Young Arab Women Leaders: The Voice of the Future

Transcription

In Partnership with
Young Arab Women Leaders:
The Voice of the Future
Thursday 20 September 2012
The Riyad Nassar Library
The Lebanese American University
Beirut, Lebanon
Young Arab Women Leaders: the Voice of the Future
Message from the Chairman
Arab International Women’s Forum
As Chairman and on behalf of the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF),
I am proud and delighted to welcome you to our conference entitled ‘Young
Arab Women Leaders: The Voice of the Future’ which AIWF is hosting
in Beirut in partnership with PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Institute for
Women’s Studies in the Arab World at the Lebanese American University.
On 13 May 2011, in London, AIWF and PwC held a successful, inaugural
seminar entitled Emerging Arab Women Leaders – the Voice of the Future.
This event was co-hosted by AIWF and PwC and was aimed at assisting
young women leaders to further optimise and strengthen their personal
business skills and thereby their contribution to business and the community
at large. Part of the AIWF initiative focusing on young women leaders in
the Arab region, this conference will be the second in the region, the first
held in Amman, Jordan in June 2012 which brought together an impressive
gathering of eminent guest speakers and high profile participants, many of
whom were young women from Jordan, Palestine and six other countries, all
aspiring to leadership in business, politics and their communities.
Today’s event in Beirut will specifically help young Lebanese women leaders
in understanding the importance of gender equality in shaping the political,
economic and social opportunities available to women in the Arab world.
Lebanon is, and has always been, one of the region’s most progressive
environments for women’s empowerment, entrepreneurship and education,
which made it a clear choice for today’s event.
1
Over the last decade, AIWF has consistently called for the region to fully
utilise its most precious natural resource - its human capital, stressing in
all our annual programmes and initiatives the importance of developing a
viable community while advocating for equal opportunities to be offered
to all Arab citizens. Our utmost priority in 2012 and beyond is to promote
empowerment for women and youth to act as future agents for lasting,
sustainable development and prosperity in the Arab world.
With over half of the Arab world’s population under the age of 30, we see job
creation, education and capacity building as being of critical importance and
at the forefront of any international discussion, not just for the future of the
Arab region but for all emerging economies including Asia, South America and
Africa. Empowering youth in emerging economies to become entrepreneurs
and job creators is key to building a strong, viable and educated Arab middle
class and safeguarding against a return to unrest in the future.
We believe that women’s entrepreneurship is absolutely essential to the
sustainable development process. Women already play an important role
in the region as business owners but they will need to play an even larger
role at this critical time because without more women in politics, business,
finance and civil society, playing significant roles in shaping the new Arab
future, there will never be real, lasting and sustainable empowerment for
women and youth in the MENA region.
To this end, we are proud to be working again in partnership with PwC and to
have the valued cooperation, as our host, of the Institute for Women’s Studies
in the Arab World, a tireless advocate for women’s issues, which was set up
in 1973 to honour the unique heritage of the LAU as the first educational
institution for women in the region, now a fully-fledged university with seven
schools spanning the entire academic spectrum. We value the support
of all AIWF Global Corporate and Institutional Partners on this important
initiative, introducing a new generation to the principles that we all share by
encouraging young professionals like yourselves to enhance and optimise
your contribution to society and business and to help to develop further your
leadership skills. We are delighted to welcome Guest Speakers who are
2
all prominent and accomplished business and professional leaders who will
stimulate and help us to understand more about personal accountability,
leadership and building confidence to inspire the next generation. We
especially look forward to learning from all participants about the ways that
they personally have transformed challenges and barriers into success
stories and opportunities.
Our main objective today is to identify and build a network for business and
professional Lebanese women, bringing you all together as an inspirational
group of young women participants who are all marked for future positions
of increased responsibility within your companies, organisations and
communities. Our third key conference this year for young Arab women
leaders will be held in Dubai in December in cooperation with and hosted by
the Dubai Business Women Council at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce,
and will be specifically targeted at young Emirati women.
Much more is planned for this exciting initiative in 2013 and beyond as
we take the Young Women Leader’s Programme to other Arab capitals
throughout the region, thereby creating opportunities for young professionals
to interact with peers and network with successful role models in order that
we can harness the energy and talent of potential young women leaders to
contribute to the social and economic development of their communities and
the Arab region as a whole.
We hope that your participation in this conference will be an informative,
valuable, interactive experience for you, and we look forward to welcoming
you to future events in both our regional and international host countries.
Mrs Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani
Founder Chairman
3
Message from Middle East Managing Partner
PricewaterhouseCoopers
The important changes taking place in North Africa and the Middle East have
brought to light a number of socio-economic challenges—such as lack of
trust in government, youth unemployment, regional inequalities, corruption,
weak institutions, limited entrepreneurship, public sector inefficiency, budget
deficits and the need to advance the role of women in the economy — that
must be addressed if the aspirations of the region’s citizens are to be met.
Women have emerged as key civic leaders in the uprising that launched the
Arab Spring. The role and powerful impact women have created must be
appreciated especially through increasing gender equality in the political and
economic arenas in the region.
Understanding the importance of the role of gender in shaping the political,
economic and social opportunities available to individuals, can help in
evaluating whether and how societies may close gender gaps in human
capital investments, economic participation and political opportunity. It can
also shed light on the substantial variation in the size of the gaps across
countries and areas and the role economic development management and
leadership can play in closing the gaps.
It is certain that the Arab Spring provides a unique window of opportunity
for the Middle East region to leverage its “Women and youth initiatives” and
introduce the transparent and accountable policies and institutions that will
support increased competitiveness and higher living standards. Achieving
higher growth and employment will require that the various challenges be
tackled through a coordinated and comprehensive strategy that involves
4
governments, the private sector, civil society, and the international
community. The region’s governments and public community need to work
hand in hand to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth and
employment if they are to fulfil the aspirations of the Arab world’s citizens.
We at PwC view women as a critical talent group to enable the firm to continue
its growth in the marketplace and to deliver the best in client solutions. Firm
networks provide a strong collaborative group for women at pivotal points in
their careers, giving them the resources, role models, mentors and contacts
which contribute to their career success and the ongoing success of PwC.
The most important determinant of a country’s competitiveness is its human
talent, which, when enhanced through education, affects the productivity of
that society. As we know, women represent and account for half of humanity.
In other words, half of the potential talent base. Therefore, if we want to
perform and compete for our future we should integrate and engage both
men and women to create our future and that of our children’s future.
Through its many initiatives, PwC believes in the role of women. PwC aims
