Dubai – 13 October 2018:  The Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC) announced that its total membership has increased by 36.5% during the first three quarters of the year. The council added 216 new members during this period, 50 of whom joined during the third quarter of 2018. The new members bring the total number of DBWC members up to 807, which is an increase from 591 members at the start of the year.

The increase in the DBWC membership reflects the important role that the council plays in supporting business women and enhancing their competitiveness in the country’s labour market.

The council also announced that it had organized 42 workshops and seminars during the first nine months of the year, which included 11 training seminars that were organized during the third quarter. 349 participants took part in these activities during the third quarter of 2018, which represents a growth rate of 14.4% when compared to the third quarter of 2017. 

Since the beginning of the year, 1250 participants took part in the council’s workshops and seminars, which reflects the close alignment between the topics of the council’s events and the professional needs of the members, as well as the success of these activities in equipping members with the skills and expertise that help enhance their economic endeavours.

Dr. Raja Al Gurg, President of the Dubai Business Women Council, stated that the council has cemented its status as a leading platform for business women in Dubai, as well as a vital resource that helps empower them to succeed in their professional lives.

Al Gurg remarked that the growth in the council’s total membership is due to the global reputation that it has cultivated for its efforts in supporting business women, which was achieved by organizing various programs and initiatives that empower women to excel in the country’s labour market.

The seminars that the council organized during the third quarter of the year included topics such as corporate governance of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the Gulf Region, and the use of modern technologies such as video to promote businesses and achieve success, in addition to various other topics that relate to innovation in developing activities and services.

The Dubai Business Women Council has also continued its efforts to support women by launching a unique initiative during the first quarter of the year entitled “DBWC Mentorship Programme.” Coinciding with the Year of Zayed, the programme was launched by the council to give working women the skills and expertise that they need to excel and innovate.

The programme formed strategic partnerships with a variety of local and international leading companies, in addition to experts that work in various sectors, to benefit business women by offering free consultations and advice that help them apply the best practices in their specialties. During the third quarter of this year, the 18 participants of the programme continued their monthly meetings with mentors in order to develop their skills and expertise.

The council received 2 international delegations during the third quarter of the year, which included a meeting with the Ambassador of Serbia in the UAE to discuss ways to enhance the economic relations between the two sides as well as an exclusive roundtable meeting with HE Yannick Glemarec, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme in UN Women. During the latter meeting, the discussion was mostly around methods of enhancing cooperation to empower women in the business community .