Latest news with #BGI
Khaleej Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Widening financial literacy for women of colour in the UAE
Injeel Moti is a woman on mission. Hailing from a typical South Asian household, she has seen that how money was a taboo topic. 'Most financial education platforms didn't speak to us, our cultural nuances, or our unique challenges,' Moti, founder and community lead at Brown Girls Invest, said. Excerpts from an interview: 1. What inspired the creation of Brown Girls Invest, and what gap did you see in the financial education space? I started Brown Girls Invest because I realized how few conversations women especially women of colour in our region are having about money. Growing up in a South Asian household in GCC, money felt like a taboo topic, and most financial education platforms didn't speak to us, our cultural nuances, or our unique challenges. BGI was born to change that, to create a safe, relatable space where women can learn, ask questions freely, and build financial confidence without judgment. 2. How do you define success for BGI over the next three years? For me, success isn't just about numbers—it's about impact. If, in three years, we can look back and see hundreds of women who've started investing, negotiated better financial terms for themselves, or simply feel more confident managing their money, that's success. We also want to grow BGI into a recognized, trusted community for women across the Middle East. Our debut event in late June was a huge step in that direction, it brought together an incredible group of women, from their early 20s to their 60s. The energy in the room was electric: the curiosity to learn, the willingness to share, and the collective ambition to grow financial knowledge was exactly the kind of encouragement I needed. It's moments like that which motivate me even more to keep building this community. 3. How is BGI's model different from other financial literacy platforms? What sets us apart is our community-first approach. BGI is not just a course or a workshop—it's a space where women can talk openly about money, share experiences, and learn in a way that feels approachable and culturally relevant. Our sessions are designed to be jargon-free, beginner-friendly, and tailored to women in this region, which you don't often see in global financial platforms. 4. Are you open to collaborations with corporates or financial institutions? If so, what would an ideal partnership look like? Absolutely. Partnerships are key to making financial education more accessible. The ideal collaboration would be with brands or financial institutions that genuinely care about empowering women—whether that's through sponsoring our workshops, providing expert speakers, or even developing tailored financial products designed for women. It has to feel authentic, not just a tick-box CSR exercise. We're also actively exploring partnerships with co-working spaces and incubators, as many young and first-time founders operate out of these hubs. They are very much part of our target audience and could benefit immensely from the knowledge and support the BGI community provides. Additionally, we aim to work closely with women-centric community groups & universities across the region to reach and engage even more women who can benefit from financial education and collective learning. 5. How do you fund your programmes, and are you looking for sponsorship or investment? Right now, we're primarily self-funded, and some of our programmes are supported through paid workshops. But yes, we're actively looking at sponsorships and impact-driven investment partners who share our vision. Funding will help us scale faster, create better resources, and make our programs more accessible, especially for women who can't afford expensive financial courses. 6. What are the biggest opportunities you see for growth and scale across the Middle East? The appetite for financial literacy is growing, especially among young women. There's a huge opportunity to expand into other emirates within UAE and GCC where resources are scarce, partner with fintech platforms to make investing simpler, and even create Arabic-language content for wider reach. The Middle East is at a tipping point for women-led financial conversations, and BGI wants to be at the heart of it. 7. What are your plans for the next five years? In five years, I want BGI to be the go-to financial education community for women in the region, with chapters across the GCC, a robust online learning platform, and mentorship programmes connecting women to financial experts. We're also exploring certifications and partnerships with schools and universities to start financial education earlier. 8. How can one get involved with BGI? There are so many ways! You can attend our workshops, join our WhatsApp community, sign up for our courses that are set to launch in September this year, or even volunteer as a mentor or speaker if you have expertise to share. As we are still in the building phase, we're always open to collaborations with like-minded brands and individuals who believe in financial empowerment for women.