to surface novel thinking and innovative approaches. We draw on the unique
expertise of members of the PwC family – Partners, Directors, Managers and
Staff. The outcome of our work this year will cover the following priorities:
ensuring macro-economic stability for the region; addressing the challenge
of youth employment and closing the gender gap; building of trust in public
life; accountability; understanding new paradigms and opportunities for
enhancing regional cooperation; public finance management; securing a
strong middle class; and supporting economies in transition.
Our partnership with AIWF comes from our genuine belief in the mission
AIWF stands for. Therefore, our series of engagements will continue to make
a showcase for a proper and appropriate partnership that has one goal and
aspiration, that is a better future for our society and more opportunities for
our women, youth and children.
Warwick Hunt
Middle East Managing Partner
PricewaterhouseCoopers
5
Message from Country Senior Partner, PwC , Lebanon
Focusing on professionalism and skills rather than gender
We at PwC believe that segregation in all its forms and manifestations is a
practice that is unethical, outlawed and very bad for business. Living up to
that statement, both in life and in the workplace, requires us to make hard
decisions not only in fighting gender discrimination but also by not falling into
the trap of positive segregation.
There is this inherent danger in the drive to contribute to women’s
empowerment where a professional may end up being rewarded based on
or despite of her gender which is as faulty as favouring a man over a female
colleague. When hiring or appraising an individual at work; competence and
merit are the only attributes that need to be looked at, never gender. We look
at people and we look for people who have the capacity to be outstanding
professionals, who have what it takes to deliver results and who exhibit a
potential for growth and development.
That being said, a good company should know and understand the
environment in which it operates. While there seems to be a slow breakdown
of the barrier separating women’s and men’s roles and of the traditions
that curtail the freedom of women under the guise of protecting them; the
inequalities and social pressure that women in our region face remain
considerable.
We believe that good professionals should be given every opportunity to
develop and grow within our firm, gender disregarded. Where there is potential,
we will invest our time, knowledge and resources to allow individuals to reach
their full potential. However, women require a more personalised approach, a
more flexible approach in relation to their responsibilities outside of work; which
is why we are partners with AIWF and we endeavour to partake in initiatives
that aim to encourage and empower young bright hardworking women.
6
If despite all the inequalities and the pressures they are confronted with in
their upbringing and education, more and more women are making a career
for themselves and advancing in the workplace; imagine what would happen
gentlemen if they were offered the proper guidance and support they so
richly deserve. Which brings me to my next subject of what will women’s
empowerment mean for men?
As Dennis Nally, Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers International
Limited said, “Women bring a different perspective to the table. And more
perspectives can lead to better decision-making, more innovation and higher
performing teams.”
We often talk about what women’s empowerment might mean for women more opportunities and flexibility in the workplace, financial independence, and
improved quality of life. But what will women’s empowerment mean for men?
It means more competition and competition is healthy; it means more
qualified co-workers on whom you can depend; it means being exposed to
different perspectives and different ways of doing business; just consider the
following points about women:
• They are more intuitive
• They have different values. They are more supportive and understanding.
• They are stronger with networking, sponsoring and supporting each other.
At PwC, we believe that if we can candidly examine and address gender
discrimination, the final barriers to women permeating the top ranks in critical
mass may begin to fall away.
We believe women’s empowerment means more choices for both women
and men – choices which can have intensely positive ramifications for our
social and economic fabric worldwide.
To put it simply, women’s empowerment is Humanity’s empowerment.
Mr Camille C Sifri
Country Senior Partner
PwC Lebanon
7
Message from the President of
The Lebanese American University
Collaboration is one of the most effective ways to serve noble causes in society.
This is certainly true of the new conference planned by the Arab International
Women’s Forum (AIWF), in cooperation with PricewaterhouseCoopers,
and the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World at the Lebanese
American University in Lebanon (LAU).
This conference is part of the AIWF initiative that focuses on young Arab
women leaders, who are considered to be the voice of a very promising
future in this region. I am delighted and proud that the LAU Institute for
Women’s Studies in the Arab World is an active participant in the organization
of this important conference, which aims at helping young women leaders
understand the role of gender in shaping opportunities available to women
in the Arab world.
This conference is important because it brings together both experienced
and young women to examine effective approaches to close the gender gap
which has significantly limited women’s access to high positions in finance,
economics, politics, and other important areas across the Arab region. It
will examine as well the role of women’s education and leadership in closing
that gap.
On behalf of LAU, I congratulate the planners of this signal event for involving
many young and talented women leaders in planning this conference and in
choosing the speakers who will make it lively through their own personal
experience and expertise. This is a great occasion for networking and learning
from experienced women leaders about the importance of leadership in
turning challenges into success stories and in continuing the battle to close
the gender gap.
8
The conference’s topics are well chosen and important. They focus on a
thorough examination of topics such as beyond breaking through the glass
ceiling, opportunities and challenges for young women leaders, how to be a
better leader, personal and edifying stories, how women leaders are superbly
carrying out their social responsibilities, and the path forward. Further, there
has never been a time in the Arab world when women’s leadership was
needed as it is now. The Arab world today is facing many challenges. It is
in the grip of major upheavals that cost so many innocent lives and cause
so much destruction. It is now most in need of women with a seasoned civic
culture, educated women who care about gender equality in the political,
economic, and financial arena, women with intelligent hearts who can drive
common sense into the heads of the men who are wreaking havoc with the
future of this region and impeding it from playing a major civilizing role in an
otherwise globalized and complicated world. Our region needs educated and
experienced women, young women, talented women to determine for it a
sensible sense of direction and shape its development. We need to provide
more young women with the opportunity to earn an excellent education and
begin to make a positive impact in the evolution of society in the Arab world.
It is most fitting for this conference to be taking place on the LAU campus
where our roots go back to 1835, when a woman of riches and fame from
the United States decided to abandon the glories of this world, leave a very
comfortable life and travel to the shores of Lebanon to establish a school
for the education of women in the Ottoman Empire. From an enrolment of
three students the first year we are now a full-fledged university with current
enrolment of 8,300 students and seven schools spanning the entire academic
spectrum. Our Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World continues to
be an indefatigable advocate for women’s causes.
I wish to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire LAU family to thank you
for coming to our campus in Beirut, I salute the Arab International Women’s
Forum, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and the Institute of Women’s Studies in
the Arab World for putting together this important event. I wish you all a very
productive and enjoyable conference.
With my best wishes,
Dr Joseph G Jabbra
President
Lebanese American University
9
Founder Chairman, Arab International Women’s Forum
Mrs Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, Founder Chairman, Arab International
