Bladanos, Consultant, UN Women Entrepreneurs, heard from Sheikha Al-Mutairi, Founder, MAD Group; Mariam Abdullah Ketit, Founder, Chikara Global; Julie Nguyen from Crunch moms; and Zaher Ibrahim, Executive Vice President, Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and India, Baker Hughes.
Despite high rates of education, women in the MENA region comprise only 21 percent of the workforce; Julie Nguyen added, “The lack of access to mentors, advisors, funding or even the confidence in managing work in home is restraining women from staying or being active in the workforce. Of the women in the workforce, about 70 percent of them feel that they don’t have the right support from management.”
The Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 invites visitors to recognize the central role women have played throughout history, leading up to the present and celebrates their significant – yet often forgotten – contributions to advancing society. The pavilion features a variety of panels and discussions that offer visitors a chance to learn, connect and collaborate with other companies and organizations.
Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Director-General of the Government of Dubai Media Office and Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, said: “Though governments play a significant role in advancing women empowerment, they cannot succeed without meaningful collaborations with the private sector, civil societies and committed individuals.”
The pavilion addresses gender equality and women’s empowerment while highlighting the challenges women still face, especially as the world navigates the COVID-19 pandemic and works towards a more sustainable future.
There has been a high number of men in attendance at the pavilion events as well. Known as male allies, they understand that true equality and prosperity means empowering women and including them in crucial conversations across all sectors. “When I’m asked what has been the defining moment of my career, with no hesitation, I say when I met my wife,” said Cyrille Vigneron, President and CEO of Cartier International. “She really made me. For many men, it’s like this, but we don’t acknowledge it.”
By Hermoine Macura-Noble
The first Australian English speaking News Anchor in the Middle East. She is also the Author of Faces of the Middle East and Founder of US-based 501c3 charity – The House of Rest which helps to ease the suffering of victims of war. For more from our Contributing Editor, you can follow her on Instagram, here.
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