Life lessons: How boardrooms stack up on gender diversity



'Most of my team are women" were the words posted to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid's Instagram account on International Women's Day last month. He then called on leaders across the UAE to celebrate the women in their teams. It was then that I started thinking of the role women play at a leadership level in organisations across the country, more specifically the capital.

The UAE has always had a strong mandate towards gender equality, which has delivered incredible results, with women outpacing men in both secondary and higher education. Women now hold eight seats – a little over a quarter – of the UAE’s 30-member Federal Cabinet. In 2015, Dr Amal Al Qubaisi was appointed President of the Federal National Council, making her the first woman in the region to lead a national assembly. In 2008, the first female judge was sworn in, with four women being appointed as judges since. Women also make up 20 per cent of the UAE’s diplomatic corps, and in 2013, Lana Nusseibeh became the UAE’s first permanent representative to the United Nations.

As we have seen on the ground level and at a leadership level, the UAE has been pushing the boundaries when it comes to female representation in the region. However, I want to focus on one specific area – female board members. According to a study by Credit Suisse, the global average of women on boards stands at approximately 14.7 per cent. I visited the “Departments” tab of the Abu Dhabi Government website, which lists more than 100 entities that are in some way affiliated with the government. I then included major financial institutions and airlines, which I believe are driving forces behind the UAE’s economy, and removed several “Departments of”, such as the Department of Finance, because they did not have a board and report directly to Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council.

In the end I was left with about 58 organisations, which I believe represents a strong enough sample size, and the average number of female board members across those organisations came up to 7.77 per cent – approximately half the global average. There are, however, specific outliers, including the media sector, namely Abu Dhabi Media Company and twofour54, where women make up an average of 29 per cent of the board seats, and in organisations such as Abu Dhabi Fund for Development and Emirates Red Crescent Society, women occupy 23.5 per cent of the board seats. The three entities with the largest female representation were the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development and twofour54, with 33 per cent each, and the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (Executive Committee) at 30 per cent. The common denominator across these organisations is that women have been strongly affiliated with the development and leadership of these organisations for some time now.

On the other end of the spectrum are the large financial institutions and airlines, where women have almost no presence in the boardroom. According to research by MSCI ESG, this could have a negative effect on the financial and strategic performance of an organisation. The report, which focused on women’s presence on boards, found that companies with a strong female presence generated a 10.1 per cent return on equity, almost 3 per cent higher than firms with little or no female representation. Furthermore, companies that lacked gender diversity were more likely to face governance­-related problems.

I find myself wondering why women are under-represented in some sectors. It can’t be cultural: our leaders have made it a point to ensure that women play a critical role in day-to-day decisions at the highest levels. It can’t be strategic, as numerous studies have shown that women being present on a board leads to positive returns. It’s not because we don’t have women with the necessary experience or skills. So what am I missing?

Khalid Al Ameri is an Emirati columnist and social commentator. He lives in Abu Dhabi with his wife and two sons.

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai

Race 3

Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars

Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
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  • Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
 
 
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Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The National photo project

Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).

Company profile

Name: Tratok Portal

Founded: 2017

Based: UAE

Sector: Travel & tourism

Size: 36 employees

Funding: Privately funded

Mountain%20Boy
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Tour de France

When: July 7-29

UAE Team Emirates:
Dan Martin, Alexander Kristoff, Darwin Atapuma, Marco Marcato, Kristijan Durasek, Oliviero Troia, Roberto Ferrari and Rory Sutherland

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL

Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi