Author Archives: Gabriela Solis


WEPs UAE Industry Insiders presents:Siwar Zein for Nestlé

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
WEPs UAE Industry Insiders presents:Siwar Zein for Nestlé

At Nestlé, diversity and inclusion also means recognizing that gender equality, and in particular, women’s rights and empowerment are critical to creating shared value for our business and for society.

For this month of August, we’ve had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with Siwar Zein from the Talent Function – Middle East Team at Nestlé, a Swiss transnational food and beverage company. Let’s get to know more about her role and her company’s vision and D&I initiatives for the region:

WEPs UAE: Hello Siwar, please introduce yourself and your work at Nestlé.

Siwar: My role in Nestlé is to lead the Talent Function for the Middle East based out from Dubai. This includes leading areas such as Talent Acquisition, Talent & Performance Management, Leadership Development, Capability Building and Diversity and Inclusion.

I initially started my career in the UK working in HR in Barclays Commercial Bank and then relocated to the Middle East with Nestlé and moved across HR roles in our offices in Lebanon, Kuwait and finally relocated with my husband and son to our UAE Head Office in my current capacity.

I have found my calling working in the talent space supporting people’s development. In the past couple of years I have been completing my journey to become a Certified Life Coach and have found that this has enriched my ability to support individual’s to lead a more fulfilled life which has been proving to be a humbling experience. I’m fortunate to work in an organization like Nestlé that has a purpose that revolves around Respect for Individuals, for Diversity, for Communities and for the Future and has People topics on the top of its agenda.

W: Tell us a bit about Nestlé’s vision for the region and how that manifests here?

S: As a company, our purpose in enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future and our values are rooted in respect: respect for ourselves, for each other, respect for diversity and respect for the future. Respect for diversity means respecting other ways of thinking, other cultures, and all the different facets of society. Respect requires each person to demonstrate openness and inclusiveness in our interactions, both inside and outside of our company.

Our ambition is to embed diversity and inclusion across everything we do, focused on three core areas: innovation, society, and culture. By building an inclusive culture that values the different talents and experiences of our employees; innovating to serve the needs of our diverse consumers and customers; and engaging with society in the diverse markets where we operate, we are able to create the company we want to be for the future.

At Nestlé, diversity and inclusion also means recognizing that gender equality, and in particular, women’s rights and empowerment are critical to creating shared value for our business and for society. It means demonstrating cultural agility, promoting integration and equality for people across all generations and promoting a culture that focuses on all abilities and that is inclusive to all communities.

W: In what way does Nestlé Middle East promote Gender balance?

S: Gender Balance at Nestlé Middle East, is one of the key pillars in the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, it shuns quotas in favor of a system that hones talents and creates favorable conditions to ensure employees of all ages have equal opportunities to evolve their careers within the company.

In 2018 Nestlé Middle East has announced a new Maternal Protection Policy on International Women’s Day which gives women a minimum of 14 weeks paid maternity leave and the right to extend their leave by up to six months.

In addition, the Policy includes employment protection, flexible working arrangements and guaranteed access to breastfeeding rooms during working hours in all offices and sites, including factories, equipped to ensure the comfortable expressing of milk, storage, and hygiene. Comfort packs including information on breastfeeding as well as a breast pump allowance are also provided to new mothers.

Long-standing policies at Nestlé Middle East already promote clear alignment with managers to ensure transparency and reintegration into job tasks once a person returns to work from maternity leave, with several women already receiving promotions prior to going on maternity leave. The process makes room for clear handover of roles and responsibilities to team members ahead of maternity leave to ensure business continuity. It also allows employees on leave to optionally be involved in making any potentially critical decisions while they’re away, or participate in select important meetings remotely.

Diversity and Inclusion forum at the company involves several initiatives, including support to employees who plan to deliver abroad by providing the opportunity to work from any Nestlé office within the region or remote access for one month for both the father and the mother prior to maternity/paternity leave.

The commitment to “be a gender-balanced company by creating enabling conditions in our work environment to achieve annual increases in the percentage of women managers and senior leaders” was announced in the 2015 Nestlé in Society report for the Middle East, and is on the agenda of the company’s top management.

All senior managers at the company receive training on Diversity and Inclusion awareness and leadership, to help eliminate unconscious bias and promote an environment that embraces diversity and fosters an inclusive culture.

I am proud to say that the percentage of women in total managerial positions in the region at Nestlé in the Middle East has risen from 16% in 2011 to 29% year to date. In addition, today five women are part of the senior leadership team of our company.

W: How do you feel you differ from other large companies here and what more would you like to achieve?

S: I have been fortunate to engage with several companies globally and in the region who have been focusing more and more on driving the Diversity & Inclusion agenda. Having had this as a priority on our senior manager’s agenda for some time now, we have also been able to share our experiences with other organizations as they explore what they can implement as they kick start some of their initiatives.

I would say that in Nestlé what I love the most is that Diversity and Inclusion is not only something that is done for ‘show’, we walk the talk’. We have also broadened the agenda focus from only gender balance, which is still a key priority for us, to a well-rounded focus on how we can be diverse.