Women’s Forum is well known in international government and business
circles as a high-impact change agent focusing on leadership in cultural and
gender issues. An economist and graduate of the American University of
Beirut and Oxford University, she brings a wide range of skills and experience
to her personal mission of encouraging greater cultural understanding
between Arab and international communities, supporting a strong role for
women in that process.
Mrs Al Kaylani holds senior roles in several organisations in the UK and
internationally as well as seats on the boards of cultural and educational
institutions and NGO’s. She is Vice President International of The Women’s
Leadership Board at Harvard University. Mrs Al Kaylani serves as Advisory
Board Member of Middle East Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies,
University of London and Advisory Board Member, Institute for Women’s
Studies in the Arab World, Lebanese American University, Beirut and in
April 2012 became the first Honorary Member of the Euro Mediterranean
Association for Cooperation and Development. She is a Board Director of
the EastWest Institute; a Board Member of the MENA – OECD Business
Council and serves as a Freeman and Liveryman of the City of London.
In 2006, Haifa Al Kaylani received recognition as one of 21 Leaders for the
21st Century by Women’s eNews in New York. In February 2007 Haifa Al
Kaylani was named as one of The Muslim Power 100 Leaders in the United
Kingdom and received the Education Excellence Award. Mrs Al Kaylani has
been named recipient of the 2008 World of Difference Lifetime Achievement
Award presented by The International Alliance for Women. In 2009 Mrs Al
Kaylani was named one of the 20 leading Muslim women in the UK when
The Equality & Human Rights Commission announced The Muslim Women
Power List 2009 and in both 2011 and 2012, named one of the hundred
most powerful women in the Arab World on the Power 100 List, compiled by
Arabian Business Monitor.
10
Mr Camille C Sifri
Country Senior Partner, PwC Lebanon
Camille is the Country Senior Partner of PwC Lebanon and Leader of the
Audit practice. He has been with the firm for more than 30 years. During his
tenure as country senior partner of the Lebanon firm, he has held several
responsibilities including, Member of the Middle East region leadership team;
Member of the Middle East region governance board; Leader of the Middle
East region human capital and Leader of the Middle East region learning and
education. In addition to these roles, he has led several industry practices
including NGOs/ Not for Profit organisations, Financial Services, Telecom,
Consumer and Industrial products, Oil and Gas and the Public Sector.
Camille C Sifri is a fellow practising member of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants in England and Wales and a licensed member of the Lebanese
Association of Certified Public Accountants.
11
Guest Speakers’ Biographies
(in order of participation)
HE Raya Haffar El Hassan, Former Minister of Finance, Lebanon holds
a Master’s degree in Business Administration from George Washington
University and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the
American University of Beirut. Earlier in her career, Mrs El Hassan was
advisor to the Minister of Economy and Trade and a program specialist for
the Economic Governance and Pro-Poor portfolio at UNDP Lebanon. In the
mid-90s, she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of tax and
expenditure management reforms and in setting up and operating a UN debt
management system at the Ministry of Finance. As Project Director within the
Office of the Prime Minister, she oversaw several UN, World Bank and EU
public reform projects and worked on the elaboration and the implementation
of the government’s economic and social reform agenda under the Paris II
and III International Donor Conferences for Lebanon. From November 2009
until June 2011, Mrs El Hassan served as the Minister of Finance in Lebanon.
Presently, she is working as a financial consultant and is a member of the
Board of Directors of BankMed.
Ms Dala Misbah Ghandour, Lawyer & Mediator, Specializing in Family &
Sharia Law, Lebanon, holds a degree in Public & Private Law and a Master’s
degree in Management from Lebanon & France.
She has a global understanding of the MENA region, as she was born and
raised in Lebanon, worked in Qatar and travelled to many countries. She
speaks five languages.
Interested in social development, Ms Ghandour ran as an independent
candidate for the Beirut municipality elections. Her initiative inspired young
citizens over the country to participate in their own political process. She
frequently gives talks to empower youth & women to be engaged in public
life as she believes that politics should not be left only to politicians.
Ms Ghandour was chosen to be one of 12 MENA young leaders to participate
in the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellowship for 2011 and for the
MEPI Leaders for Democracy Fellowship Program for 2012. She took part in
the 1st Arab-European Young Leaders Forum in November 2010 and in the
3rd World Young Leaders Forum in November 2011. She participated in the
4th UNAOC Forum in Doha, Qatar.
12
She is currently a lawyer specialising in family status legal matters and is a
certified mediator. Since 2009, she has been developing the mediation culture,
as she believes in its power to resolve conflicts and restore relationships.
She has been offering her mediation services to the unprivileged populations
in North Lebanon with the American Bar Association, as an instructor in
Lebanese jails and as a family mediator for divorced couples in Beirut’s
Charia Courts.
Mrs Hanan A Saab, Managing Director, Pharmamed, Lebanon is a third
generation pharmacist who graduated from AUB with distinction and was
awarded the venerated Penrose Award.
She practised hospital pharmacy at the American University Hospital (AUH)
for 5 years and despite the unstable political situation, she decided in 1990
to start her own business “Pharmamed,” focusing on the importation and
marketing of novelty pharmaceutical products and medical supplies based
on exclusive representation from renowned foreign companies. Pharmamed
currently has 50 employees and represents 22 companies from European
and US origin. Today, Pharmamed has expanded its activities to Jordan,
Syria and other areas in the Gulf, through its network of sub-distributors.
Hanan is a member of the Lebanese Order of Pharmacy and the Lebanese
Association of Pharmaceutical Importers (LPIA). She is a founding member
of the Lebanese League for Women in Business (LLWB) founded in 2006,
currently serving as President, a Founder Board Member of the MENA
Business Women Network (MENA BWN) and a Board Member of AIWF.
Mrs Saab was featured in the Financial Times in an article entitled “Leading
Arab Business Women” and “Arabian Business” in Dubai, and in two books
“Entrepreneurs at the Cross Roads”, by the Beyster Institute, UCSD - USA,
and “Domains of Influence” by AIWF on Arab women entrepreneurs in the
MENA area.
She speaks on women’s entrepreneurship at a number of conferences
organised by Woodrow Wilson Conference, Mediterranean Forum for
Women Entrepreneurs, World Bank, OECD, and the Economist. Since 2011,
she has served as a juror in Cartier Women Initiative Award for the MENA
region, and was recently a juror on BLC Bank Women Entrepreneur Award
founded in 2012.
13
Ms Joelle Rizk, Programme Associate, Regional Security, EastWest
Institute, Belgium joined EWI in 2011 as a coordinator for the Regional
Security Programme. Joelle holds a BA in International Affairs and Diplomacy
from Notre Dame University in Lebanon and an MA in Peace and Conflict
Studies from the European Peace University in Austria. She has worked
with civil society in Lebanon on governance, peace building, reintegration
and transnational security. Joelle was part of the team that researched and
authored the Afghanistan Human Development Report of 2010 with the
United Nations Development Programme in Afghanistan. In 2009 and 2010
Joelle has field-researched the Afghan conflict and co-authored a book,
The Battle for Khorasan, analysing and connecting the geostrategy of the
Afghan conflict, the rise of Islamic militancy in Afghanistan and the recurring
insurgency. Joelle is fluent in Arabic, English and French and has a basic
knowledge of Farsi and Spanish.
Dr Charlotte Karam, Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior &
Organizational Psychology, Olayan School of Business, American University
of Beirut, Lebanon teaches advanced courses in management, business
ethics, leadership development and organizational behaviour. She was
the recipient of the 2012 AUB Teaching Excellence Award. Her teaching
philosophy is fundamentally predicated on establishing a participatory
environment; critically reflecting on how content applied to local socio-cultural
