Latest news with #female leadership
Zawya
22-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Emirates NBD signs UN Women's Empowerment Principles, reinforcing commitment to women's leadership
Dubai, UAE: Emirates NBD, a leading banking group in the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye (MENAT) region, has officially signed the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) further affirming its commitment to advancing female empowerment and leadership. Emirates NBD's long-term goal is to ensure that 25% of all leadership positions are held by women by 2027. This pledge follows a series of strategic initiatives that aim at accelerating gender equality while maintaining global standards for female representation across its workforce. Shayne Nelson, Group CEO at Emirates NBD, said: 'Signing the UN Women's Empowerment Principles provides further momentum to the impressive efforts we have undertaken here at Emirates NBD to champion women in the workplace. Empowering women at every level of Emirates NBD is something we are deeply committed to. Looking forward, we will continue to accelerate our action to increase female leadership, achieve gender equality at all levels and encourage more women to pursue careers in banking.' Dr. Mouza Al Shehhi, Director of the UN Women GCC Liaison Office, commented: 'We are delighted to welcome Emirates NBD as a signatory to the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs). This commitment reflects the Bank's dedication to advancing gender equality and fostering an inclusive workplace culture. Importantly, it mirrors a strong shift nationwide toward embedding gender parity within its national development agenda. As the UAE accelerates its journey towards a knowledge-based and sustainable economy, empowering women across all sectors is not just a social imperative, it is a strategic enabler of innovation, resilience, and long-term prosperity. We look forward to supporting Emirates NBD in implementing the WEPs framework and continuing its journey towards empowering women across all levels of the organisation.' Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Emirates NBD, said: 'By signing the UN Women's Empowerment Principles, we demonstrate our dedication to advancing gender equality, particularly our goal of ensuring that 25% of leadership roles are held by women by 2027. Our initiatives, including an expanded maternity policy, flexible working arrangements, and the Career Comeback Programme, are designed to create an inclusive environment where women can thrive and reach their full potential. We are already seeing positive outcomes, with women representing over 40% of our global workforce. This exceeds global benchmarks, and we will continue to invest in initiatives that foster female leadership.' Vijay Bains, Chief Sustainability Officer and Group Head of ESG at Emirates NBD, commented: 'Women represent half of the world population and investing in their empowerment plays a huge role in advancing gender equality and inclusive economic growth. As a key participant in the economic ecosystem, banks have immense influence in making a change towards women empowerment. At Emirates NBD, we are proud to act as an agent that enables employment and share of voice of women in the community. We strongly believe that when women have access to resources and opportunities, they can positively influence societal development.' To support female empowerment and leadership, Emirates NBD has introduced a variety of pioneering initiatives, including: Expanding its maternity policy and introducing paternity and adoption leave Offering flexible work options, allowing employees to work remotely within the UAE Launching the Career Comeback Programme, facilitating the reintegration of women returning to the workforce after a career break Providing targeted training and leadership development opportunities for women, alongside bank-wide training on unconscious bias Signing global initiatives such as the UAE Gender Balance Pledge in 2023 and integrating the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality into our sustainability strategy Implementing female-focused facilities across our offices including dedicated parking, breastfeeding areas, and women's social networking programmes These initiatives not only underscore Emirates NBD's leadership in promoting female empowerment but also set the foundation for continued progress toward achieving its gender equality objectives. The WEPs offer guidance to businesses on advancing gender equality and empowering women in the workplace, marketplace, and community. Developed by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, the WEPs are aligned with international labor and human rights standards and emphasise the role businesses play in fostering gender equality. By joining the WEPs, Emirates NBD reaffirms its commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, working collaboratively with other stakeholders to promote business practices that empower women. -Ends- About Emirates NBD Emirates NBD (DFM: Emirates NBD) is a leading banking group in the MENAT (Middle East, North Africa and Türkiye) region with a presence in 13 countries, serving over 9 million active customers. As at 31st March 2025, total assets were AED 1 trillion, (equivalent to approx. USD 272 billion). The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia and Bahrain and representative offices in China and Indonesia with a total of 839 branches and 4,539 ATMs / SDMs. Emirates NBD is the leading financial services brand in the UAE with a Brand value of USD 4.54 billion. Emirates NBD Group serves its customers (individuals, businesses, governments, and institutions) and helps them realise their financial objectives through a range of banking products and services including retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, private banking, asset management, global markets and treasury, and brokerage operations. The Group is a key participant in the global