Woibex 2018 Highlights

Amidst an august gathering of global women leaders from the Royal families, world organizations, and regional and global industries, the '21st Global Women Leaders Conference' was held at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, UAE after its successful track record and recognition in the past 20 years.

Day 1: The opening session of the first day was presented by Dr. Anna Dolidze, an expert on international law and Adviser to the President of Georgia, on leadership, job prospects and human resource challenges, in which she addressed The Future of Jobs, Employment, Skills and Knowledge Management Needed in the Era of Globalization, 4th Industrial Revolution, Modern Global Economic Structure, Global Transformation, Innovative organizational working mechanisms, advanced systems such as Block chain, Artificial Intelligence, internet of things, and other technologies that support the future of institutional innovation development, efficiency and government and business Smart transformation.

Later, Linda Berlot, CEO and Executive Team Coach of Berlot Group, spoke about women's entrepreneurship and private sector organizations - challenges and opportunities, why women should lead business, private sector organizations and the most important business and entrepreneurial opportunities.

The session was followed by a presentation by Ms. Anna Roberts, a Communications consultant on why communication is the key to business success and how communication can support entrepreneurship with diversity and inclusiveness and create a safe and prosperous workplace.

Sarah O'Molewu, Managing Partner of Maven Marketing and Events, spoke about the support of leaders and the introduction of a new era of brand marketing and career building strategies. In a field study was presented on leadership support and women leadership, by Engineer Fatema Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Chairperson of the Women's Empowerment Committee in ADNOC, and Reem Al Anbari, Chief Financial Officer at Abu Dhabi Polymers Co. Ltd. (Borouge).

At the end of the first day of the conference, Her Royal Highness Princess Lamia Bint Majid Al Saud, Secretary General and Member of the Board of Trustees, Alwaleed Philanthropies, Saudi Arabia, spoke about strategies for knowledge management, leadership development and implementation.

Day one of the conference came to a close with the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute, recognizing and honoring notable achievements of global women leaders with the 18th Middle East Women Leaders Excellence Awards, in recognition of the best achievements of women leaders who have played a distinct role in the regional and global development. It also highlights the achievements of women leaders of excellence and creativity to serve as role models for the next generation and a catalyst for development and progress, in the presence of regional and global personalities.

Day 2: The Day 2 of the event which was held at Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC in Dubai began with the panel discussion on Young Women Leaders Global Economic Knowledge and Innovation Capabilities Development and The Future of Jobs and Human Resources Challenges and Strategies to Achieve International Positions. The panel discussion was joined by Dr. Azala Alghamdi, Almas iwani, Linda Berlot and Hala Al Balushi. Post coffee break the next panel discussion focused on Women Leading Business and Private Sector Organizations - Challenges and Opportunities, Women’s Startup Strategies and The Future of Startup in the Era of Globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Things GCC Startup Leaders Must Do in the Next Era of Globalization which was led by Ms. Priya Telavane - Hanane Benkhallouk, Sarah Richson –and Souad M. Al Hosani

Woibex 2017 highlights

With global women leaders and delegations from around the world, Dubai saw the start of the annual Global Women Leaders’ Conference on the occasion of International Women's Day, on March 7th, at the Burj Al Arab Hotel with the presence of eminent personalities, decision makers, global governments, official institutions, universities, fortune companies, women leaders and entrepreneurs. The Conference organized by Datamatix focuses very precisely on women empowerment through leadership development, entrepreneurship, knowledge management and capacity building, to effectively enable women to face the emerging challenges in an era of modern management, globally interlinked society, and integrated economy.

This year’s conference supported the vision of H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, for the UAE Gender Equality development, aims to support and encourage greater participation of women in UAE development and is in line with the Vision 2021.

Day 1: The conference, on its first day, commenced with the opening keynote on Gender Balance by HE Shamsa Saleh, CEO, of Dubai Women Establishment and Secretary-General of the UAE Gender Balance Council. Ms. Anna Dolidze, Parliamentary State Secretary of Republic of Georgia spoke on Next Generation of Trusted Women Leaders in the new Era of leadership game changes and Women Leadership in Army and Police. It was followed by a presentation on, leading change by women leadership by Dr Rfah Alyami, Deputy of Dean from Arab East College.

The coffee break and networking session was followed by presentation on Leadership Code by Ms. Salma Sakhnini, Founder and Managing Director, of ICON Investment Consultants. Ms. Omaira Al Olama from ADVANCED LEARNING FORMULAS (ALF) spoke about National Women Leaders Working in Private Sector.

