In co-operation with the Dubai Quality Group (DQG), the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council (ADBWC) organized a workshop on the Emirates Women Award entitled “Empowered: You can Excel”.
In a speech delivered at the very outset of the event’s activities, Mrs. ‘Azza Al Qubaisi, Deputy Chairperson of the ADBWC Executive Board (EB), stressed the importance of holding such an orientation session on the Emirates Women Award, which comes within the framework of joint co-operation between the ADBWC and the DQG so as to enlighten women in Abu Dhabi on the award and its role in appreciating and recognizing women’s active role and contribution to the UAE society, as well as on honouring ladies who excel and have the lead in the various fields of their own businesses in a manner that would help enhance women’s role in the all-out socio-economic development process in our country.
Mrs. Al Qubaisi also introduced an overview in the course of the session on the ADBWC which has since its inception – thanks to the limitless support provided by President HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and General HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, besides the non-stop care taken of the ADBWC by HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union and Honorary Chairperson of the ADBWC – shouldered the responsibility of sponsoring UAE women based in Abu Dhabi by means of bringing their role to bear in the overall economic development movement in the UAE, and of addressing problems and difficulties being encountered and faced by the march of UAE businesswomen, especially those desirous of both engaging in business and services activities and joining the field of free, self-employed businesses in the emirate.
“The ADBWC has over the past period managed to materialize a package of achievements and programmes and developed a plan catering for Abu Dhabi-based businesswomen’s ambitions and helping encourage women-nationals to enter into the field of setting up freelance businesses. This has contributed to increasing the number of businesswomen registered in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi late in 2010 up to 4624 ones. Similarly, the number of Mubdi’ah Progrmme licence-holders has by the end of last year gone up to 1386 licences. The ADBWC has dwelt on providing the necessary support to all of them and on expanding their networking with their counterparts in different regions of the world, chiefly in countries with superior and successful experience in this respect,” Mrs. Al Qubaisi noted, voicing the ADBWC’s appreciation to both the DQG and the Emirates Award for Women and affirming the Council’s full commitment to harness its assets and potential to make the session and all activities associated with the Emirates Award for Women a success.
“As the main supporter and sponsor of such an award which is highly respected and appreciated by the UAE economic community, the ADBWC is going to fully back up the Award, mobilizing all its capabilities to help it and its activities succeed,” she underlined.
For her own part, Ms. Samya Al Yusuf, DQG Executive Director, maintained that the “Emirates Women Award” has been established “in recognition of women’s active role in the UAE society and in its future growth, for women have attained a high position in the Emirati community thanks to the wise leadership and the sublime orientations urging women to exert their efforts towards the realization of a lofty standing in various fields of business. In line with such a sound vision, the Award honours women who have excelled in their businesses and proved to be outstanding in their fields. Likewise, it presents the highest example for demonstrating women’s latent potential”.
“The Emirates Women Award would help highlight contributions being made in the field of business by businesswomen and professional ones, including nationals and expatriates residing in the UAE. Such contributions have turned out to be clear, tangible, continuously developing and bearing positive fruits in society via these women’s innovative ideas within submitted economic projects or within the domain of their professional career coupled with their aspirations to achieve success and excellence for which the sky is the limit,” Ms. Al Yusuf said in a detailed presentation given at the workshop on the Award which was organized at the premises of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ADCCI), adding that “Women are in need of some special instructions on how to plan for development and how to improve their practical skills and performance. This can come true through attending relevant workshops and conference, joining training courses, making contributions to related fields, as well as through their memberships to professional entities”.
“Women should enjoy a courageous, daring spirit devoid of being afraid of failure out of which success would be born. In addition, they have to make repeated attempts at being a would-be winner and to pursue consecutive steps of perseverance and personal efforts,” she noted, saying that “In recognition of women’s part as a role-model and an example to be followed, a number of leading UAE-wide figures has over past years been hounoured, including HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Honorary Chairperson of the ADBWC and “Mother of the UAE,” the wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum HH Sheikha Hind Bint Maktoum Bin Jumaa Al Maktoum, the wife of HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, HH Sheikha Jawwaher Bint Mohammed Al Qassimi, the wife of HH the Vice-president, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Princess Haiya Bint Al Hussein, and the wife of HH Sheikh Hameed Bin Rashed Al Nuaimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ajman, Sheikha Fatima Bint Zayed Bin Saqer Al Nahyan,” she said, reviewing the initial commencement of the Award which was launched in 2003 and sponsored by Shell and its success year after year and the withdrawal of Shell in 2008. Then, it took off to express itself in a new vogue and to continue its successes.
“An applicant for the Award should demonstrate her ability to take part in developing an organizational structure and management systems that would reflect the values and realize the vision specifying her role in designing her business and management systems so as to cater for the criteria and benchmarks of the best practices in the relevant environment, including corporate governance, her ability to adapt her personal style or the objectives of her business to accommodate the changing requirements in the practical set-up and surroundings, her punctual follow-up of such objectives, in addition to how to strike a balance between practical and professional commitments and personal obligations. The applicant should also make clear her being capable of understanding the needs of her customers, suppliers and partners, as well as of making an active contribution to the improvement of performance and productivity, not to mention her formal appreciation for efforts being exerted and contributions made by her staff and colleagues at the business,” she pointed out, explaining that the strategic and financial planning criterion is of paramount importance as the applicant should be in possession of a 3-year-long strategic plan for her own business or career. It might cover budget-related financial objectives and plans for reducing cost, increasing profits and effectively managing the resources. By the same token, the applicant has to illustrate how her strategy can actively generate the desired results and objectives by means of introducing and establishing ways for increasing the income and measures for saving costs throughout the year to come.
Moreover, she addressed the criterion on job achievements since the applicant has to make mention of the most salient ones through appropriate policies besides customers’ remarks and feedback and; accordingly, of the improvement of the quality of services, products or output of her own business. “The social contributions and innovation-specific standard is also important,” she noted.
Mrs. Salawa Al Shaibany, a businesswoman and winner of the Emirates Women Award at one of its previous rounds, presented her experience in the business sector, successes made by her and companies she ran. The presentation was entitled “The Road to Success”.