digital banking industry with 97% of all financial transactions and requests conducted outside of its branches. The Group also operates Liv, the lifestyle digital bank by Emirates NBD, with close to half a million users, it continues to be the fastest-growing bank in the region. Emirates NBD contributes to the construction of a sustainable future as an active participant and supporter of the UAE's main development and sustainability initiatives, including financial wellness and the inclusion of people of determination. Emirates NBD is committed to supporting the UAE's Year of Sustainability as Principal Banking Partner of COP28 and an early supporter to the Dubai Can sustainability initiative, a city-wide initiative aimed to reduce use of single-use plastic bottled water. For further information on Emirates NBD, please contact: Ibrahim Sowaidan Senior Vice President Head - Group Corporate Affairs Emirates NBD e-mail: ibrahims@ Burson Dubai, UAE Email: emiratesnbd@
South China Morning Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Historic moment: Suriname elects first woman president, adding to female leaders in Caribbean
Suriname – the Dutch-speaking country on the northeastern coast of South America that is a member of the Caribbean Community regional bloc – has chosen a medical doctor to be its president. This will be the nation's first time electing a woman as its leader. Dr Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, also a one-time parliamentary speaker, was sworn in on Wednesday in a ceremony attended by diplomats and representatives of neighbouring countries, including the vice-president of Venezuela. The nation, located in South America but part of the Caribbean Community, joins Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and tiny Anguilla with female leaders. It is the first time, observers say, that there have been so many women in leadership positions in the Caribbean, where they are also occupying roles as governors, governors general and ceremonial presidents. Japan urged to modernise monarchy with female succession to promote gender equality In Barbados, where Mia Mottley is prime minister, Sandra Mason serves as ceremonial president after the country broke with the British monarchy in November 2021 to become a republic. In Trinidad and Tobago, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar led her party to victory in April, and the presidency is held by Christine Kangaloo. And in Dominica, the presidency is also held by a woman, Sylvanie Burton, who is also its first indigenous head of state. Geerlings-Simons emerged as president of the former Dutch colony after none of the parties, including that of former president Chan Santokh, won the two-thirds majority in Parliament in the May 25 elections necessary to form the government. She won the second-highest number of individual votes, after Santokh, who retained his legislative seat after winning the most individual votes. Suriname's then-opposition leader Jennifer Geerlings-Simons greets a woman after the National Assembly election in Paramaribo on July 6, 2025. Photo: AFP Although he was vying to return as president, Sanktoh's Progressive Reform Party could not overcome voters' concerns about high inflation, corruption in the government and austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund programme. When the Progressive Reform Party nearly tied with the National Democratic Party, 17 votes to 18 votes, Geerlings-Simons and her National Democratic Party formed a deal with five other parties to install her as president. Geerlings-Simons had served as chairwoman of the party since 2024. Carla Barnett, the secretary general of CARICOM, who attended the swearing-in, noted the historic significance of Geerlings-Simons' indirect election by the National Assembly. Ahead of the swearing-in, Barnett extended congratulations and said the Caribbean Community awaited her input. 'As we collectively navigate the complex challenges facing our region, including climate change, economic resilience, and sustainable development, your leadership will be crucial,' Barnett said. January 2023: One third of Amazon rainforest 'degraded' by human activity and drought, study finds Suriname has been independent since 1975 and has seen two military coups. In recent years, the country has faced some difficult economic challenges but is expected to see a surge in revenues, similar to neighbouring Guyana, after discovering oil reserves. Oil production is slated to begin in 2028. On June 30, Suriname also became the first country in the Amazon region to receive malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). This historic milestone follows nearly 70 years of commitment by the government and people of Suriname to eliminate the disease across its vast rainforests and diverse communities. Geerlings-Simons' rise to power has not gone unnoticed by those who closely follow the region, especially given that the military coups were supported by the NDP and its founder, former President Desiré 'Desi' Bouterse. Bouterse died last year on Christmas Eve while running from justice. The year after leaving office in 2020, Bouterse was convicted in the 1982 murders of 15 government critics, including journalists. The conviction was upheld in 2023, and Bouterse went into hiding. He died at the age of 79 as a fugitive. Suriname's leader Jennifer Geerlings-Simons shakes hands with the outgoing president, Chan Santokhi. Photo: AFP Wednesday's succession of power passed without incident. Geerlings-Simons, 71, whose term runs until 2030, recognised the historical significance in her swearing-in speech. 'Because I am the first woman to hold this position, there will be additional pressure on the work I will do with the government,' she said as she pledged her government's commitment to recovery. She concluded her speech with a call for national unity, quoting the words of Surinamese poets Dobru and Shrinivási: 'I would like to unite you as a nation, without this remaining a fairy tale.'