On top of the different initiatives I have referenced above, more recently we have started to embed further flexible working arrangements as a means to empower people in HOW, WHEN and WHERE they work.

Our focus is more on working smarter as an individual and as a team in order to get things done in the most efficient way. We are now also embedding further the concept of virtual teams which allows for some roles to be based out from different locations across the globe, bringing work to talent, to start navigating mobility challenges of dual working households.

Our agenda is still very active across the region and the globe on this front so I would say stay tuned for what’s to come as we aim to provide a workplace culture that generates equal opportunities for everyone from the point of recruitment until the end of the working relationship, and where people are treated with dignity and respect.



WEPs UAE Industry Insiders presents:Michelle Rice for Sirocco

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
WEPs UAE Industry Insiders presents:Michelle Rice for Sirocco

D&I forms part of our people strategy and is very much engrained in our culture. We have 12 different nationalities working in our head office and a balanced gender and age diversity within each of our functions. This dynamic brings a rich and diverse perspective which we believe enables the success of our business.

This month, it’s the turn of Sirocco – a joint venture between Heineken and Emirates Group based here in Dubai.  We catch up with HR Manager, Michelle Rice:

WEPs UAE: Hello Michelle, please introduce yourself and your role at Sirocco.

Michelle:  Hello, I’m a happily married mother of two girls and have lived in Dubai for nearly 13 years which has absolutely flown by! In my role as HR Manager I oversee 70 people working for Sirocco which is a joint venture between Heineken and the Emirates Group.  

W: What is your career background – what brought you to this role?

M: My background is in retail, customer service and sales. I guess I can thank a rainy Monday morning in London for bringing me to Dubai. I was working for a well-known estate agent in London and was presented with the opportunity to move. At the time the property industry was booming in Dubai but highly unregulated and it was during this time that I realised that I am passionate about people and creating the right environment in which people can thrive.

W: What measures does your company have in place to help with gender balance/D&I in the region?

M: D&I forms part of our people strategy and is very much engrained in our culture. We have 12 different nationalities working in our head office and a balanced gender and age diversity within each of our functions. This dynamic brings a rich and diverse perspective which we believe enables the success of our business. We measure the success of  D&I  through talent management and through employee satisfaction surveys but for me it’s about having a united management team acting as role models who are passionate about D&I.

W: What do you feel these policies have achieved and how have they helped women at Sirocco?

M: There have been many successes over the years. Our approach to talent management is  leader led. We have numerous examples of our leaders unlocking talent and coaching people to succeed in their roles, we have achieved record scores in our employee satisfaction survey. A recent experience that resonated with me was a new colleague thanking me for providing a ‘safe’ environment, which has in turn given them the confidence to speak up and share their opinion.  This is something they had never experienced with other organisations.  Creating a fearless environment helps people flourish and grow and it’s this sort of feedback that makes me get up in the morning.

W: What is the representation of women like at senior levels in your teams and how do you encourage retention/post-maternity return?

M: 45% of our leaders are women of which 60% are parents.  As a working mum myself I can relate to the constant juggle of finding a work-life balance and this is also recognised and supported by my male colleagues. We have to be accommodating if there’s a school play, a school pick or a medical situation as these generally don’t fit around working hours. By providing this flexibility we find our retention rate remains high and our people display high levels of integrity, we recognise that it can be quite daunting returning to work after maternity leave and wherever possible, we encourage a phased return to work where we build up working hours over a period of time so that new mums can get used to the working environment again.

W: Why is D&I important right now?

M: D&I has been important to us for a number of years now, it’s not just about embracing women in the workplace, it’s about embracing different cultures, age and gender diversity – we recently celebrated  international women’s day but let’s not forget international men’s day later on in the year because it’s about maintaining the balance in a sustainable way. We also need to consider different personality types and ensure that everyone gets a fair voice and is given an opportunity to shine.

W: And finally, is there more you’d like to bring to the conversation?

M: I believe that happy, engaged people are more motivated to work and are much more likely to go the extra mile, they are more confident and innovative which results in improved business performance.

 

Want to become a WEPs UAE signatory and/or a taskforce member? Click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



A new era of the SDGs – Shaping the future we want is about women empowerment

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
A new era of the SDGs – Shaping the future we want is about women empowerment

by Iris Van Der Veken, Director – International Public Affairs at DMCC

We cannot achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without securing the full and equal rights of half of the world’s population. I have a message to deliver, and a simple one. In short, the pursuit of sustainability starts by being the change we want to see in the world, according to Mahatma Gandhi. We have choices to make and these choices should include women. What I want to focus on here is three-fold: values, partnerships and women empowerment.


Values – shaping the future we want

Back in 1999, Kofi Annan called on international business leaders to initiate a “Global Compact” of shared values. He sought to give a human face to the global market as the world faced a crisis in confidence, and The United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) was born. The global compact is about integrating principles on human rights, labour rights, environment and anti-corruption throughout your organisation and value chain.