“realities”; and reinforcing and further developing participant interpersonal
skills. Currently, her research focuses on the meaning and applicability of
Ethical Leadership as well as the current status of Women at Work and the
constraints facing them within the Middle East. She is particularly interested
in the application of Western based theories and tools to the Arab Middle
East as well as the development of indigenous models for the region. She has
received a number of local and international research grants and scholarship
awards for the work. She is also an independent consultant who provides
services within the region.
14
Dr Rana El Chemaitelly, CEO & Founder, The Little Engineer SARL,
Lebanon holds a BE in Mechanical Engineering 1993, AUB Penrose Award
1993, and Master’s in Engineering Management 2008. Dr El Chemaitelly
has more than twelve years of experience in the field of industrial, digital and
photofinishing photography and over eight years of successful sales. She
founded her first company “Digital photography” in 1996 and it closed down
in 2004 due to market saturation. She was certified by Kodak Digital Systems
Noritsu-Japan, Imapro- Usa, Colex-Germany and Russell Chemicals-USA.
In 2009 she launched her second venture The Little Engineer®, a Beirutbased Edutainment centre geared towards engaging young minds in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics through proven hands-on
learning activities to unleash their full potential in pre-engineering skills while
highlighting robotics, renewable energies and latest technologies working
in parallel on their leadership and presentation skills. For her initiative and
business plan, she was recognised as one of MENA’s most promising
entrepreneurs by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2009.
She was awarded the “Coup de Coeur Femme” by “Medventures” for the
Mediterranean Region in 2010, selected the woman entrepreneur by the
American Embassy to participate in the International Visitor Leadership
Program “IVLP” 2011, and recently selected by Cartier Women Initiative
as the Laureate for the MENA region. She is continuously attending
international events related to the latest technologies and innovations in
the field of alternative learning, updating her knowledge, searching for the
latest updates in the field of engineering and seeking new opportunities to be
implemented in the Lebanese market.
She is working hard to be a voice of change in the Arab World by investing in
young minds, our future leaders, preparing them for the challenging future,
while at the same time aiming to empower women in her community, country
and around the world.
15
Dr Mona Hammami, Senior Manager, The Court of the Crown Prince of
Abu Dhabi, UAE is a Senior Project Manager at the Office of Strategic
Affairs of the Court of the Crown Prince (CPC) of Abu Dhabi and part of the
founding team that set up the office in 2009. In her day-to-day activity, she
works on providing policy analysis on topics of relevance to Abu Dhabi and
recommends appropriate policy action; conducts current affairs analyses
and provides in-depth analysis of key developments and implications. Prior
to CPC, Mona was a lead associate at Booz and Company and part of the
public sector practice team working on a wide range of public policy issues
including: social and labour policies, macroeconomic policy, governance
frameworks and organisation restructuring projects. She worked for several
months as an economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where
she co-authored a paper on the determinants of Public Private Partnerships
and at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
where she worked on the effect of the WTO’s TRIPS agreement on Middle
East and North African Countries.
Mona graduated with High Distinction from the American University of Beirut
with a BA in Economics. She holds a Masters in Public Administration in
International Development from Harvard Kennedy School and is a recipient
of both the HRH Princess Banderi Al-Faisal Public Service Fellowship and
Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Tuwaijri International Public Service Fellowship. She
completed her PhD in Development Studies from the University of Oxford
in June 2006. In 2011, she set up her own graduate fellowship fund at
Harvard Kennedy School to fund an Arab student for the Masters in Public
Administration/ International Development Program.
Mona is part of the executive committee (secretary) of the Harvard UAE
Society and was the conference co-chair for the Arab World Conference
organised by Harvard Arab Alumni Association for the year 2012.
16
Ms Rafa Chabtini & Ms Hiba Safieddine, Co-owners Trainstation Studio,
Lebanon. Sisters Rafa and Hiba were born in Athens, Greece where they
attended elementary school at the French Lycee. They moved to Beirut in
1993 and both graduated from Louise Wegmann College.
Rafa, 31, holds a BA in Business Marketing from the American University
of Beirut (AUB), and a Masters Degree in Management from the London
School of Economics (LSE). She started her career as a Marketing Manager
at a leading Lebanese catering company, before moving to KFF (Fattal) a
large distribution company where she handled the Sales and Marketing of
different brands in the F&B department including Milka, Danone, Bacardi
Martini, Evian and Lu for 5 years.
In January 2012, after her first child was born, she started her own venture with
sister Hiba combining their talents, skills, and passion for sports, wellbeing,
and fashion and opened ‘Trainstation’, a boutique fitness studio, located in
the heart of Beirut. Competitive features are the unique decor (inspired by
the streets of London and New York), professional team and state of the
art equipment, personalised treatment and customised services are offered
combining sports, nutrition, massage and as well as selling loungewear and
sports clothes.
Hiba, 29, holds a BSc in Nutrition from Kings College, London, specialising
in eating disorders. In 2006, after obtaining her degree, she decided to return
home, complete an internship at St Georges University Hospital and moved
on to open a private clinic as a dietician, consulting with patients on weight
issues and eating disorders. Hiba is also a certified personal trainer from
London Premier and has been holding personal training sessions for the past
6 years. Since the opening of Trainstation in January 2012, she has been
able to combine her passion for fitness as well as give nutritional advice in
one unique environment.
Rafa and Hiba speak 4 languages, and have a passion for travel. They both
lead a very dynamic lifestyle, love skiing, diving, hiking and obviously are
addicted to the trainstation classes!
17
With Rafa’s business background and marketing knowledge, and Hiba’s
nutrition and fitness expertise, they got off to a good start. With cutting edge
classes, in-house nutritionist, massage specialist and an exclusive boutique
to browse through, no matter how you feel when you arrive, you’re guaranteed
to leave looking and feeling your best. Welcome aboard Trainstation!
Dr Dima Dabbous-Sensenig is the Director of the Institute for Women’s
Studies in the Arab World, (IWSAW) at the Lebanese American University
in Beirut (LAU). Since 2007, she has been editor-in-chief of Al-Raida (The
Pioneer), the feminist peer-reviewed journal published by IWSAW/LAU.
She has published several scholarly articles on broadcast regulation in
Lebanon and the Arab world with particular emphasis on public service,
cultural diversity, and the effects of the WTO on cultural production and
exchange. She is also responsible for several publications on the portrayal
and discussion of women and Islam on popular talk shows broadcast by
Al-Jazeera Pan-Arab TV station. Her latest major research project (May
2012) is a comparative regional study on the performance of public service
television in 8 countries of the MENA region, using a gender perspective.
The study was published by the Open University of Barcelona and the Institut
Panos, Paris. She has participated as an expert on media and gendersensitive communication policies in several working groups organised by the
UN division for the Advancement of Women and most recently acted as a
gender consultant for the United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA).
Dr Dabbous-Sensenig’s early career involved working in TV drama
production. She has a PhD in broadcasting regulation from the School of
Cultural Studies at Sheffield Hallam University in England; a Master’s degree
in Media Studies from Concordia University in Canada; and a Bachelor’s
degree in Communication Arts from the Beirut University College, Lebanon.
18
Ms Ola Mohammad Sidani is Economic Officer, Presidency of the Council
of Ministers, Lebanon under a UNDP project contract which commenced in