The concluding presentation was made by Ms. Mariam Maz Hakim, PRESENTER – VIRGIN RADIO from ARABIAN RADIO NETWORK (ARN) on Women Leaders role in the new Era of “Internet of Everything” and technology changes

Day 2: The Event on the second day began with the presentation of Ms. Nina Langerholc, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Public Administration in Slovenia to give the keynote address. Ms. Nina Langerholc spoke about, ‘The new reality we face today and the role of women Leaders. It was followed by a presentation on, ‘The Next Generation of Innovative and Knowledgeable Based Women Leaders’, by Ms. Hanane Benkhallouk, Passion, Proactivity, Persistence, Executive Director from Sustain Leadership.

The coffee break and networking session was followed by a case study presentation by Dr. Afef Haddad, Country Program Coordinator - Deputy to the Director, Maghreb and Malta, from World Bank Group on, ‘Best Practices: "Women Economic Empowerment Initiative in the Maghreb: Youth and Technology as part of the solution”. Kawthar Al-Arbash, Member of The Shura Council, from Saudi Shura Council presented a session on Women and Families Role in a Better and Safe World.

The Conference came to a close with the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute, recognizing and honoring notable achievements of global women leaders with the ‘17th Middle East Women Leaders Excellence Awards’ ceremony. Mr. Kamali reiterates that the Conference was a very big success this year too, like the past 20 years, and would continue contributing immensely towards reinforcing the stature of women in the society.

Woibex 2016 highlights

With global women leaders and delegations from around the world, Dubai saw the start of the annual Global Women Leaders’ Conference on the International Women's Day, on March 8th, at the Burj Al Arab Hotel. The Event began with Mr. Ali Al Kamali, Managing Director, Datamatix, welcoming the delegates and speaking on Datamatix’s commitment to uphold the mission of creating strong relationships amongst the global communities, through knowledge and best practices sharing.

Day 1: Ms. Eman Bu-Rashid, CEO, Keynotes Consultants & OnePointSix, spoke on internal and external brand building as women leaders, while Ms. Rfah Alyami, Institute of Education, University of Reading, United Kingdom, spoke on the educational scenario, especially pertaining to women in Saudi Arabia. Ms. Suaad Sultan Al-Shamsi, an Aviation Management and Aerospace Engineering professional and leader spoke on the opportunities for women in the industry, and Ms. Shireen N. Chaya, Instructor at the College of Business Administration, American University of the Emirates, spoke on her research experience pertaining to women in management. Ms. Rana A. Al-Nibari, CEO INJAZ-Kuwait, shared her thoughts on women empowerment in the Middle East, which was followed by presentations on related areas by Ms. Mariam Maz Hakim, Presenter, Virgin Radio, Arabian Radio Network (ARN) and Ms. Asma Shabab, Territory Marketing Leader, Enterprise and Mid-Market, IBM Middle East.

Day 2: The Event on the second day began with Mr. Ali Al Kamali, Managing Director, Datamatix, welcoming Ms. Anna Dolidze, Deputy Defense Minister, and Republic of Georgia, to give the keynote address. Ms. Dolidze’s talk was followed by highly inspiring sessions by Ms. Ebtihal Al Salem, Labs & Quality Manager, Kuwait Flour Mills & Bakeries Co. and Ms. Kawthar Makahlah, Founder & CEO, BCI group of Investment Companies, UAE. The session on Global Conflicts and the Issues Related to Women and Children, was especially noteworthy with talks and presentations by Ms. Elise Bijon, Partnership Manager for Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, United Nations World Food Programme, and Ms. Fatima Jasem Al Zaabi, Engineer and innovator.

The Conference came to a close with the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute, recognizing and honoring notable achievements of global women leaders with the 16th Middle East Women Leaders Excellence Awards. Mr. Kamali reiterates that the Conference was a very big success this year too, like the past 19 years, and would continue contributing immensely towards reinforcing the stature of women in the society.

Woibex 2014 highlights

Amidst an august gathering of global women leaders from the Royal families, world organizations, and regional and global industries, the '17th Global Women Leaders Conference' was held at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai, UAE after its successful track record and recognition in the past 16 years.

Celebrating the 104th International Women's Day, the 17th edition of Woibex was embellished with some renowned personalities - H.H Princess Ameera Al Taweel, H.E. Sheikha Bodour Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Ms. Almas Jiwani (President of UN Women National Committee of Canada), Ms.Elise Bijon (Partnerships and Business Development, Middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, UNWFP) and many more.

The opening patron message was presented by Ms. Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women Canada National Committee on 'Empowering Women in Attaining International Positions'. Weaving in her personal experiences and corporate challenges, she put forward a very interesting and responsive speech on how modern women need to overcome the societal barriers and aim and achieve international positions.

H.H Princess Ameera Al Taweel graced the occasion of the 14th Middle East Women Leaders Excellence Awards. She presented a keynote speech on the awards ceremony, talking about empowering, inspiring, and encouraging the present and next generation women leaders in attaining superlative leadership benchmarks.