Women rights are human rights. Fast forward to the present, this year on International Women’s Day the Secretary General of the UN António Guterres stated the time is now. This requires transforming policies and a different mindset. We need to break the structural barriers that women and girls face – unpaid care work, unequal pay, conscious and unconscious bias, harmful stereotypes, legal restrictions, discrimination and violence.

Partnerships – each one of us has a role to play

The principles of the Compact are inextricably linked to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed by the 193 UN Member States and designed to deliver of the UN for a world without poverty, a thriving planet, a vibrant and inclusive global economy, and a life of dignity for all.

A new era of the SDGs – Shaping the future we want is about Women Empowerment

During a panel discussion at the latest Sustainability Knowledge Series event hosted by DMCC for its 15,000 member companies, in collaboration with the United Nations Global Compact Network UAE and WEPs UAE.

You can join this leadership movement. Sustainability is a step by step process of continuous improvement. Take women on board to build your business and drive your agenda on sustainability not just because it’s the right thing to do but because it is the smart thing to do. A recent study on business and diversity from Mc Kinsey & Company found that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 21% more likely to experience above-average profitability.

Women empowerment is the greatest opportunity of our time – UAE is leading the way

Statistics indicate that if women played the same role in the labour market as men, $28 trillion would be added to global annual GDP by 2025.

We simply cannot achieve the critical SDGs without securing the full and equal rights of half of the world’s population. Women Empowerment (SDG 5) is the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and should be seen as a universal mission.

There’s no doubt in that when we speak about women’s rights in the Middle East, the UAE leads the way. Determined to ensure women’s rights are at the forefront, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has assigned the UAE Gender Balance Council. The Global Compact in the UAE is the fastest growing local network and is embracing the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

DMCC as a leading free zone is committed to taking the lead in this conversation, and advance the seven Principles at every opportunity possible. Join us in the conversation.

The time is now.  This is a call for action .

 

Want to become a WEPs UAE signatory and/or a taskforce member? Click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



WEPs UAE Industry Insiders presents:Carys Richards for Mastercard

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
WEPs UAE Industry Insiders presents:Carys Richards for Mastercard

We want to continue to provide opportunities for an increasing number of women to work in an environment where they are supported, developed and can advance their careers. We are focused on this not just because it’s the right thing to do but we know that having greater diversity in teams and more women in senior leadership roles means better outcomes for the business across areas such as innovation, revenue, stock price and even governance/ risk management.

This month we catch up with Vice President Talent for Mastercard Middle East & Africa, Carys Richards.

WEPs UAE: Hello Carys, please introduce yourself and your work at Mastercard.

Carys: My role at Mastercard is to lead the Talent function for the Middle-East and Africa region based out of Dubai. The key areas I am responsible for are:

  • Talent Acquisition – making sure we hire the best people in the market.
  • Talent Management – ensuring that our people are managed in a way that aligns with our leadership philosophy, we have succession for our leadership roles and we are moving talent around the company based on its emerging needs and people’s aspirations.
  • Talent Development – developing our people for the jobs that they do today and the jobs of the future including future including leadership development.

I initially started my career in the UK working in HR roles covering the European financial and professional services sectors. Then, about 7 years ago, I relocated to Dubai with my husband and since then my career has focused on HR and Talent across the Middle East & Africa markets.

I am hugely passionate about talent and next generation leadership development, as well as ensuring that the organization I work in has the right environment, culture and systems in place for women to thrive. I’m fortunate that Mastercard is an organization that also believes these things are critical to the company’s future success.

W: Tell us a bit about Mastercard’s vision for the region and how that manifests here?

C: Our vision is to make Mastercard the career destination of choice for women. We want to continue to provide opportunities for an increasing number of women to work in an environment where they are supported, developed and can advance their careers. We are focused on this not just because it’s the right thing to do but we know that having greater diversity in teams and more women in senior leadership roles means better outcomes for the business across areas such as innovation, revenue, stock price and even governance/ risk management.

We have a lot of programs in place for women to help create the right environment for them to be successful, as well as ensuring that our underlying systems and processes help support our gender goals. This includes recruitment practices such as ensuring that for every role we are hiring for, we have a minimum of one qualified woman being interviewed even if it means the hiring process takes longer as its typically harder to find suitable female candidates in the technology industry. Last year 83% of slates globally had at least one female candidate and as a result, in 2017 40% of our global hires and 55% of our university hires were women.

We have a generous, fully paid maternity leave policy and a flexible working policy which enables all employees to work from home or a different location on a regular basis or when they need to. Last year we also increased our paternity leave policy from 5 days to 8 weeks full pay for new fathers as we want recognize the important role that men play in supporting their family and women succeeding at work.

We also have development programs in place that help support women in areas where, through research, we know they can feel less confident than their male counterparts, as well as investing in unconscious bias training for the whole workforce. Many of our leadership programs also place a lot of emphasis on helping leaders understand the business benefit of diverse teams.

One of the successful hires after the ‘Relaunch Your Career’ programme, June 2016.

W: In what way does Mastercard innovate to create success stories?
C: In addition to those policies and programs, in 2017 we also launched the first ‘returnship’ program in the MEA region called ‘Relaunch your Career’ supported by Hopscotch, in which we offered paid 4 month long work placement opportunities to people looking to return to work after having a career break of >2 years. Our intake for 2017 gave three women the opportunity to come back into the workplace and gain up-to-date work experience as well as being supported by a development curriculum. We were delighted with the results of the program last year and all three women who joined us on the program were offered permanent jobs, therefore this year we have expanded the program to 8 placements across Dubai and Johannesburg.

We are increasing the representation of women in the company, particularly at the senior levels, which is ultimately what our goal is and I feel strongly that all of the programs, policies and practices we have in place have directly contributed towards this. I’m also really proud that although the Middle East and Africa region is not well known globally for having a high level of women representation in the work place, at Mastercard our percentage of women in the workforce is comparable to the rest of the world. In addition to our overall numbers increasing, we have also been recognized externally by a number of different organization as a top employer for women and have won awards such as; Forbes – best employers for women, DiversityInc – top companies for diversity, Bloomberg’s gender equality index, Professional Woman’s Magazine’s – “Best of the Best” Employers for Diversity and the Women’s Choice Award – Best Companies to Work for Millennials.

W: How do you feel you differ from other large companies here and what more would you like to achieve?
C: We know that many global companies like ours are focused on gender related policies and programs and they also run many of the same initiatives I have talked about, which is fantastic. What we need is for many more companies in our region, whether global or local, to put more of a focus on how they can attract, develop and retain women. I talk to lots of women externally who are looking for jobs and they tell me how they are continually passed over for job opportunities by companies because they have had a career break to raise a family. We won’t achieve a balanced workforce and gender parity unless all companies take a different approach and think in an unconventional way about what a good CV looks like. What I have found is that even though a woman may have been out of work for 3-4 years to raise a family, during that time she may have done really interesting things like further education or started a small business – that’s all valuable experience and learning that organizations can benefit from even though it’s not ‘traditional’ career experience at a company.

I would say that all of our regions across the globe have a huge focus on gender diversity and have been successful in different areas. Our ‘Relaunch your Career’ program has only been run in Middle East & Africa and Europe so far, so I think both regions have lead the way with that kind of ‘returnship’ program and we know that the other regions across Mastercard are planning to follow in 2018. From our CEO and Executive team level down, we are committed to scaling up this initiative across the globe. I’m immensely proud to work for a company that has a commitment to creating an environment that makes this possible.

Want to become a WEPs UAE signatory and/or a taskforce member? Click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



Interview with Samir Arora for WEPs signatory The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
Interview with Samir Arora for WEPs signatory The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel

“Businesses require a solid set of standards and guidelines to drive women’s empowerment successfully, so addressing this will give organizations a strong competitive advantage.”

Samir Arora is heading the recently launched The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel, and we had the pleasure to chat with him about the importance of his company being a WEPs signatory member and an advocate for women empowerment in the region.

WEPs UAE: Please introduce your company and its type of business.

Samir: The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel, the newest addition to AccorHotels’ distinctive MGallery collection of contemporary boutique hotels worldwide, is the region’s first 360-degree holistic wellbeing resort, located on the iconic Palm Jumeirah, Dubai.

W: Please introduce yourself and the role you currently hold.

S: I am Samir Arora and I am the General Manager of The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel. My role comprehends key responsibilities including contracting wellness partners across the globe, all HR and hiring processes and primary franchise agreements.

W: What propelled your company to sign up for WEPs and become a signatory?

S: Businesses require a solid set of standards and guidelines to drive women’s empowerment successfully, so addressing this will give organizations a strong competitive advantage.

The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel was launched by a predominantly female team, and we continue to be inspired by them every day and empower them.

W: What measures does your company have in place to help with gender balance/diversity and inclusion (D&I) I in the region?

S: Although women make up the majority of the global travel and tourism workforce (70%):

  • Less than 40% hold managerial and supervisory positions;
  • Less than 20% hold general management roles; and
  • Only 5-8% hold corporate board roles.

Currently, The Retreat has 53 female colleagues, including five senior roles, 11 mid-scale and 16 supervisors. The strategy is increase those numbers and we have a clear strategy of not less than 30% of female in the team and where female chooses to leave is replace by another female candidate. Certain positions are also reserved for female candidates such as Front Office Manager, Guest Experience manager. We established a coaching, mentoring and internship programs called ‘in your shoes’ which is designed to support women empowerment in the hotel. We are mentoring a senior manager with the intention of supporting her growth into a leadership position through the talent management programme at the corporate level. Candidate Selection Policy sets minimum staffing and recruitment targets at 30%.

In November 2017 we received the Evolvin’ Women Endorsement and went through an assessment of our policies that helped us measure our diversity and inclusion efforts. Short after that we became signatory to WEPs.

