The French Business Council Dubai & Northern Emirates, in collaboration with the French Business Group Abu Dhabi, organized a three days online event on 22nd, 23rd and 24th March 2021. This event was held under the theme “Paving the Road to Expo2020” and gathered more than 60 experts and 1,000 attendees from local and international SMEs and MNCs.

The UAE-France Business Days aimed at demonstrate the support of France to the UAE on the way to Expo 2020 Dubai and strengthen the business links between the two countries, by bringing together different industries and experts in one place, through keynote addresses, interviews and discussion panels. 

The event gathered local officials, such as H.E. Helal Saeed Almarri - Director General of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and H.E. Dr. Raja Al Gurg, President Dubai Business Women Council and Dubai Chamber Executive Committee member, as well as international speakers, including H.E. Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, French Minister Delegate for Transport, H.E. Xavier Chatel, Ambassador of France to the UAE and Sebastien Bazin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer - Accor, to name a few.

In her keynote, HE Dr. Raja Al Gurg highlighted DBWC’s role in promoting UNGC’s principles of equal opportunity, inclusion and non-discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.

During her Keynote speech HE said  “A woman no longer needs to stop being herself to be powerful. Nor does she have to sit in a corner office. Power has many addresses. One can exert it without a suit and tie, just as one can do so without a paycheck, a portfolio, a job.To me, real power is about presence. It's the energy of knowing who you are, and therefore speaking and acting from your authentic self. It doesn't matter what your work is - if you're a teacher or a nurse or any other kind of professional; it is your presence that's the power. It's not power over anybody else. It's just the expression of who you are. Women's intuition, imagination, and natural aptitude for long-term planning and networking ensures that we are headed for a powerful role in the world.”

Our Business Development Manager Nadine Halabi was one of the panellists at the UAE-France Business Days conference who also shared her experience at DBWC on diversity and inclusion through the DBWC #BalanceForBetter Forums and other initiatives that supports diversity and Inclusion. During the discussion, Nadine stressed that diversity and inclusion have become a crucial metric for organisational success, and is a ‘must have’ across many corporate structures throughout the UAE. Within UAE, D&I are no longer limited to the hiring process, but are now embedded within company values and culture.