The first Women’s Council for the telco industry in the United Arab Emirates has been launched. One of the key players involved is Dubai-based telco du, as the organisation’s full name is the EITC Women’s Council.
EITC refers to Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company, the parent company of du.
Hanan Ahmed, EITC Women’s Council chairwoman, explained: “The Women’s Council is representative of the growing need for diversity within our day-to-day operations and reinstates EITC as a future-facing organisation committed to bringing the UAE’s women’s empowerment and leadership agenda to life.”
She said more. “Together we will form a consortium of like-minded advocates who are passionate about women’s empowerment and aligning the company’s visions to effectively promote inclusivity within the workplace, within the industry, and within the communities of our beloved country.”
Through the formation of the EITC Women’s Council, du officials say the company is in a healthier position to empower female employees, which make up 29% of the company’s workforce. In addition to this, recent figures reveal that 40% of new recruits are female.
The Council’s main focuses initially will be to “connect, collaborate, learn, communicate, grow and empower” in order to enhance the overall performance, participation and wellness of female employees, while also promoting tolerance and inclusion.
The Council will also seek to support women in the workplace, generate happy and balanced employees with initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion, build a culture of collaboration, foster the next generation of female leadership, create high-performing and engaged female employees, and help build a women’s support network.
The establishment of the Women’s Council also supports global perspectives on workplace diversity, which highlight that companies’ growing commitments to gender diversity are yet to translate into significant progress. Of course, multiple studies have also shown that, on average, companies with more women in leadership make more money.
The initial EITC Women’s Council leadership team consists of: Hanan Ahmed (chairwoman), Dr Alia Al Serkal (vice chairwoman), Noora AlMansoori (official council spokeswoman), Dr Mansoor Habib (council advisor), Aisha Rawert (council member), Dr Raffaella Bianchi (council member), Mona Gulaid (council member), Maryam Thani (council member), and Jennifer Gonzalez (council member).