W: Why is D&I and women’s empowerment important to your company right now?

S: Women are inspiring: they’re discerning, dedicated, and determined. This is why the MGallery by Sofitel launched its bespoke “Inspired By Her” initiative – a concept that includes special offerings tailor made for female guests by female team members – to pay homage to the strong, intelligent and independent women who make up the team and the community.

W: Any future policies/campaigns you’d like to implement?

S: In November 2017 we recruited Antoinette Allah-Mensah from Haif-Assini in the western region of Ghana. Anotinette is a member of Evolvin’ Women, a social enterprise and a WEPs taskforce member, led by Assia Riccio, that improves the employability of women from developing countries through the provision of necessary resources, networks, education and employment opportunities that would not be otherwise available to them.

Anotinette will spend one year with us at the end of which, she will be prepared to find a job in Ghana through Evolvin’ Women. We are proud that The Retreat has become a development platform for women who wish to better themselves and give back to their family, community and country.

In celebration of International Women’s Day in 2018, we hosted our second exhibition at the hotel’s RGallery with ZeeArts, a leading arts community group that reflects on progress made to call for change and to celebrate the acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who play an extraordinary role in history.

In September 2017 together with Evolvin’ Women we also launched “Let’s sit at the table for women’s empowerment” a series of seven roundtables inspired by the seven WEPs to share knowledge, experience and ideas on how to drive women in business within the hospitality industry, marketplace and community. Topics include:

  • creating a gender equality culture;
  • attracting, developing and retaining women;
  • well-being;
  • listening to women;
  • providing women with formal and informal opportunity for networking; and
  • empowering women in the marketplace and community.

W: Your message to co-WEPs members and to all potential signatories in the region.

S: We are proud to be part of WEPs, as it is at the forefront of UAE’s national strategy with the aim to be achieved by 2021, providing equality in education opportunities and economic empowerment.


Want to become a WEPs UAE signatory and/or a taskforce member? Click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



Empowering Women in The Digital World: Chalhoub and Hopscotch Digital Women Open Morning

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
Empowering Women in The Digital World: Chalhoub and Hopscotch Digital Women Open Morning

By Gabriela Solís, UN WEPs reporter

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, and in line with Principle 4 of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)(promote education, training and professional development for women), two of our signatory members partnered up to put together an event designed for women looking to further advance their professional careers.

Through a selection process carried out by Hopscotch, thirty women were picked and invited to spend the morning of the 8th of March learning, networking and showcasing their abilities to Chalhoub recruitment team, a leading company in the luxury-retailing industry looking to hire new talent for their digital section.

Fuelled by breakfast and coffee and after a warm welcome by both Chalhoub and Hopscotch teams, the session opened with guest Pauline Ansari, CDO at MyList, who inspired and motivated the audience by sharing her professional and unusual journey into the digital world,  as well as giving inspiring tips and advices to all attendees.

Followed by Pauline, Helen McGuire, Co-Founder and MD of Hopscotch, also added her personal inspiration doses and shared her professional path, which included a change of industry when she created her company. “Moving around is difficult, but is possible”, she said as a form of encouragement to all the attendees who were also looking to take their careers to the next level.

Sarah Sillow, Head of Transformation Projects – Digital Transformation at Chalhoub, took the stand as well and focused on the company’s working culture and goals for the upcoming years. “Start small, fail fast to scale fast”, was a phrase she constantly repeated in order to reflect the company’s vision. She also shared Chalhoub’s digital projects and the features the company is looking for in their next employees.

To wrap up, each one of the attendees was given a unique opportunity of chatting with Chalhoub’s Talent Teams about the day, showcase their abilities and hand over their CV’s; an occasion that filled the room with excitement, a feeling confirmed by one of the attendees. “Digital Women was a great initiative – bringing women together from a similar background. I think every single person should take advantage of this.” Hemalatha

Chalhoub and Hopscotch efforts to bring work opportunities to professional women in Dubai is a testimony of the different ways companies in the private sector can empower women. Having the support and encouragement of the WEPs UAE local network, companies have a compass to guide their women empowerment agenda, while improving their business and the local economy.

If your company has a working force of more than ten employees and your values align with ours, don’t hesitate to contact us to learn more about how can you become a member, through our Outreach Team at hanane.arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



WEPS UAE Industry Insiders presents:Reena Vivek for Zurich International

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
WEPS UAE Industry Insiders presents:Reena Vivek for Zurich International

“Engaged and motivated employees are fundamental to the success of any organisation, and we strongly believe that creating an inclusive workplace where employees of all backgrounds are treated equally and can contribute fully will help us achieve our goal and vision.  It is my personal belief that embedding diversity and inclusion into an organisations DNA is something that requires commitment and focus from the management.”

This month we catch up with COO of Zurich International and sponsor of the Women’s Innovation Network, Reena Vivek, to find out what the company is doing with regard to D&I and gender balance policies.