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Abu Dhabi's ADNOC plans to transfer 24.9% stake in OMV to XRG unit
DUBAI, July 16 (Reuters) - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said on Wednesday it plans to transfer its 24.9% shareholding in Austria's OMV AG ( opens new tab to its XRG investment unit ahead of the establishment of a chemicals company combining existing OMV and ADNOC firms. ADNOC last year bought a 24.9% stake in OMV from Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, without disclosing the financial terms. Earlier this year, ADNOC and OMV agreed to merge their polyolefin businesses to create a chemicals company with a $60 billion enterprise value. The merged entity, Borouge Group International (BGI), is set to be the world's fourth-largest polyolefins firm by production capacity, behind China's Sinopec and CNPC and U.S.-based ExxonMobil (XOM.N), opens new tab, ADNOC Downstream CEO Khaled Salmeen told Reuters in March. BGI will combine two joint ventures - Borealis, 75% owned by OMV and 25% by ADNOC, and Borouge ( opens new tab, 54% owned by ADNOC and 36% by Borealis, the company announced in March. In its statement on Wednesday, ADNOC said it is progressing with preparation for the proposed establishment of BGI. ADNOC's proposed 46.94% shareholding in BGI is expected to be held by XRG upon completion of the transaction, subject to regulatory approvals, the statement said.
RNZ News
06-07-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Alternative education rule change would change lives
Former alternative education student Hayley-Jane with her former teachers Rose McIlhone and Nathaniel Hakeagaiki. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen Tutors and teachers at last-chance education programmes say allowing them to keep struggling secondary students beyond the age of 16 would have a life-changing impact. Alternative education programmes enrol about 2000 teenagers a year who are at risk of disengaging from school, or already have disengaged. At a recent seminar in Wellington, their staff told RNZ they had seen a big increase in enrolments by girls and young teens in recent years. They also warned warn that intermediate-age school children increasingly needed their services too. The programmes provided small-group tutoring, but staff said most students were not ready to learn until they had worked through social and mental issues, a process that could take months. Philo Heka is the manager of Koraunui in Stokes Valley, one of just two marae-based alt ed providers in the country. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen Former alternative education student Hayley-Jane said it had a huge impact on her life and on many of the other students she was with. But she had to leave when she turned 16. One of her former teachers Rose McIlhone - now an English teacher at Te Whare Taiohi, the alt ed programme run by the BGI boys and girls institute in Wellington - said the schemes would make an even bigger difference if they could keep students beyond the age of 16. "I think it would be huge. I think we need a year to build those relationships and then following that a year to do some real learning and help them connect to what comes next," she said. She said students arrived with complex needs and they increasingly seemed to have disengaged with learning earlier in their schooling. "Sometimes they come with mental health concerns, lots of trauma, but perhaps now there's bigger gaps in their learning and they may be disengaged from school at a younger age, so it starts happening at intermediate," she said. Jo Maunder is the head teacher at RLC alternative education in Wainuiomata. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen RLC alternative education in Wainuiomata head teacher Jo Maunder said when she started in the field 25 years ago, 90 percent of the students were boys. "But now we have almost half-and-half boys and girls, so there's been a lot more girls coming in to alternative ed in the last, I would say, 10 years. Big change in the mental health needs of our students, huge change in that, and also quite a big change in the amount of letters after their names. We've got ADH, ADD, ODD," she said. Maunder said she was also seeing more students in the younger age groups. "The students are getting younger and younger. We're actually only funded for three years from when the turn 13 to when they turn 16 but obviously when you end up in high school you're 12 so yeah, we are getting 12-year-olds," she said. Maunder said every alternative education provider should be funded to employ a registered teacher. "We are the last stop for students for formal education in New Zealand and our funding is so low that we can't even afford to hire teachers," she said. Philo Heka - the manager of Koraunui in Stokes Valley, one of just two marae-based alt ed providers in the country - said students should be able to choose to enrol in alternative education instead "It should be open to all young people who need that time out from school. I think if kids have a bit of time out, re-set, re-focus, things might be a little bit easier for them," she said. Lloyd Martin says three-quarters of the students engaging in alternative education did not return to regular secondary school. Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen Lloyd Martin had been involved with alternative education for many years and recently completed doctoral research on it. He said the biggest change the sector needed was agreement on its purpose. "To get there, you have to fail in the school system. Perhaps a better pathway would be to recognise who needs to be there," he said. "There's 1800 places funded I think from memory. There's a lot more than 1800 kids who are missing school and need a better environment and why should you have to fail to get there." Martin said alternative education was officially regarded as something that fixed kids so they could return to regular secondary school, but three-quarters of its students did not return to school. "There is a group of kids often because of adversity and the stuff that's happened in their lives who just need a different environment to learn in. If they were from wealthy families, their parents would put them in a Steiner school or something like that," he said. Martin said schools now recognised the effects of neurodiversity on students, but they had not yet recognised the effects of trauma and adversity. "If we asked what do these kids need we would end up with a different model of funding," he said. Martin said more spending on alternative education would be a good investment for society. "It's probably a lot cheaper doing something when they're 14 than when they're 21 and in the justice system or stuck in the welfare system," he said. "If we could break some of those trajectories, shift some of them, we could save money in the longer term and be more humane in the process." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
19-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Brian Gaynor Initiative Key In Investigative Journalism Award Win
Press Release – Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar … The Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative congratulates Jonathan Milne, managing editor of Newsroom Pro, for his success at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards. Last year, Jonathan was the inaugural recipient of funding for investigative business journalism from BGI. The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg – about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar supplements company AG1. On Friday night, Jonathan Milne and Powder Keg won Business Journalist of the Year and Best Original Podcast or Series, as well as being a finalist in the Best Investigation category at the News Publishers' Association-run awards. 'I'd been wanting to tell the story of Chris Ashenden and AG1 for months, but high-quality audio-visual storytelling isn't cheap and resources are tight across the media,' Jonathan says. 'I'd all but given up, then the Brian Gaynor Initiative announced its business journalism funding. 'This was like no journalism grant I'd seen before. A high-trust model gave Newsroom the freedom and flexibility to go where the story led us. As our investigations revealed a far bigger story than we'd imagined, we realised that to track down Ashenden, we'd need to go to Colombia, and then Mexico. BGI trusted us, and backed us, and dug still deeper. 'The story simply wouldn't have happened without that support.' Anna Gibbons, Brian Gaynor's wife and BGI chair, says he would have been delighted an investigative piece that without funding would not have been possible, had won at the Voyagers. 'This is tangible evidence of the success of our goal – to support important business stories being told.' BGI recently changed its funding process for investigative projects so they can now be submitted throughout the year. 'We believe this is more in keeping with the nature of journalism as it's practised. We want journalists who come across a potentially substantial investigation to be able to apply when the opportunity arises,' Anna says.
Scoop
18-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Brian Gaynor Initiative Key In Investigative Journalism Award Win
The Brian Gaynor Business Journalism Initiative congratulates Jonathan Milne, managing editor of Newsroom Pro, for his success at the 2025 Voyager Media Awards. Last year, Jonathan was the inaugural recipient of funding for investigative business journalism from BGI. The award, established to honour long-time broker, analyst and business columnist Brian Gaynor, provided financial help allowing Jonathan to research, write and produce his podcast series Powder Keg – about New Zealander Chris Ashenden and his billion-dollar supplements company AG1. On Friday night, Jonathan Milne and Powder Keg won Business Journalist of the Year and Best Original Podcast or Series, as well as being a finalist in the Best Investigation category at the News Publishers' Association-run awards. 'I'd been wanting to tell the story of Chris Ashenden and AG1 for months, but high-quality audio-visual storytelling isn't cheap and resources are tight across the media,' Jonathan says. 'I'd all but given up, then the Brian Gaynor Initiative announced its business journalism funding. 'This was like no journalism grant I'd seen before. A high-trust model gave Newsroom the freedom and flexibility to go where the story led us. As our investigations revealed a far bigger story than we'd imagined, we realised that to track down Ashenden, we'd need to go to Colombia, and then Mexico. BGI trusted us, and backed us, and dug still deeper. 'The story simply wouldn't have happened without that support.' Anna Gibbons, Brian Gaynor's wife and BGI chair, says he would have been delighted an investigative piece that without funding would not have been possible, had won at the Voyagers. 'This is tangible evidence of the success of our goal – to support important business stories being told.' BGI recently changed its funding process for investigative projects so they can now be submitted throughout the year. 'We believe this is more in keeping with the nature of journalism as it's practised. We want journalists who come across a potentially substantial investigation to be able to apply when the opportunity arises,' Anna says.