Middle East Excellence Awards Institute honored Her Highness with the Middle East Women Leadership Model Award.

Her Excellency SheikhaBodourbint Sultan Al Qasimi, - Chairperson of Sharjah Investment and Development Authority - Shurooq was honored with the Woman Leader in Business and Economic Development Excellence Award.

Woibex 2013 highlights

Prominent global businesswomen, leaders, professionals and women entrepreneurs marked the 103rd International Women's Day by gathering at 16th Global Women Leaders Conference- the biggest event for women achievers- at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Dubai. The event sponsored by Dove, Ponds, Thomson Reuters, smith&nephew, United Arab Emirates University, and Attitude, witnessed the coming together of topnotch women leaders, professionals and women entrepreneurs regionally and globally.

Day 1 was inaugurated by Mr. Paolo Lembo, United Nations Resident Coordinator in UAE, Qatar and Oman, UNDP by presenting the conference vision and giving the message of '103rd International Women's Day'. He emphasized on the role of women leaders in the emerging global economic market and in the building of a sustainable global nation. Other sessions during the day focused on Entrepreneurship challenges faced by aspiring women leaders, empowerment of women leaders in government entities, 21st Century Women Empowerment Strategies and Challenges in Accordance with Global Competitiveness, and conclusion panel.

Day 2 focused on the next generation of women leaders and the global trends in the 21st century that makes women leadership competitive. Sessions that took place highlighted women leadership and global demands, women leaders' role in 21st century knowledge management, and Emerging Women Leaders' Active Participation in Information, Educational, and Economic Development.The event concluded with the awards ceremony and honored some of the greatest women achievers and contributors in the modern economy. The awards were presented by Mr. Paolo Lembo, United Nations Resident Coordinator in UAE, Qatar and Oman, UNDP and Elif Çomoglu Ülgen, Consul-General, Turkish Consulate in Dubai/UAE.

Woibex 2012 highlights

Prominent global businesswomen, leaders, professionals and women entrepreneurs marked 8th March 2012 International Women's Day by gathering at 15th Global Women Leaders Conference, the biggest event for women achievers at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. The event sponsored by Al Waleed Bin Talal Foundation, witnessed the coming together of topnotch women leaders, professionals and women entrepreneurs regionally and globally.

The conference began with International Women's Day message by Dr. Elissar Sarrouh, UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative Abu Dhabi - UAE. The message was succeeded by a keynote and panel discussion which focused on providing insight about Women Leaders on Corporate Boards and Women Leaders role in the 21st century knowledge. The Day concluded with the presentation stressed on the importance 21st century women leaders in politics and media followed by challenges and opportunities providing insight as to how business women can be empowered to make the right personal finance and investment decisions.

The second day of the Woibex, 15th Global Women Leaders Conference was hosted at Armani Hotel- Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE along with the 11th Middle East Women Leaders Awards ceremony, organized by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute. The day began keynote which focused on, strengthening the 2020 Women Leadership competency in the era of knowledge based followed by challenges faced by women leaders in next 5 years and the role and impact of technology on women leadership and future of Women in Oil and Gas in industry.

The event concluded with the awards ceremony. The top award of Middle East Woman Personality of the Year, 2012, was awarded to H.H. Princess Ameerah Al Taweel. The guest of honor, H. E. Reem Al-Hashimy U.A.E. Minister of State presented the awards to the women achievers, applauding their remarkable achievements.

Woibex 2011 highlights

14th Global Women Leaders Conference- Woibex 2011 was held on 7-8 March 2011 at Burj Al Arab, to commemorate the 101th anniversary of International Women's Day. The event sponsored by WOFAN - Nigeria brought together prominent global businesswomen, women leaders, professionals and women entrepreneurs from around the world.

The first day of the conference began with an opening keynote on business women 360-degree new business leadership strategy building followed by positive participation of women in economic development, women's autonomy and economic empowerment. Other topics of discussions included women's 21st Century Knowledge Management Strategy Building.

The second day began with a keynote which focused on the challenges & opportunities to education and economic empowerment of women presented by Ruth Field, CEO, Joshua Group LLC. This was followed by a keynote by Salamatu Garba, CEO of WOFAN, Nigeria covering the lessons that can be gleaned by learning from women innovators who were courageous enough to challenge the status-quo. Also giving valuable inputs were Jenan Boushahery, Kuwait Council Municipality Member and Leila Chaieb, AL JAZEERA NETWORK, TV Presenter along with many others. Other important topics such as 'Women's 21st century political and media leadership' and 'Women in Oil Industry' were also discussed.