WEPs UAE:  Hello!  Please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your role at Zurich.

Reena: Hi, I am Reena Vivek and I am the Chief Operating Officer for Zurich International Life Ltd. (Zurich), which is part of the Zurich Insurance Group. We are based in the Isle of Man, with branches in several countries, and we offer Retail and Corporate Life Insurance and Savings solutions to the markets in which we operate. I am based in Dubai and responsible for teams in the Isle of Man, Middle East, Europe and Far East. In my 20 year long career, I have worked in several markets including India, Europe and the Middle East. I have been in Dubai for nine years now and I really enjoy the multi-cultural environment and the opportunity to interact with people from so many different parts of the world!

W:  So what measures does your company have in place to help with gender balance and Diversity & Inclusion in the region?

R: In Zurich, we consider our people as our most important asset, and recognise that the way to be at our best is to empower diverse talent, benefit from different perspectives and ideas that mirror our customers. For us, this isn’t just a nice to have, it is a business imperative.

Diversity and Inclusion for us starts from the top and permeates throughout the organisation. Our D&I strategy is set and governed through our Group Diversity & Inclusion team. Country specific initiatives are then delivered through business leaders, employees and human resources teams and the focus is on integrating D&I into our everyday practices.  We have D&I Champions and regular country level forums that build awareness and understanding, and these champions have access to the wider global D&I network to share best practices and leverage internal pockets of excellence.

W: Your Women’s Innovation Network has made great progress since launch and we’ve had the pleasure of working with your team.  How did it start and what are its objectives?

R: The Zurich Women’s Innovation Network (WIN) is part of Zurich’s D&I initiative. WIN comprises a global group of Zurich employees, both female and male, across all organizational levels and regions, who advocate a ‘level playing field’ for employees to contribute their best at work.  Simply put, the objective of WIN is to build a better workplace – one that rewards merit and accomplishment above all else, regardless of gender.

WIN began as a networking organisation – connecting women across the group to exchange and learn from each other. Today WIN is a network with over 6000 members in 23 countries that is successfully bringing the topic of gender diversity to the table through events and actions. The Middle East chapter of WIN was established in 2016 and has since worked on several initiatives that focus on Cultural change, Career Development, Networking and Communication.

As the sponsor for WIN in the Middle East, I am very pleased to see the impact some of these initiatives have had on our employees and our business as a whole.

W:  And what are some of the successes Zurich’s policies have prompted? 

R: We have successfully implemented several policies that have contributed to making our workplace a better place. We have created mentoring programmes, improved our maternity/paternity policies, and embedded FlexWork.  By implementing FlexWork, Zurich empowers its employees to optimise where, when and how they work with maximum flexibility and minimum constraints to improve performance and productivity.

We are very proud of our mentoring programme where we give equal opportunities to all our employees. We facilitate this programme to contribute to their learning, development and career growth.

W:  What is the representation of women like at senior levels in your team and how do you encourage retention?

R: I am very pleased to say that 42% of our total workforce are women and within my senior management team, 47% are women.  We have always had people-focused HR policies in place, and the WIN team engages with our workforce on a regular basis to collate feedback on these policies and suggest improvements.

FlexWork has enabled me to balance work and family life. I feel more energetic and productive. When I work from home, I save almost two hours of travel every day. I am able to meet the business needs by putting in extra hours or at flexible time when required, without the stress of having to worry about how I will commute back home after work, as I do not drive.”
– Testimony from Ingrid D’Silva, Underwriting, Zurich International

Based on one such recommendation, Zurich has recently enhanced the Maternity and Paternity Leave policies. The changes included an increase to the total Maternity leave entitlement to 205 calendar days, addition of two nursing breaks post-maternity return and providing staff access to our FlexWork program.  There were additional soft benefits including access to car park during pregnancy for employees who are not eligible for car park, provision of stroller and lighter weight office equipment (laptops etc.).

W: How advanced is Zurich in its policies in this region in comparison to other regions globally?

R: The Middle East region operates under a Group governance model and policy framework. However, we localise our policies to meet the local regulatory requirements, market and employee needs. Our policies in the Middle East are tailored to meet the unique diverse nature of this market and focused on encouraging a high employee engagement. The success of this is demonstrated through the Organisational Health Index scores that we achieve in the region – which is amongst the highest within the Zurich Group and our industry peers.

W:  And finally, can you tell us why is D&I important to Zurich right now and what else needs to be done?

R: Engaged and motivated employees are fundamental to the success of any organisation, and we strongly believe that creating an inclusive workplace where employees of all backgrounds are treated equally and can contribute fully will help us achieve our goal and vision.  It is my personal belief that embedding diversity and inclusion into an organisations DNA is something that requires commitment and focus from the management and I am personally very pleased with the achievements of the Zurich WIN team in this area. That said, I do believe there is a need to look at the wider insurance industry and consider actions to improve the gender balance, especially in management and senior management roles.