2010. Her terms of reference include establishing economic reform initiatives,
coordinating with stakeholders and supervising implementation of initiatives
launched by the Prime Minister’s Office, such as bilateral economic and
trade agreements, donor aid coordination, socio-economic reform plans, the
statistical system reform, etc. She is also involved in drafting speeches for
senior management and the Prime Minister in the Arabic language.
Before joining the PCM, she worked for more than 3 years as an Economic
Researcher at the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and
Agriculture for Arab Countries (UAC). She carried out extensive research
on regional Arab trade, transport, and economic integration from the private
sector perspective and was in charge of preparing the Arab Economic Report.
Ms Sidani wrote many articles on regional economic issues, published in
the Union’s monthly periodical “Al-Omran Al-Arabi”. She co-prepared a
comprehensive study on the Arab private sector’s vision for Economic
Integration, with its memorandum, presented at the Kuwait Economic Summit
2009. She presented many papers at various conferences at UN-ESCWA,
UAC and the League of Arab States.
Prior to that, Ola joined UN-ESCWA as an intern on trade and WTO issues.
In 2008-2009, she was jointly commissioned by the International Road
Transport Union and the Arab Union of Land Transport to conduct a study on
the transport sector in the Arab world.
Ola holds a Masters degree in Economics (2005) from the American
University of Beirut, where she also obtained a BA in Economics and Minor
in Public Administration (2003). She is a founding member of her high school
Alumni Society.
19
Ms Joumana Salem is currently the Senior Director – Franchise and BU
Sales Capability in PepsiCo East Med and Africa business unit (EMA BU).
She manages the Franchises of Lebanon, Syria and Iran and looks over
Sales Capability development for all countries of EMA BU.
Born and educated in Lebanon, Ms Salem obtained a BA in Business
Administration at the American University of Beirut in 1993 and an MBA
in Management at the Ecole Superieure des Affaires, Beirut in 1997. She
has undergone several corporate trainings in Marketing, Advertising,
Management and Finance.
From 1993 to 1994, Ms Salem was employed by Bristol-Myers Squibb CPGI,
Beirut as Sales Coordinator to manage local distributors’ marketing and
sales activities of the complete line of Personal Care products. In 1995, she
was appointed Account Director for a leading advertising company in Beirut
to manage their advertising and promotions programmes for a portfolio of
brands. In 1998, she was appointed by Unilever as their Product Group
Manager – Personal Products for Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt markets.
In June 2001, Ms Salem joined PepsiCo initially as Marketing Manager for
Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Iraq to lead the development and execution of
brands’ marketing plans and to manage agencies to support programme
development and maximise budget productivity.
In her current role, Ms Salem leads the business relationship with key
bottling partners, developing commercial strategies to deliver the financial
algorithm across Lebanon, Syria and Iran, in addition to driving the Sales
Capability agenda for EMA BU markets in the objective of optimising Sales
and Distribution efficiency and costs.
20
Mrs Randa Yassir, Director SMART Center, Lebanon is a women’s activist,
media and communication specialist and has been a journalist since 1997,
Co-anchor and Co-producer of the first and only specialised radio programme
discussing women’s issues and raising awareness for women and men
about women’s rights. She promoted social causes, especially those related
to women, youth and children’s rights, through traditional and social media.
She worked for 15 years as an editor, journalist and consultant, and then
joined the team of the United Nations Information Center (UNIC), after which
she dedicated all her time to directing a Civil Society Organization (CSO)
that she established in 2009 under the name: SMART Center.
Through SMART Center, she supported local and international organisations
in promoting their projects and increasing their media visibility; she also
launched a unique Lebanese field study entitled: “The Relationship between
Media and Civil Society Organizations in Lebanon”, funded by FriedrichEbert-Stiftung. She is currently holding a series of round tables entitled:
“Towards a positive image of Arab Women in the Media”, which was
launched during a celebration of International Women’s Day in collaboration
with ESCWA Center for Women in 2012. She is now directing a project for
SMART Center, funded by U.S. Embassy in Beirut, entitled: “WAW Votes:
Women Advocates for Women’s Votes” aimed at raising awareness of
women’s public representation and expanding their political participation.
Mrs Yassir has been a trainer since 2007 in civic education and human rights
in schools and in the basics of journalism and methods of improving relations
with the media.
She directed a one-year project implemented in Lebanese Schools entitled:
“Stop Sexual Abuse”, which protected adolescents from sexual harassment,
funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).
Mrs Yassir has a BA in Journalism and wide experience in organisations
management from proposal writing to strategic networking and human rights.
21
Mrs Wafa’ Tarnowska is CSR Manager for UK & Europe taking up that post
in London in September 2011 after four years as DLA Piper’s Manager for
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Middle East from Nov 2007. Previously,
she was a head-hunter with Odgers-Berndtson in Dubai. She is also a writer
and translator of children’s books and a former journalist for SBS Australian
Radio and various magazines.
Wafa’ has worked in Australia, Lebanon, Poland, Cyprus, India, the UK and
the UAE. She has an MA in Sociology from the American University of Beirut
and a BA in Political Sciences from Melbourne University. She is fluent in
Arabic, English, French, speaks conversational Polish and is learning Italian.
In 2009, DLA Piper ME won three awards for their CSR programs in
the region. The first for “Best Environmental Initiative in the UAE”; the other
two (“Women in Leadership CSR Award” and the “Best Practice Award for
CSR and Community Affairs by MEPRA” (Middle East PR Association) for
DLA Piper’s work with Tawteen and the “Women in the Workplace Project”
in the UAE.
DLA Piper Middle East was also short listed and highly commended for CSR
Leader of the Year Award at the Middle East Business Achievements (MEBA)
Awards in 2009 and for best CSR initiatives for a middle sized business by
the Emirates Environmental Group.
On April 15, 2011, Wafa’ won the CSR award for the GR8! Women’s Awards,
normally held in India but held for the first time in Dubai and hosted by the
Indian Television Academy. In July 2011, Wafa’ was nominated as one of
the Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behaviour in Europe
and the Middle East.
Wafa’ also sits on the board of Women for Sustainable Growth, a joint
initiative between Sweden and the UAE working to build a stronger bridge
between the two regions, to train women leaders and increase their visibility
as role models.
22
Ms Norma Taki, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, United Arab Emirates
is a Partner in PwC’s regional Deals team, now based in Dubai, having
relocated from the Lebanon office less than a year ago. Norma has worked
with PwC in the Middle East Region for 14 years with the last 7 years as part
of the Deals practice.
Norma is a deals specialist and has been advising multinational and regional
investors on transactions across the Middle East. She has led numerous
acquisitions in the regions, working with clients to analyse, structure and
execute successful deals in different sectors. Norma has led several advisory
engagements with a particular focus on financial due diligence reviews,
valuations and financial feasibility studies.
She first joined the audit practice of PwC where she led the audits of a
number of multinational companies based in the Levant. Norma is highly
involved in delivering technical and soft skills courses across the Middle East
and has tutored several courses in Europe.
She is part of PwC’s regional Women in Business initiative and mentor
programme as well as a member of the PwC Experience regional steering
committee.
Norma holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American
University of Beirut and is a US CPA holder.
23
Ms Maya Karanouh, CEO and Founder, TAGbrands has, in the past decade,
been an active entrepreneur, founding several companies and being a
leading member of the regional creative sector. Maya is currently the CEO
at TAGbrands. As an award winning branding strategy firm that aligns
brand image with the strategic objectives of the company, TAGbrand’s work
