Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: The Women’s Network of Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, welcomed Her Excellency Mariam AlHammadi, Minister of State and the Secretary General of the United Arab Emirates Cabinet, to discuss the expanding role of women across the nation’s industrial sector and driving gender diversity in the UAE

EGA Women’s Network held the summit at the company’s headquarters in Al Taweelah, hosting VIP guests from participating companies as part of EGA’s Challenger programme, an initiative dedicated to promoting gender diversity across UAE industry.

This included representation from leading UAE companies such as ADNOC, DUCAB, Technic FMC, Strata Manufacturing, as well as partnership agencies, Nama and Impactiv.

The summit’s opening keynote was facilitated by Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of EGA, who touched upon the vital role of men as allies to gender equity. A panel discussion was also held exploring how women in heavy industries drive change rapidly, aligning with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Accelerate Action.’

EGA aims to have women hold 25 per cent of supervisory roles by the end of 2025, and 15 per cent of all roles by the end of 2026. Currently, women hold 23.3 per cent of supervisory roles and 9.6 per cent of all roles at the company.

EGA hired some 200 women during the past year of which110 were UAE National women. This accounted for more than half of company’s Emirati intake for the year.

The company has increased the number of women within its workforce by 131 per cent since launching its gender diversity programme, growing from 291 women in April 2022 to 673 by the end of last year. This reflected an increase in representation across the entirety of EGA’s workforce at different levels of the organisation.

Some 65 of the women joiners were in EGA’s National Training programmes, which prepare high school leavers for technical and administrative roles in the company’s industrial facilities and administration. The majority of EGA’s 2024 graduate trainee intake was also women.

H.E. Maryam AlHammadi, Minister of State and the Secretary General of the United Arab Emirates Cabinet said: “Starting my career as the first Emirati woman working in the UAE's first aluminium smelter in the former Dubai Aluminium (Dubal). I have witnessed first-hand the UAE’s remarkable transformation in gender equality. Today, Emirati women are not just participants in progress—they are leading it, shaping the future across all sectors. Our journey is built on a legacy of empowerment, visionary leadership and bold legislative reforms. Our commitment remains unwavering: investing in women is investing in a prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future for all.”

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: “EGA is a champion on gender diversity in industry because we know that diverse organisations perform better. We aim to increase women’s participation across all levels, ensuring our workplaces reflect the full talent and diversity of the UAE. By taking tangible steps, like inclusive policies and leadership development, we are accelerating progress toward a truly gender-equitable industrial sector."

EGA continues to invest in modernising its infrastructure across its operations, ensuring ample facilities are present for its ever-expanding female workforce. The implementation of awareness training and support programmes have become the foundation of EGA’s inclusion practices, leading to diverse teams operating under the vision that all can equally contribute to the growth of the organisation.

Women at EGA have successfully integrated themselves across several traditionally male-dominated areas — from holding junior roles on the shop floor to fully-fledged fire fighters operating with EGA’s emergency response teams.

During the seminar, EGA highlighted the latest development from ‘Break the Mould’, an initiative which aims to inspire young women with an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to follow in the footsteps of pioneering women who have contributed significantly to the UAE’s industrial sector.

In 2023, EGA launched the Challenger Programme, bringing together leading industrial companies to promote gender diversity in industry by addressing shared practical challenges.

Since its inception, the initiative has advanced research examining the participation of women in STEM-related industries. Women in STEM fields within the global industrial workforce stand at 28.2 per cent with the greatest representation in utilities, oil, gas and mining, and infrastructure.

In the UAE, 56 per cent of UAE government university graduates in STEM are women representing a strong talent pool for heavy industries.

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Contacts at EGA:
Theodora Gabrah
tgabrah@ega.ae

About EGA

Since 1975, when it was founded as Dubai Aluminium by His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates Global Aluminium has been innovating aluminium to make modern life possible.

Today EGA is the world’s biggest ‘premium aluminium’ producer and the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside the oil and gas industry.

EGA is equally-owned by Mubadala Investment Company of Abu Dhabi and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. It is the largest company jointly owned by the two Emirates.

EGA is an integrated aluminium producer, with operations on four continents from bauxite mining to the production of cast primary aluminium and recycling. EGA operates aluminium smelters in Jebel Ali and Al Taweelah in the United Arab Emirates, an alumina refinery in Al Taweelah, a bauxite mine and associated export facilities in the Republic of Guinea, a speciality foundry in high strength recycled aluminium in Germany, and a recycling plant in the United States.

EGA’s aluminium is the second largest made-in-the UAE export after oil and gas. In 2023, EGA sold 2.75 million tonnes of cast metal. EGA is the only UAE producer and makes the UAE the fifth largest aluminium producing nation in the world.

EGA has more than 400 customers in over 50 countries. In 2023, value-added products accounted for 76 per cent of EGA’s cast metal sales.

EGA’s aluminium is primarily used in the construction, automotive, packaging, aerospace and electronics industries.

Around 10 per cent of EGA’s aluminium production is sold in the UAE to around 26 downstream aluminium companies that make products with EGA’s aluminium. The growing broader aluminium sector in the UAE supports more than 57,000 jobs. EGA itself employs over 7,000 of these people including more than 1,300 UAE Nationals.

EGA has focused on technology development for over 30 years. EGA has used its own technology for every smelter expansion since the 1990s and has retrofitted all its older production lines. In 2016 EGA became the first UAE industrial company to licence its core industrial process technology internationally.

As a corporate citizen of the UAE, EGA aspires in all its operations to be measured amongst the world’s leading metals and mining companies in meeting its environmental and social responsibilities.

In 2017, EGA became the first Middle East headquartered company to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative, a global programme to foster greater sustainability and transparency in the aluminium industry. In 2019, EGA’s Al Taweelah site became the first in the Middle East to receive certification from ASI for its sustainability practices and performance. EGA’s Jebel Ali site was certified in 2021. EGA’s bauxite mining subsidiary, Guinea Alumina Corporation, achieved the first Press Release

ASI certification in Guinea in 2023. Al Taweelah alumina refinery was certified later in 2023. EGA’s German speciality foundry was certified in 2023, before its acquisition by EGA.

In 2021, EGA began production of CelestiAL solar aluminium, produced with solar power from the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park on the outskirts of Dubai. EGA is the first company in the world to make aluminium commercially using the power of the sun.

EGA was formed in 2014 through the merger of Dubai Aluminium and Emirates Aluminium.

EGA’s Jebel Ali aluminium smelter began production as DUBAL in 1979. At almost five square kilometres, this site is five times bigger than Dubai Mall.

EMAL started production in 2009 and its Al Taweelah aluminium smelter was the largest single-site aluminium smelter in the world when completed. EGA’s Al Taweelah site is five times bigger than Al Maryah Island at six square kilometres.

EGA has its own power stations at both sites in the UAE, producing electricity to meet its needs.

EGA’s electricity generation capacity is 6,474 megawatts, making EGA the third largest electricity generator in the UAE after the Dubai and Abu Dhabi utilities. EGA also produces water through desalination units at its power plants.

EGA began production at Al Taweelah alumina refinery in April 2019. EGA’s alumina refinery is the first in the UAE and only the second in the Middle East. The project reduces the UAE’s dependence on imported alumina and supplies over 48 per cent of EGA’s needs.

Bauxite exports from Guinea Alumina Corporation, EGA’s wholly-owned subsidiary in Guinea, began in August 2019. The GAC project was one of the largest greenfield investments in Guinea in over 40 years.

For more information on EGA please visit www.ega.ae