Female Emirati pioneers to take centre stage at unique diversity event in recognition of Emirati womens day

British Business Group Dubai & Northern Emirates hosts inspirational panel to discuss strategies for gender balance & talent management in the UAE

Dubai, UAE: The British Business Group Dubai & Northern Emirates invites the business community – male and female, member and non-member alike - to join them in celebrating Emirati Women’s Day on Tuesday 28^th August at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, with a diverse panel of successful Emirati women, including:

• Amna Al Owais, CEO, DIFC Courts
• Lubna Qassim, global lawyer & one of the top 50 influencers in the Arab World
• Sheikha Al Maskari, Chief Innovation Officer, UAE Space Agency
• Maria Al Qassim, Public policy consultant & commentator

This inspirational panel will discuss recommendations for achieving greater gender balance in the UAE and advice for attracting and retaining the best female Emirati talent, as well as sharing inspiration and celebrating the accomplishments and successes of women across the UAE.

This year will be the fourth Emirati Women’s Day since its inception by HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak in 2015, marking the launch of the General Women’s Union on 28th August 1975. The theme for 2018 is ‘Women on the Course of Zayed’ as a mark of respect to the founding father of the UAE, whose support and guidance empowered women across the country to advance and achieve their full potential.

Lubna Qassim, Director of UAE Alliances at BBG Dubai & Northern Emirates, and chair of the event, commented “I was so excited when our Mother of Nation, Sheikha Fatma bint Mubarak, announced that this year’s Emirati Women’s Day will carry the theme of ‘Women on the course of Zayed.’ We at the British Business Group were inspired and honoured to celebrate this theme with amazing women from law, space, policy and sports.

“Emirati women have achieved so much, and I would assert again and again that this is because of the solid infrastructure that our leadership has built to enable us to flourish. In the words of the late Sheikh Zayed - one of my favourite and unforgettable quotes, which inspires me to do everything with excellence:

‘A woman constitutes half the society and keeps the house. A country aspiring to build itself should not keep a woman in the darkness of illiteracy and a prisoner to the shackles of oppression’”

The event, organised by the British Business Group Dubai & Northern Emirates, will take place at Jumeirah Emirates Towers from 10.30am-12.30pm on Tuesday 28th August and will include an Arabic-themed breakfast. In the spirit of diversity and inclusion, invitations are open to all, men and women, members and non-members. Tickets are priced at AED 125 for BBG Dubai members, and AED 262 for non-members.

For more information about the speakers and event, and to register for your place, please visit www.bbgdubai.org or email info@bbgdxb.com

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About the speakers:

Amna Al Owais, CEO, DIFC Courts
Amna joined the DIFC Courts in 2006 and became the Chief Executive and Registrar in 2017 and Deputy Chief Executive of the Dispute Resolution Authority in 2014. Previous to her employment at the DIFC Courts, she practiced as a lawyer in the litigation department with Hadef Al Dhahiri and Associates. In addition to her role as Chief Executive and Registrar of DIFC Courts Amna is also Registrar of the Special Tribunal Related to Dubai World, Chairwoman of the DIFC Courts’ Users’ Committee and a member of the Consulting Council for the University of Sharjah College of Law.

In 2014, after an extensive selection process Amna was selected to join the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Leadership Development – the Young Leaders category and in the same year, appointed to the Advisory Board of the International Bar Association’s Access to Justice and Legal Aid Committee. Amna has played a key part in the establishment and development of the DIFC Courts and creation of the Dispute Resolution Authority in 2014. She also spearheaded the establishment of the DIFC Courts’ Pro Bono Programme, launched in 2009, which is the first scheme of its kind in the Middle East. In 2011 Amna was recognised by the International Bar Association as one of the Top 3 young lawyers in the world and was listed in the Top 50 Most Influential Women in the Arab World and in the Top 100 Influential People Helping to Shape the Emirate of Dubai by Arabian Business in 2018.

Lubna Qassim, Director of UAE Alliances, BBG Dubai & Northern Emirates
Lubna Qassim is a leading global lawyer, strategist and a strong advocate of governance and diversity & inclusion in the work place.

She built and led one of the best in-house legal teams in the Middle East as elected by The Legal 500 in 2016 and was also elected in 2017 as one of the best GC’s in the Middle East by Legal500 in her capacity as a Chief General Counsel for one of the largest financial institutions in the UAE.

She holds a Hons LLB from Brunel University in the UK and also Post Graduation Diploma from Leeds University and a Diploma in International relations from GeorgeTownUniversity, Washington DC.
 
Born in the UAE, Lubna grew up between Dubai, Singapore and London. She speaks fluently in 5 languages.She is the founding chair of the Gulf Cooperation Council’s chapter of the 30% Club, and was recently named as one of the 50 most influential females in the Arab World by Arabian Business magazine.

Sheikha Al Maskari, Chief Innovation Officer, UAE Space Agency
Sheikha Al Maskari is the Chief Innovation Officer for the UAE Space Agency and has been working at the organisation since its inception in 2014. Previous to her current role, Sheikha was Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Abu Dhabi Airports (ADAC).

Sheikha is founder of Qiyadiyat, a platform for supporting, developing and showcasing the talents of working Emirati females, which helps them enhance their skills and capabilities to hold leadership positions. She is also part of the Kafaar team, mentoring young Emiratis, and is a pubic speaker at universities and schools.

Sheikha holds a diploma in Innovation from the University of Cambridge, an MBA in Strategic Public Relations from Zayed University and a Bachelors in Business Information Technology from the Higher Colleges of Technology.

Sheikha is a writer contributing articles for Al Bayan, Gulf News and Hattlan Post. She is also a social media influencer in the United Arab Emirates since 2008. In her spare time, Sheikha enjoys mentoring and coaching youths in the UAE.

Maria Al Qassim, Public policy consultant & commentator
Maria Hanif Al Qassim is an Emirati woman who writes on development, gender and social issues.

Amal Murad, Parkour instructor
In addition to being a Nike Ambassador and the first Emirati all-ladies parkour instructor, Amal is a personal trainer, calisthenics instructor and coach. Her classes demonstrate the fundamentals of the freestyle sport that involves controlling movement, running, climbing, flipping and vaulting over obstacles. To Amal, Parkour is a form of expression and the way one flows through movement. Aside from the physical, she helps her students build confidence to overcome their fears. Slowly through learning this sport, people start realizing that the obstacles they are overcoming are the mental blocks they have set for themselves more than the physical ones they are climbing. As the first female Emirati Parkour trainer, her aim is to inspire more people to discover what their minds and bodies are capable of and how much they can achieve when they set their minds to something greater than themselves.  

About the BBG Dubai & Northern Emirates
The BBG Dubai & Northern Emirates is the region's foremost business-to-business membership networking group, which enables like-minded professionals to further their business interests in the UAE and the wider region.

Founded in 1987, the Group celebrated 30 years of operation in October 2017.

Media contact: Samantha Dancy
sam@footstepcommunications.com
055 5711006

© Press Release 2018