The event concluded with an awards ceremony to recognize and honor women leaders in the Middle East who have made notable contributions practically in all areas of business and management. The awards focused on women as key players in the region's economic growth; they highlighted their contributions and bring out constructive recommendations to better their participation.

Woibex 2010 highlights

Woibex celebrated 100 years of women empowerment by hosting the biggest event for women achievers in the "12th Woibex - Global Businesswomen and Leaders Summit" at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. Sponsored by WOFAN - Women Farmers Advancement Network demonstrated its continued support for the advancement of rural women in Nigeria.

The event began with the keynote presentation of Dr. Eiman Saud Abokhodair's, Institute of Public Administration, KSA, Ms. Sarah Lord CFP, AIFP, APFS, Financial Planning Director of Killik & Co (Middle East & Asia), Ms. Laura Martorano, CEO and Founder of Leo Sterling, followed by Mrs. Oluwatoyin Saraki, First Lady of Kwara State & Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation, who presented a case study of Kwara State of Nigeria focusing on women being key to the prosperity of the world.

The second half of the day witnessed the presentations of another case study by Ms. Ruth Field, CEO of Joshua Group LLC. The last speaker for the day was Dr. Carmen M. Castro, D.B.A., Founder & CEO of Aurora International Executive Solutions, LLC, who spoke about exploring the many business opportunities that are available for middle-eastern women in the field of international business consulting and international corporate name branding.

The day concluded with the hosting of the 9th Middle East Businesswomen and Leaders Achievement Awards, organized by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute. The chief guest for the event, Mr. Elballa Hagona, UNDP Resident Representative, presented the awards to the women achievers, applauding their remarkable achievements.

Woibex 2009 highlights

Prominent global businesswomen, leaders, professionals and women entrepreneurs marked 8th March 2009 International Women's Day by gathering at the Burj Al Arab Hotel 11th Global Businesswomen and Leaders Summit aiming to set trends, exercise influence, create changes and devise innovative strategies that will make a difference to women's involvement in today's competitive global markets.

The summit featured empowering keynote speech from Sheikha Hessa Bint Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al- Khalifa regarding how to win an award and lead towards the future as a successful women leader in politics, education, media and business.

The summit attracted leading prominent women from around the globe, with an impressive line up of speakers, including Ms. Sherifa Hady of HP - Middle East, Ms. Nayla Al Khaja, CEO of Motion Pictures, D-Seven FZ LLC, UAE, Ms. Ashley M. Hunter, Founder of HM Risk Group, Ms. Leila Camilla Gaaserud, Managing Director of GCC Consulting. The event was sponsored by Women Committee at RTA and Uni Jetsream and Executive.

Woibex 2008 highlights

The 10th Global Businesswomen and Leaders Summit - Woibex 2008 was held on March 8-9 at the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai UAE. The impressive line up of speakers and special guests, included HE Dr Massoumeh Ebtekar, Former Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Dr. Mervat Tellawy, Ambassador, League of Arab States and the Hon. Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland, as well as several regional and international experts and businesswomen. The summit addressed issues relevant to today's women leaders and professionals.

Woibex 2008, which was sponsored by FORSA and Virgin Megastore, and FORSA's CEO Shamsa NoorAli Rashid also participated as a speaker with a presentation on the first day of the event Women - A Different Approach to Leadership.

Speakers for the event included Ebtekar, Robinson, and Tellawy as well as the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP) Dr Khaled Alloush who delivered a presentation on the Achievements of Arab women over the past two decades; Hoda Barakat - Managing Partner and Head of IP/IT Department, Al Tamimi & Co.(Leading Innovation Towards the Future); Kathleen Kurre - Executive-in-Residence, Institute for Leadership & Entrepreneurship, Georgia Tech, USA and President, Fusion Advisors, LLC (Passion, Entrepreneurship and Technology: Leadership's New Frontiers); Mary Ellen Iskenderian - President and CEO, Women's World Banking (WWB), USA (Case Study: A Story of 2 Successful Businesswomen); Gail Burns - Managing Director, Target Search and Selection, South Africa (Be Your Own Mentor - Businesswomen and Women Leaders' Strategies in the New Global Economy); Retha Els - Managing Director, De Nova Consulting, South Africa (Current and Future Young Business and Women); Ms. Kelly Watkins, President, Expressive Concepts, USA (The Perfect Principles of Leadership for Middle East Women); Ms. Kelly Watkins, President Expressive Concepts, USA (The Perfect Principles of Leadership for Middle East Women); and Giovanna Bejjani - Business Faculty, Ras Al Khaimah Women's College (RKWC), Ras Al Khaimah, UAE (Arab Women, Future Leaders through Applied Education: Linking Academia to Industry).

Khaleej Times and Al Jazeera Network were Media Gold Sponsors for the event.