Want to become a WEPs UAE signatory and/or a taskforce member? Click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



Let’s sit at the table for women’s empowerment

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
Let’s sit at the table for women’s empowerment

Evolvin’ Women Roundtable at The Retreat, Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel

By Gabriela Solís, UN WEPs reporter

Evolvin’ Women, a social enterprise focused on providing free education, work experience, and networking opportunities to women from developing countries in the hospitality industry, hosted its third Round Table of the series ‘Empowering Women Through Education’, on 21st February 2018.

In partnership with The Retreat, Palm Dubai MGallery by Sofitel, the event got together a diverse group of personalities from the hospitality industry in Dubai to sit at the table and discuss the actions that need to be taken in the field, to empower women.

University lecturers at hospitality programs, chefs (both male and female), and students from the audience pursuing a career in the industry, discussed matters related to the education and empowerment of women within the hospitality field.

Assia Riccio, founder of Evolvin’ Women, when welcoming everyone to the event, shared how this Roundtable initiative started. “In August 2017, we launched our first project in Ghana and trained 13 girls. We were shocked that only one of them decided to apply for an internship in the kitchen. We came back to Dubai and we asked ourselves what we could’ve done differently or what we did wrong that only one girl went to the kitchen.”

This experience only reflects the reality of the industry, which is that most women don’t pursue a career as a chef. “We tend to associate women to cooking in their home, but professional, high-status cooking has remained the domain of men”, said Assia. For that reason, she mentioned how honoured she felt to have among the speakers three chef women that are breaking gender stereotypes in the region: celebrity Chef Dima Al Sharif; Sidiqa Sohail, owner of Sponthiphoria; and Chef Pach, from The Retreat Palm Dubai MGallery By Sofitel.

With that preamble in mind, the conversation revolved around three key questions:

  1. What are the educational practices in the region that encourage female students to enter non-traditional job fields such us culinary?
  2. What educational programmes and policies might encourage young women to enter non-traditional employment sectors, such as the culinary industry?
  3. What role could mentoring, role models and networking play in this?

Ideas were shared and initiatives were proposed by all panelist, who agreed that education is fundamental to encourage women to enter non traditional job field, a statement that is in line with principle 4 of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

Evolvin’ Women, as well as our more than thirty signatories in the region, recognize that educating women to pursue a career in their chosen field, will not only benefit their lives as individuals, but it will also help to build stronger economies and propel business to success.

Help us grow this number by becoming a WEP’s signatory member, and make women empowerment a priority for your business.


To learn more, register and become a signatory of the WEPs UAE local network, click here or contact our Outreach Team at hanane.arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



WEPS UAE Industry Insiders presents:Loretta Ahmed for Grayling

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
WEPS UAE Industry Insiders presents:Loretta Ahmed for Grayling

“It’s sometimes the smallest action that can invoke the biggest positive change.”

Following the release of our first ‘Industry Insiders’ feature last month, we are pleased to bring you our next piece! We’ve had the privilege to catch up with Grayling CEO Loretta Ahmed, a strong influencer who advocates for women representation in businesses and whose company policies include diversity and inclusion.

Here, she takes us through her career background and how their business in a women-dominated industry sees the ‘gender balance’ challenge as often the opposite to many other industries in the region:

WEPs UAE: Hello, Loretta! Please introduce yourself, the role you currently hold and the size and structure of what you oversee.

Loretta: I am CEO for the Middle East and Africa region for global communications agency Grayling.  We have 60 staff across the region based out of Dubai, Oman and Nairobi and we also work with affiliates as well as our global colleagues to provide pan-regional support to clients across the full marketing communications mix of PR, digital and creative services.

W: What is your career background and what brought you to this role?

L:  Prior to this role I headed up the UK business for Grayling and I stepped down when I became a mother.  I was invited back to the business as a non-executive on the global board and was given the brief to secure a new head for the MEA region – a role I ended up taking on myself and I’m so glad I did it.  Five years on and we now have a team on the ground in Africa and have moved the Dubai PR business on to become a full service marketing agency.

W: What measures does your company have in place to help with gender balance/D&I in the region?

L: The PR sector is dominated by women, less so at a senior level – but overall the gender balance is definitely tipped in favour of women.  So, our gender balance challenge is often the opposite to many other industries!  In the creative team we have a better gender balance as the creative sector in general presents a more equal ratio of candidates.  Our measures are informal – based on HR tracking our ratios and us constantly trying to level out the playing field when we are hiring new staff.  It’s a constant juggle for a smaller business where the balance can change very quickly – but it is also relatively easy to address it based on the constant pool of talent available.  Here in Dubai we employ many different nationalities due to the transient nature of the workforce and, like many others, we continue to seek ways to hire and retain local Emirati employees.


W: What do you feel these policies have achieved?  Can you highlight a success story/case study?

L: Our policies in this area are flexible and not set in stone but as we continue to grow we will look to embed these in a more rigorous way into our business.  As we have a female-dominated business at managerial levels we have focused our efforts on offering an improved maternity policy – with extended leave and flexible return to work options to ease our working mothers back into the workplace.  This year we have seven staff either on maternity leave or just returning and each has a very different set of circumstances, but getting mums back to work is a no brainer.  They offer significantly more value in terms of experience and knowledge than those starting out in their careers so it makes absolute business sense.

