Dubai Women Establishment Successfully Concludes Second Edition Of Innovative Leaders Program

Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) has successfully concluded the second edition of its Innovative Leaders Program, hosted in collaboration with the distinguished Ashridge-Hult International Business School in the United Kingdom. The program was launched in 2017 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of DWE and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

16 female prominent Emirati leaders have completed the program, which was developed to support the UAE’s vision of fostering a culture of innovation across the country, by helping women to transform their leadership approach through experimental and out-of-the-box thinking. The eight-day program followed an interactive learning process – learn, disrupt, apply and integrate, through insight sessions, guest speaker presentations, organisational visits, strategic challenge projects, coaching and networking. The four key themes of the program included agile disruptive innovation leadership, creating a culture of experimentation, leading disruptive innovation processes and decision-making at pace in uncertainty.

The program was concluded with a ‘closing circle’ session attended by HE Mona Al Marri, Chairperson of the Board of DWE, Bjorn Bengtsson, President of Ashridge Executive Education Business School, and Sultana Saif, Corporate Director of Development and Research at DWE.

HH Sheikha Manal, highlighted that the UAE has made truly remarkable strides in strengthening the influence of women and their contribution to society. Today, Emirati women are highly educated, skilled and empowered partners in the development of our nation and its continued prosperity, and have the opportunities they need to grow and succeed. This is thanks to the continuous support they receive from the UAE’s wise leadership, who are committed to ensuring that Emirati women have the necessary tools to excel across all sectors and take on decision-making positions.

HH Sheikha Manal, said: “This transformative program supports the UAE’s innovation objectives, which emphasise innovation as a necessity, rather than an option, for all institutions to unlock the future and achieve new heights of success. Innovation has become such an integral part of the UAE’s vision, and a key element of government work and policies, which paves the way towards positioning the UAE as one of the world’s most innovative countries by 2021, in line with the National Innovation Strategy.”

During a speech delivered at the closing circle, HE Mona Al Marri, commented on the successful conclusion of the second Innovative Leaders Program, highlighting it as a unique initiative that places ‘disruptive innovation’ at the forefront of its approach. HE Mona Al Marri said: “The positive response to the program from female leaders and UAE institutions reflects the commitment and aspirations of Emirati women to enhance their capabilities and pursue successful careers. Having more female leaders capable of driving the UAE’s innovation culture forward supports the country’s success in all aspects and strengthens its position globally, which is why the Innovative Leaders Program was established.”