impacts on several aspects of business including the retail environment, the
relationship with customers and the organisational structure. TAGbrands is
proud to have amongst its regional client base: Bank Audi, Doha Bank, Abu
Dhabi Islamic Bank, Ghandour, Bonjus, Patchi, L’Oreal and Taanayel.
Through the company, Maya has been honoured to receive the following
awards: the 2006 British Council’s Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year
for Lebanon, 35 under 35 Global Women Entrepreneurs award in 2007 and
“Rising Talent” by the Women’s Forum in France in 2008. As Maya is a strong
believer in design and innovation she decided to co-found and incubate the
MENA Design Research Centre in 2010, a non-profit organisation dedicated
to design research and social change in the Middle East and North Africa as
the CSR branch of TAGbrands.
The MENA Design Research Centre is proud to have organised the first
“Beirut Design Week” which took place in June 2012 in partnership with
the British Council, the Goethe Institute, AUB and the Ministry of Tourism.
During Beirut Design Week, a series of over 50 events and 60 designers
celebrated the role of design in our contemporary culture, society, education
and economy through exhibitions, conferences, talks, workshops, and film
screenings which took place across the city.
24
Ms Haneen Sayed is the Coordinator of the World Bank Human Development
Program in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, which spans the field of education,
health, social security, labor markets, and social safety nets. She is also the
Co-coordinator of the MENA Region Youth Program. She is currently based
in the Lebanon Country Office. Haneen is an economist by academic training
and has more than 15 years of experience in leading dialogue and programs
in human and economic development.
Prior to joining the MENA region in 2003, she served as Senior Advisor to the
Executive Director of the Board of Directors of the World Bank representing
the countries of the Middle East. She has also been the Country Manager
for Korea and Myanmar, as well as human development economist for
Indonesia, Pakistan, and countries of the Caribbean, also at the World Bank.
Haneen joined the World Bank in 1992 from Stanford and Columbia
Universities where she earned her M.A. and M.Phil degrees in economics.
She has taught at various universities in New York City, as well as worked
at Morgan Stanley, the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, and the Arab
Fund for Economic and Social Development. She is the author of several
articles and reports on labor markets in Lebanon and Syria; the economic
impact of the financial crisis in East Asia on human capital development; the
impact of public spending on health and education, evaluations of literacy
programs, sex segregation in the labor force, and the economic and human
cost of the 2006 war in Lebanon.
25
Ms Alia Ibrahim is Senior Correspondent, Al-Arabiya News Channel, a post
she took up in 2008. Based in Beirut, Ms Ibrahim has covered news across
the Middle East. Since the beginning of the Arab Spring she has followed on
developments in Syria, Yemen, Tunisia, Libya and Bahrain. She is currently
writing a book about her trips, her encounters and her impressions on the
revolutions that swept the Arab world and contributes a column for the AlArabiya English website: Correspondent’s Outtake.
Ms Ibrahim was a Special Correspondent for The Washington Post, from
2005 until 2011. During that period she contributed to the newspaper news
as well as feature stories from Lebanon and some other Arab countries. Prior
to that she spent time in the newspaper’s headquarters in Washington DC as
the Alfred Friend Press Fellow. She started her career in 1996 as a general
news reporter at The Daily Star in Beirut and became managing editor of the
newspaper in 2004.
A year later, Ms Ibrahim moved to Dubai TV as the channel’s Beirut
correspondent. She was also the Beirut based correspondent for the
New York based Womenenews. Since joining Al Arabiya, Ms Ibrahim has
produced a number of long reportages:
•The Myth and Realities of Lebanon’s Qandahar, 2012.
•Forty Eight Hours in Tripoli after the Fall of Qaddafi, 2011.
•Syria’s Cyber Heroes, 2011.
•No Home away from Home: Emigrant Domestic Workers in Lebanon, 2010.
•Children for the streets, 2010.
•The Life and Disappearance of a Terrorist: Abdel GhaniJawhar, 2009.
•Abou Arabi: a Rebel with a Cause. 2009…)
Alia is presently working on a long reportage about her latest trip to
Northern Syria.
26
AGENDA
20 September 2012
0900 – 0930
Registration & Refreshments
0930 – 0945
Opening Session
Welcome & Introducing the AIWF-PwC
‘Young Arab Leaders’ Programme
Keynote Address
Founder Chairman, Arab International Women’s
Forum, UK
The session will introduce the efforts AIWF has been making
to enhance the role of women in shaping the political,
economic and social opportunities available in the Arab
world. Mrs Al Kaylani will share with us the approaches
needed to close gender gaps in human capital investment,
economic participation and political opportunity.
0945 - 1015
Session II
The PwC Vision on ‘Young Women Leaders’ Programme
Guest Speaker
Mr Camille C Sifri
Country Senior Partner
PwC, Lebanon
27
1015 – 1045
Session III
eyond The Glass Ceiling: Transforming Barriers into
B
Opportunities
While there are signs of transforming barriers into
opportunities and indications that the differences can be
contained, the gender gap issue in the Arab world remains
a major concern for future prosperity. Therefore it needs
our attention to overcome the barriers. This session will
offer the young Arab women leaders the opportunity to
have frank discussions on the unfolding situation and the
measures needed to ensure the viability of their involvement
and future prosperity. Aside from the immediate barriers
women are facing in Arab world, young Arab women will
have to implement a structural approach to address their
challenges and turn them into opportunities.
Guest Speaker
HE Raya Haffar El Hassan
Former Minister of Finance, Lebanon
Guest Speaker
Ms Dala Misbah Ghandour
Lawyer & Mediator, Specializing in Family
and Sharia Law, Lebanon
1045 – 1115
Tea & Coffee Break
1115 – 1200
Morning Panel Discussion
Opportunities & Challenges for Young Women Leaders
With over half of the Arab world’s population under the age of
30, we see job creation, education and capacity building as
top priorities for the region. Empowering youth in emerging
economies to become entrepreneurs and job creators,
ultimately employing and developing other young people is
28
key to building a strong, viable and educated Arab middle
class. What are the key recommendations for addressing
challenges for young women leaders in the region? How
can we promote the unprecedented opportunities that are
now available to Arab youth, opportunities that would have
been considered unthinkable only a generation ago?
Guest Speaker
Mrs Hanan A Saab
Managing Director, Pharmamed, Lebanon
Guest Speaker
Ms Joelle Rizk
Programme Associate, Regional Security,
EastWest Institute, Belgium
1200 – 1230
Session IV
Mentorship & Coaching: Be a Better Leader
Through this session, AIWF and PwC are proud to offer this
opportunity for women leaders from across the Arab region
to engage in dialogue, exchange experiences and best
practices, and reflect on shared challenges as they relate
to mentorship, the importance of successful networking
and leadership training. The findings of this session will
be compiled in a communiqué that will serve as the basis
to create future regional initiatives to enhance mentorship
and networking for Arab women in business.
Guest Speaker
Dr Charlotte Karam
Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior &
Organizational Psychology, Olayan School of Business,
American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Guest Speaker
Dr Rana El Chemaitelly
CEO & Founder, The Little Engineer SARL, Lebanon
29
1230 – 1300
Session V
Reflections on Leadership: My Story
Today, there are more Arab women serving in company
boardrooms, political cabinets and the regional and global
media than ever before.
In this session, we invite prominent Arab women from
across the region to offer reflections on leadership, share
success stories, exchange experiences on how best to
deal with the inevitable challenges and provide motivation
and encouragement to young women leaders in business.
Guest Speaker
Dr Mona Hammami
Senior Manager, The Court of the Crown Prince of
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Guest Speakers
Ms Rafa Chabtini & Ms Hiba Safieddine
Co-Owners, Trainstation Studio, Lebanon
1300 – 1400
Buffet Lunch & Networking
1400 – 1415
Afternoon Introduction
Young Women Leaders and Why They Matter
This year during the WEF-Davos, it was stated that the
new model for leadership requires streamlining operations
