Shell UAE Celebrates Accomplishments Of Emirati Women

Shell UAE hosted an event to mark the occasion of Emirati Women’s Day and highlight the vital role that the country’s women play in leadership and empowerment.

To celebrate, Shell invited three Emirati women to speak about their accomplishments and experiences, as well as offer advice in terms of work-life balance and personal growth. The three speakers included Her Excellency Maytha Al Habsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation; Balqees Albastaki, Co-Founder and Chef of ByHB LLC, a UAE based catering business; and Aysha Binbraik, Reward Policy Adviser at Shell UAE. The event took place on September 4th, 2019 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Speaking at the event, H.E. Maytha Al Habsi, said: “I would like to congratulate our long-standing partners Shell for hosting this event, which celebrates the vital and growing role of women in our nation’s journey of progress. Women’s empowerment and advancement is not new to our nation. Our Founding Father Sheikh Zayed has always believed in women’s equal participation and shared responsibility. He encouraged the role of women in strengthening society’s economic and social sectors and widened their participation scope in the advancement of our nation, helping them to take on full responsibility and leadership roles across all sectors”

“In this, the Year of Tolerance, which celebrates inclusiveness and equality, the role of women is once again at the forefront and as we look to our youth, we have a huge responsibility not just to deliver but also to excel and become role models for the generations to come.”, Al Habsi added.

Speaking on her experience, Balqees Albastaki stated: “It’s wonderful to see organisations like Shell celebrating the achievements of Emirati women from various sectors and it’s an honour to be part of this event. I’d like to thank the management and organisers for giving me the opportunity to share my experience and hopefully inspire women from all walks of life to take a leap of faith out of their comfort zones and follow their passion”, adding that, “We are truly blessed as Emirati women to have the support of our leaders who have always made us feel that we’re actually at an advantage as opposed to being weighed down by gender or any other factors. May we all use these advantages to the betterment of our country, society and the generations to come.”

The event was organised by Shell’s Women’s Network and led by Shell’s VP and Country Chairman for the UAE, Ali Al-Janabi, who said, “Shell has been in the Emirates for 80 years, and I am constantly inspired by the UAE’s leadership when it comes to supporting women. With impressive examples in leadership like Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, who has been a pioneer in terms of women’s rights and empowerment; and examples in government, with nearly 30 percent of the UAE’s cabinet being made up of women”

“At Shell, we believe in creating an inclusive culture where our staff can thrive. In the UAE, we have Emirati women working at various parts of the organisation including Human Resources, Business Development and Communications – to name a few. An inclusive work environment is key to innovating, developing and retaining talent.”, added Al-Janabi.

The event’s attendees included representatives from Emirates Foundation, Emirates Airlines, Dubai World Trade Centre, Shell staff and their families, as well as others.