DWE highlights the importance of supporting female leaders and strengthening their role in corporate governance

Second corporate governance training session launched

Shamsa Saleh: Training programmes are a crucial contributor in our efforts to develop the skills and capabilities for women to take up more decision-making positions 

Dubai, UAE 17 October, 2016:  Dubai Women Establishment (DWE), in collaboration with Hawkamah, the Institute for Corporate Governance, recently held the second session of its training programme, entitled 'The Principles of Corporate Governance in Government Entities'. The session targeted second and third level female leaders within the government and private sectors, with the aim of promoting the role of Emirati women and supporting their leadership contribution across various sectors. The event was held under the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and Dubai Strategic Plan.

Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment stressed the important role of the training session in highlighting good corporate governance practices across companies, particularly within the finance and business sector. She said: “This training session highlighted the importance of regulating corporate governance and implementing sustainable governance standards to create a unified framework which will help to tackle corruption in the future. Initiatives like this play an important part in activating the role of female leaders in society and as decision-makers across all fields.”

Shamsa Saleh added: “The UAE's wise leadership has accomplished numerous achievements in raising awareness, training national talent, and supporting companies in implementing best international corporate governance practices across the country. Training programmes play a vital role in driving good corporate governance forward and ensuring that companies are aligned with best practices.” 

Shamsa Al Mehairi, Excellence Project Lead at Abu Dhabi Health Services Co. (SEHA), said: “I learnt more about governance, which is an important factor in the UAE's happiness index. Governance reduces the gap between government priorities and the happiness of a country's citizens. The four principles of governance, which include: responsibility, accountability, transparency and fairness, and the principles of happiness implemented by the Federal National Council: fairness, equality, caring and belonging, are enhancing sustainability, security and diversity in the UAE.”

Mariam Majid Bin Theneya, Communications Director at Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) highlighted that the training session outlined the importance of good governance in boards of directors, which will support executive management with achieving the company's goals. She said: “The programme highlights the basics of establishing boards of directors and selecting members to ensure the sustainability of the company's performance and ability to overcome challenges in the future.” 

Fatima Al Marzouqi, Financial Audit Expert at Financial Audit Department (FAD), said: “The session allowed me to develop my knowledge about the importance of an effective corporate governance framework. It explained the difference between implementing governance across government entities and in companies.”

Eman Ahmad Al Khatib, in Dubai Municipality, said: “Through this training session, I learnt about governance and the principles that should be implemented in government entities and social institutions, such as regulating boards of directors, as well as managing risks in governance and society. I encourage these sessions as they benefit government employees and support their roles.”

The training session was attended by representatives across various sectors and featured presentations about a range of governance elements and the requirements of implementing strong management in UAE institutions. The training session also highlighted global corporate governance trends and the relationship between governance and corporate social responsibility, as well as why most countries are interested in governance. The event also highlighted the best practices of corporate governance in the public sector internationally, and outlined the government's role in implementing corporate governance within civil society entities. 

The session supports the UAE Cabinet's decision to make the representation of women on boards of directors compulsory. This was also one of the objectives of the “Women in Boards” initiative, which was launched by DWE and aims to enhance female participation in decision-making, train emerging female leaders on corporate governance and guide the next generation of female leaders. 

Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) was formed in 2006 under law no. (24) by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum – UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai. DWE is headed by Her Highness Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum – President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. As a statutory body of Dubai Government and as per its founding decree, the Establishment aims to encourage and facilitate the participation of Emirati women in the workforce and society.

Its mandate includes extensive research into identifying and quantifying the status of women in the workforce of Dubai, as well as initiatives towards women's further development opportunities. Awareness and policies that are conducive to women in the workforce are recommended to the Dubai Government as solutions to enable women to play a greater role within the UAE and on a global scale. The term participation includes acknowledgment of women in arts, women in sports and women in leadership, professionally in their field as well as the societal arena, such as acts of philanthropy, humanitarianism and politics.
Hawkamah, The Institute for Corporate Governance, is a subsidiary of Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), and an international independent institute which acts as a link between organisations and authorities in this field to lay the foundations of good corporate governance on a local level, in line with international standards.

Hawkamah aims to encourage the corporate sector to formulate good governance principles, strengthen corporate governance reforms and help countries in the region to develop and implement sustainable governance strategies.