while developing and emphasising internal and external
communications. As such, leaders in general and women
leaders specifically need to maintain a global perspective
while paying close attention to matters on the home front.
This means establishing a clear set of priorities and values
that will set a direction for the organisation, especially in
times of crisis. The session will focus on the importance of
30
young women in creating the future of their nation. We will
share perspectives on how young Arab women can make
a difference and why they matter.
Guest Speaker
Dr Dima Dabbous-Sensenig
Director, Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab
World, Lebanese American University, Lebanon
Guest Speaker
Ms Ola Mohammad Sidani
Economic Officer, Presidency of the Council of
Ministers, Lebanon
1415 – 1500
Afternoon Panel Discussion
Women & The Power of Social Media
The Internet and social media provide valuable tools
for leaders to make rapid decisions while ensuring a
collaborative approach that buttresses their legitimacy.
Ultimately, the most critical element is accurate information.
Connectivity is emerging as one of the most important
elements of the new leadership model. Arab women
leaders need to be aware of all of the options available, but
also need to know what their customers and employees
are really thinking. Therefore, we will be sharing with you
the best of the ‘power of women in social media’.
Guest Speaker
Ms Joumana Salem
Senior Director,EMA BU, Franchise & BU Sales Capability
PepsiCo – EMA BU, Lebanon
Guest Speaker
Mrs Randa Yassir
Director, SMART Center, Lebanon
31
1500 – 1530
Session VI
ocial Responsibility: More Women Leaders, Better
S
Corporate Social Responsibility
Fostering entrepreneurship and bridging the skills gap
through human capital development is of paramount
importance, and this is where partnerships such as that
of AIWF and PwC can bear the most fruit for women and
youth in the region. We can now see that the development
of Arab human capital is critical to economic growth and
prosperity in MENA countries but question how home
grown Arab businesses and major multinationals present
in the region can integrate the empowerment of women in
the workforce with company strategy and policy?
Guest Speaker
Mrs Wafa’ Tarnowska
CSR Manager, UK & Europe, DLA Piper LLP, UK
Guest Speaker
Ms Norma Taki
Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers,
United Arab Emirates
Guest Speaker
Ms Maya Karanouh
CEO & Founder, TAGBrands, Lebanon
1530 – 1600
Session VII
The Way Forward
The long-range perspective is positive. The robust growth
of the large developing economies, notably the Middle East
is an encouraging long-term story. In addition, innovations
in science and technology – particularly social media,
medicine and biotechnology – will drive new growth and
32
productivity and generate jobs. This will enable us, as Arab
women leaders, to make real changes to our future.
During this meeting, we will be inspired to witness how our
young women leaders are already changing the world – are
carrying on that spirit of positive thinking, innovation and
collegiality. Throughout the day, each one of the audience
will take an active role, frequently arguing for social
values and inclusion to be embedded in all new business
and governance models. Even in times of seemingly
overwhelming adversity, we can only move forward with
the kind of hope and courage that Arab women display.
You all embody the new models of leadership and
entrepreneurship in the global public interest. This session
will help to focus on how to compete for the future and how
to pave the way forward.
Guest Speaker
Ms Haneen Sayed
Coordinator of the World Bank Human Development Program in Lebanon & Co-coordinator, MENA Region Youth Program, Lebanon
1600 – 1615 Closing Remarks
1615 – 1730
Evening Reception & Networking
Conference Sessions moderated by
Ms Alia Ibrahim
Senior Correspondent,
Al-Arabiya News Channel, Lebanon
33
The Arab International Women‘s Forum
The Arab International Women‘s Forum (AIWF) established in 2001 as an
independent not for profit organisation is a unique network linking Arab
women with their international counterparts and serves as the voice of Arab
women, showcasing their development, ability and competence in business,
professional and public life, creating greater global awareness of women’s
success and prospects in the Arab world.
Fulfilling its mission of Building Bridges, Building Business, the Arab
International Women’s Forum has been an agent of change for women in
the Arab region encouraging their potential to take greater leadership roles
and reach higher levels of responsibility in all sectors of business, public life
and in civil society while at the same time contributing to the progress and
prosperity of their families and communities.
AIWF has been recognised for its vision and successful achievement
of outstanding and timely initiatives, with two landmark Reports and
Recommendations in 2005 and 2007, on Women as Engines of Economic
Growth in the Arab World which set the benchmark for building and
promoting its policy recommendations and strategies that have a focus
on capacity building and training, economic competitiveness, sustainable
human development and the empowerment of women, through partnership,
increased connectivity, innovation and collaboration, for women in the Arab
world.
AIWF has received international recognition in the Arab world and
internationally as a powerful advocate of women in business for the
advancement of women and its growing role, to promote and advance
legislative rights for the participation of Arab women, has been distinguished
34
by many collaborations with, among others, the League of Arab States,
the European Commission and European Parliament, United Nations
organisations and agencies, the World Bank, the MENA-OECD Investment
Programme, women’s business councils in the Arab States and the UK
Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
AIWF places great strategic importance on the development of its global
networks and the establishment of key alliances with multinational
corporations across all sectors. The AIWF valued Global Partners are deeply
engaged in the Arab region, working together with AIWF and sharing our
mission and best practices in supporting and nurturing the next generation
of women leaders, encouraging entrepreneurship, business innovation and
sustainable development.
In raising awareness and strengthening its connections with global media,
AIWF is proud of the continuing partnership with the Financial Times (FT)
with its recent cooperation on their third FT Supplement “Women in the
Arab Awakening” published especially to coincide with the May 2012 AIWF
Conference in Sharjah. AIWF has supported the publication of Domains of
Influence: Arab Women Business Leaders in a New Economy, the first
book of its kind and a unique testament to the impact of Arab women in today’s
global environment of entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
Our 2012 Programme Emerging Economies, Emerging Leaderships:
Arab Women and Youth as Drivers of Change and the outcomes of the
AIWF conference in May on that theme underlines the need for enhancing
the AIWF mission. Building on our success, with the programme initiative
Young Arab Women Leaders: the Voice of the Future we aim to promote
investment in youth through education, training and the development of
leadership skills, reaching new levels of competency and confidence in
young Arab leaders and job creators towards social and economic recovery
in their communities and the region.
6th Floor, 7 Old Park Lane London W1K IQR United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 7788 Fax: +44 (0)20 7409 7575
Email: [email protected]
www.aiwfonline.com
35
PwC Middle East and PwC Lebanon
PwC firms help organizations and individuals create the value they are
looking for. We are a network of firms in 158 countries with close to 169,
000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, tax and
advisory services. Tell us what matters to you and find out more by visiting
us at www.pwc.com
Established in the Middle East for 40 years, PwC has firms in Bahrain, Egypt,
Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, the Palestinian territories,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with around 2,500 people.
The Lebanon office is an integral part of the Middle East regional practice,
and PwC is one of the oldest audit firms in Lebanon with an uninterrupted
local presence of nearly 50 years. Lebanon’s office is a full service office
providing advisory, assurance and tax services in Lebanon.
(www.pwc.com/middle-east)
2012 PwC. All rights reserved. “PwC” is the Brand under which member firms of
PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (PwCIL) operate and provide
services. Together, these firms form the PwC network. Each firm in the network is a