It is hugely challenging for us to manage but it is possible with the right level of listening and planning – not just for the mother returning to work but also for their clients and colleagues so there is absolutely clarity around shared roles, reduced hours and duration of any new working arrangement.


W: What is the representation of women like at senior levels in your team and how do you encourage retention/post-maternity return?

L: Senior level roles are currently split across one female CFO, three male managing directors, two female digital directors and two female deputy managing directors – so pretty equal.  Two of our senior female directors are working mothers and both have opted to return to work on reduced hours.  One of these posts has done this before with her first child and worked reduced hours for her first year before returning to full time hours and it worked well for all parties.  We have created a private room for our working mothers to express in comfort as well as recently launching a global helpline service for anyone who feels they need to talk to someone in confidence about anything that might be making them anxious or stressed so we remind our people of the importance of their mental as well as physical health.  Agency life can be a high-pressure environment and it is all too easy to lose perspective – this is particularly true for those whose lives have changed dramatically and who may be experiencing a whole new set of demands outside the workplace.


W: Why is D&I important to you/your company right now?

L: It’s important for every company.  Every business is a glass box now – staff, clients, applicants and all other stakeholders want absolute transparency and it’s not enough for the CEO to stand up and wax lyrical about their values and beliefs – the business has to live its values and give tangible proof of doing so – across diversity and inclusion through to sustainability and community commitments to prove their good citizenship.  Gen Z and Gen Y, in particular, place huge emphasis on this – and rightly so.  Interviews are a two-way process with these candidates and if we want to secure the best people we’d better be sure we can stand up to their scrutiny!


W: And finally, is there more you’d like to do/bring to the conversation?

L: For anyone out there wondering if they are doing enough to empower women in their workforce I would urge you to ask them.  It sounds obvious but sometimes we just don’t listen enough.  Get out from behind your desk and talk to your working mothers about what really stresses them out, what hinders their productivity, what weighs on their mind that you could help alleviate.  It’s sometimes the smallest action that can invoke the biggest positive change.

 

Want to become a WEPs UAE signatory and/or a taskforce member? Click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.



Why is the private sector key to women empowerment?

Posted on Author Gabriela Solís
WEPS
Why is the private sector key to women empowerment?

By Gabriela Solís, UN WEPs reporter

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 universal goals and targets to address key challenges in the United Nations member states, has as its fifth goal to achieve gender equality, put an end to women discrimination and empower “all women and girls in all levels.”

In achieving this goal, the private sector constitutes a key partner, especially when empowering women in the workplace.

A great number of women is employed by large corporations and SME companies which “value chains touch all economies and nearly every person on Earth,” as UN Women has recognized. Still, a clear majority of these women suffer different types of inequality and gender-based discrimination in the workplace, such as payment disparity, denying women promotions due to pregnancy or to motherhood, and lack of opportunities to surpass the famous “glass ceiling”.

This discriminatory behaviour toward female professionals has led to having less than 5% of CEO positions in the S&P leading 500 companies, according to UN statistics. Furthermore, a new McKinsey Global Institute report finds that $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 by advancing women’s equality.

Committed companies are needed to encourage talented women who want to pursue a successful career, notwithstanding the circumstances around them. Acting accordingly will not only improve women’s rights, but as data has shown, will be a profitable choice for enterprises and moreover, for the rest of the world.

Guiding companies towards that goal is what the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) were born for. Through their seven principles, companies can successfully become a women empowerment platform for all their female employees, allowing them to reach the top of their game and hopefully, inspiring others.

As Hopscotch’s co-founder and WEP’s taskforce member, Helen McGuire has stated, “with women in a senior position in such companies, policy and approaches are directly affected in ways that further attract and help retain or develop female talent […] Seeing women at the top of their game helps to push a new generation and gives hope to those struggling to move upwards.”

What better way to illustrate this statement than with the example set by one of our signatory companies, Listaproperty, who recently hosted the “Take Your Daughters to Work Day,” an event that encouraged working mothers to bring their daughters to work for half day.

We can also take a look at the work done by another one of our signatory companies, Abela & Co, one of the leading food service management companies in the region, which launched various activities to support women. Among their achievements, they contributed to the World Diabetes Day 2017 focusing on women’s health and diabetes and their right to a healthy future.

Through concrete actions supported and encouraged by WEPs, our signatory companies are making a difference in the life of the women around them; and so, could your company.

A wide range of activities can take place to empower women and to strengthen their rights in the work field. WEPs can help you in that mission.

Become a WEP’s signatory member and join many other enterprises committed to leveling the playing field for all women in the workplace, marketplace, and community.


To register and become a signatory of the WEPs UAE local network, click here or contact our Outreach Team at Hanane.Arif@socgen.com and malouf.ag@pg.com.