ABU DHABI — INSEAD, the business school for the world, reaffirmed its commitment to promoting gender diversity on International Women’s Day and announced the advancement of its iW50 campaign with a series of events celebrating 50 years of women at INSEAD.

On International Women’s Day (IWD), the iW50 campaign has extended beyond its halfway point and has achieved significant milestones in efforts to increase awareness of the role of women in society and to empower women in business.

In the spirit of celebrating these accomplishments, the INSEAD Middle East Campus in Abu Dhabi organized a half day seminar marking International Women’s Day titled ‘Inspire, Impact, Empower’. The seminar featured several women leaders in the Middle East who have made a significant contribution to the region and society, including Sara Al Madani, founder & designer, Rouge Couture; Nisreen Shocair, CEO of TSC Broadcast – member of the HSE24 group; Rana Nawas, creator & host of When Women Win; Almas Jiwani, president & CEO, Almas Jiwani Foundation and president emeritus, UN Women Canada; Thea Myhrvold, founder & CEO, Teach Me Now; Kay De Gier-Formanek, founder & CEO, KAY Diversity & Performance BV; Rana El Chemaitelly, founder, The Little Eengineer; Christina Ioannidis, CEO, Aquitude; Ghada Othman, specialist in Leading for Growth & Profitability.

Linda Brimm, emeritus professor of organizational behavior, INSEAD commented, “While acknowledging the gender equity issues that still inhabit the pathways to composing successful lives and careers for women around the world, the stories that we heard today of the amazing careers that each woman shared were living proof that women are on the leading edge of change in a new global reality. Their stories reflect the possibility of creating successful careers not only in the UAE, but also across the world.”

She added, “These women, are truly global cosmopolitan women, who have benefited from the skills they have developed from life experiences and have learned how to see challenge as an opportunity, as an opportunity for themselves and an opportunity to create prospects for improving the lives, education and work opportunities of other women.”

In 1967, INSEAD became one of the first business schools in the world to admit women to its MBA program when it welcomed Hélène Ploix (MBA ’68) and Solange Perret (MBA ’68) to the Fontainebleau campus. Paying tribute to the 50-year milestone of its first female MBA graduates, the school has launched on Sept. 12, 2017 the iW50 campaign, a year-long celebration honoring the past, present and future of women at INSEAD. — SG