separate legal entity and does not act as agent of PwCIL or any other member firm.
PwCIL does not provide any services to clients. PwCIL is not responsible or liable for
the acts or omissions of any of its member firms nor can it control the exercise of their
professional judgment or bind them in any way.
36
About PwC’s Academy
PwC’s Academy is an established player in professional training and
development that has been active globally for more than a decade with a
presence in more than 50 countries around the world and some 15,000
students. The Academy established its presence in the Middle East and in
Lebanon in 2011.
Driven by PwC’s extensive business experience, The Academy provides
professional development training opportunities for both professional
qualifications and personal growth.
Our trainers are qualified in the courses that they are delivering and
incorporate their personal work experience to add to the understanding of
the training material.
The Academy provides a wide range of training programmes and finance
related international qualifications including non-technical trainings such
as soft skills and finance for non-finance staff/managers. We also provide
tailored training which can be delivered specifically to people from the same
or related organizations. Our key courses in Lebanon currently include:
•
•
•
•
•
ACCA Diploma in IFRS (DipIFR)
Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Certified Management Accountant (CMA)
Certified Financial Accountant (CFA)
Other qualification courses provided in the Middle East are:
• ACCA Qualification (ACCA)
• CIMA Diploma in Performance Management (in Arabic)
Based on demand we will be constantly widening our business portfolio with
new qualifications and other business training, while still offering the best
quality services to satisfy our clients’ needs.
Contact us:
Dania George - PwC Academy, Senior Manager [email protected]
Telephone: +961 1 200 577 Mobile: +961 70 619 699
Visit our website www.pwc.com/middle-east/academy
37
The Lebanese American University (LAU)
An engraved stone in Beirut’s city center reads: “Site of the first edifice built
in the Turkish Empire for a girls school.” It refers to the American School
for Girls (ASG), established in Beirut in 1835 by American Presbyterian
missionaries. ASG inaugurated an important shift in education for women in
19th century Syria and the surrounding region.
After a sectarian conflict in 1860, ASG was renamed Beirut Female Seminary.
It went through some difficult transformations—including occasionally
shutting down—before reverting to its original name in 1868, and becoming
a popular school for girls which included secondary education. Over the
decades it became known as the best female boarding school in the region
as more and more female students attended.
In the early 20th century post-secondary women’s education began to take
hold. In 1921 the American University of Beirut (AUB) began accepting
women into its schools of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy. In 1924, ASG
started a two-year junior college curriculum that was mandatory at the time
for young women wishing to pursue bachelor’s degrees at AUB.
In 1927, this program became known as the American Junior College for
Women (AJCW) and was transferred to Ras-Beirut. Six years later it moved
to what is now LAU’s Beirut campus.
In 1948–49 the AJCW program was expanded under the name Beirut
College for Women (BCW). In 1950, it was granted a provisional charter
by the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and
authorized to bestow the Bachelor of Arts degree requiring a four-year course
and the Associate in Arts and Associate in Applied Science degrees for a
two-year course. In 1955 the Board of Regents granted BCW an absolute
charter with all its rights and privileges, including the authority to also hand
out the Bachelor of Science degree. As a recognized liberal arts college, it
38
played a key role in serving the educational, social, and economic needs of
the Middle East, attracting women from across the region.
In 1973, the college changed its name to Beirut University College (BUC).
And in order to honor its unique heritage as the first educational institution
for women in the region, the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World
was established that same year.
LAU Values
In both planning for its future as well as conducting its ongoing daily activities,
LAU seeks to act in a manner that is guided by a deep-rooted sense of
shared ethical values and aspirations. Built upon this foundation, Lebanese
American University:
•Draws its fundamental inspiration from the devotion of its Presbyterian
Founders to always seek the Truth, respect human dignity, promote
gender equality, and be inclusive
•Provides educational opportunities as one university with multiple
campuses, each with distinctive gifts and attributes
• Commits to academic and service excellence throughout the institution
•Demonstrates dignity and respect for and from the Board, faculty, staff
and students in word and in deed
•Celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of all members of the
LAU community
•Succeeds because its people take pride of ownership and are held
accountable for their actions
•Works together as an extended family community that reflects the highest
ethical and moral standards
•Enables individuals to find their own spiritual and personal fulfilment while
ever sensitive to the changing global village in which they live
•Promotes social connectedness of the students to the country of Lebanon;
and encourages their commitment to social justice and democracy
39
The Institute For Women’s Studies In The Arab World
(IWSAW)
LAU continues to honour its heritage as the first educational institution
for women in the Arab Middle East by maintaining IWSAW as its premier
academic institute and advancing women’s rights in the Middle East. The
institute is a driving force in core aspects of LAU’s vision, mission, and values.
This is evident in the university’s pledge of inclusivity and gender equality
in the curricula and employment practices, as well as its commitment to
providing all students from diverse backgrounds with a superior and gendersensitive liberal arts education needed for success in the 21st century.
IWSAW is the only LAU institute or centre that operates university-wide,
offering courses about women and gender across the curriculum and
engaging in interdepartmental partnerships with other university centres and
programmes to promote women’s issues and advance women’s rights on
campus and throughout the Middle East.
Mission
• Engage in academic research on women in the Arab world.
•Develop and integrate women’s studies in the Lebanese American
University curricula
•Empower women in the Arab world through development programs and
education
•Serve as a catalyst for policy changes regarding the rights of women in
the Arab world
•Facilitate networking and communication among individuals, groups, and
institutions concerned with women in the Arab world
•Extend ties with international organizations and universities working on
gender issues
40
AIWF Conference Programme Acknowledgments
The Arab International Women’s Forum wishes to acknowledge with kind
thanks and deep appreciation the valued support and special contribution
to the success of the AIWF Young Arab Women Leaders; the Voice of the
Future Conference provided by our Global Partner PricewaterhouseCoopers
Middle East.
The Arab International Women’s Forum wishes to acknowledge with kind
thanks and deep appreciation the valued support and hosting of the AIWF
Young Arab Women Leaders; the Voice of the Future Conference by the
Institute of Women’s Studies In the Arab World (IWSAW) and the Lebanese
American University.
The Arab International Women’s Forum wishes to acknowledge with thanks
and deep appreciation the valued participation of Ms Alia Ibrahim for kindly
moderating the Conference Sessions.
41
AIWF would like to acknowledge with appreciation
the valued support of AIWF Global Annual Partners
AIWF Global Corporate Benefactor Partner
AIWF Global Platinum Partners
AIWF Global Diamond Partners
AIWF Institutional Partners
AIWF Global Communications Partner
42
Notes
43
Notes
44
6th Floor, 7 Old Park Lane , London W1K IQR , United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 7788 Fax: +44 (0)20 7409 7575
Email: [email protected] www.aiwfonline.com

Young Arab Women Leaders: The Voice of the Future

Transcription

Similar documents

Frogg Toggs #1 Frogg Toggs #1 City: Arab County: Marshall

Frogg Toggs #2 Frogg Toggs #2 City: Arab County: Marshall

U.N. Partition Plan - Project Interchange

Burj al Arab

DAWLA MADANIYYA: A FUTURE FOR THE CIVIL STATE IN THE

Variety, Sept. 2012

in a Changing Arab World Green Economy in a Changing Arab World

Read the review - American University of Beirut

E-Services: The Challenges of User Experience

aramica