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IBBC, AMAR Foundation and Arab International Women’s Forum  are delighted to invite you to a panel discussion on the subject of ‘Unlocking the MENA’s full economic potential’: Gender equality at home and at work, with particular emphasis on the role of women and how they can contribute more to MENA’s potential.

 

LIVE WEBINAR (ZOOM)
TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2020
14:00 – 15:00 BRITISH SUMMER TIME

 

Distinguished and expert guests include:

Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder & Chairman of the Arab International Women’s Forum

Bio: Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani is a Development Economist recognised in Arab and international government, private sector and NGO circles as a high-impact change agent focussed on women’s leadership and youth empowerment, working for progress, peace and prosperity in the Arab region and internationally. Mrs Al Kaylani’s work for the last two decades has centred on economic empowerment for women and youth, having founded AIWF in 2001 as a development organisation supporting women’s leadership in social and economic growth in the MENA region and globally. She is a Fellow of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative 2017, and a Commissioner of the ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work. She is a Board Member of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in London, a Director of the East-West Institute in New York, and a Member of the Women’s Leadership Board at Harvard. She has received numerous regional and global awards for her exceptional efforts to enable and advance women and youth through education and economic engagement in the MENA region and beyond.

HE Hala Bsaisu Lattouf, Former Minister of Social Development, Jordan

Bio: Hala Lattouf has over 20 years of experience in development and public sector work; She was appointed as a Minister of Social Development for Jordan for the first time in 2007, where she served for over three years; she rejoined the Government again in 2016, serving till the end 2017. Ms Lattouf chaired the Social Development and Employment Committee in the Senate, where she was appointed as a Senator. She held several posts with the Jordanian Government starting at the Ministry of Tourism; she was appointed Secretary-General for the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Ministry for Public Sector Reform. Ms Lattouf was held the post of the Office Director for Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah; and worked with UNDP as head of the Poverty and Gender Teams and with the World Bank as a Project Director for a Tourism Project.  Ms Lattouf obtained her experience regionally working as the Executive Director for World Links Arab Region (WLAR), providing specifically-tailored educational programs for youth in Syria, Jordan, Yemen, Egypt, and Palestine (West Bank and Gaza). Ms Lattouf started her career working in the banking sector. Ms Lattouf currently serves on the Central Bank of Jordan Board of Directors, Board of Trustees for the Royal Society of Fine Arts, the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies as well as Board member for the Jordan Deposit Insurance Cooperation. She helped establish a local women empowerment NGO that provides scholarships for young Jordanian women to continue their higher education (JEWELS). She is also a founding member of the International Women Forum (IWF) chapter in Jordan. Ms Lattouf holds a Master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), London (full Chevening Scholarship).

Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, President of IBBC and founder and chair of the AMAR Foundation.

Bio: Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne is the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for the Federal Republic of Iraq and President of the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC). She is also the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. She is a member of the Association of Conservative Peers and sits on the government benches in the House of Lords, where she is co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Foreign Affairs and the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Baroness Nicholson was elected as a member of parliament for four terms of office, first to the House of Commons and second to the European Parliament. Her interests lie in foreign affairs, human rights, and defence and security.

She has been awarded seven honorary doctorates from universities in the UK, USA and Romania.

Hadeel Hasan : CEO and owner of Hadeel Al Hasan leading Iraqi law firm in Baghdad and Executive Committee member of IBBC

Bio: A woman who considered government employment to be too limited for her potential, no challenge would stand in her way to build one of the top law firms in Iraq and the region, while raising her two children on her own to become strong, successful, and independent. From daring to quit a steady job to get her second degree in law to refusing her family’s financial support after her husband’s untimely death, to persevering through a military invasion and a civil war, Hadeel’s achievement is a living proof that the combination of dedication, ambition, and vision is indeed the stuff dreams are made of.

Caroline Fattal, Board Member, Fattal Group, Lebanon

Bio: Caroline combines 25 years corporate business experience with the skills of a certified professional business coach. Her experience as Exco member of Unilever Levant & board member of her family business, Fattal Group, makes her aware of challenges facing shareholders, board chairs, board members and senior executives. She completed accreditations with both the Mudara/Institute of Directors & the Institut Francais des Administrateurs to become among the first female certified board directors in the region. Caroline is a sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator on the topic of family business, and women’s leadership at the board level — how to get there and how best to contribute. Since 2014 up to 2020, she has been repeatedly recognized by the magazine Forbes Middle East as one of the “100 Most Powerful Arab Women in Business”.

Caroline is an angel investor in the first Lebanese Women Angel Fund and a formal mentor for both women entrepreneurs & corporate leaders. She is the founder of “Stand For Women”, an NGO advocating for women empowerment and gender equality in the MENA region. The 2 pillars of her advocacy are around championing sisterhood and changing the face of the workforce to include more women participation at all the corporate echelons. Following the Beirut explosion, she launched the “Marion Fund” an initiative to assist women-owned SMEs affected by the blast to go back to business. Having lived & worked in France, Argentina and the UAE, she is now based in Lebanon, married & a mother of 4 lovely kids.

 

Moderator:

Ashley Goodall, Marketing Adviser, IBBC

 

Key Themes include:

1. How are Arab women balancing professional and or careers while also bringing up a family?

2. What are the challenges and how do people overcome them?

3. What can we learn from successful business and working women?

4. How can we achieve change (especially with male attitudes)?

5. What could gender diversity policy change in the workplace mean for women seeking better career / family balance?

6. Why is it important to reform gender-neutral parental leave policies and other gender-specific workplace policies towards encouraging wider cultural shifts in the region?

7. What is the evidence that relieving women of the disproportionate burden of family / children / care responsibilities will have a positive impact on economic performance (based on ILO, World Bank and OECD research)?

 

The Arab International Women’s Forum is a well respected and recognised network of successful women dedicated  to support and enhance the role of women in the social and economic development of their countries and across the Middle East region.

IBBC women’s group are open to members and interested business women to join.

 

Please let our London team know if you or any colleagues wish to attend and please find the registration link below:

 

Register in advance for this webinar here

 


Please note that Chatham House Rules will apply for this discussion. Please register your interest in attending this live webinar by following the above link. We would encourage you to register as soon as possible; once you have done so, please await your confirmation email. If you have any questions during the registration process please do not hesitate to contact the IBBC Team at [email protected]