Alghanim Industries holds 2nd meeting of Women’s Network
Alghanim Industries, one of the largest privately owned companies in the region, announced its second meeting of the Alghanim Industries Women’s Network (AIWN), this network was launched to provide female employees in the company a solid platform to connect with peers, gain exposure, and promote opportunities for upward career mobility.
The second meeting for the Alghanim Industries Women’s Network (AIWN) took place on Tuesday, 14 March 2017 at Al-Hamra Grand Cinemas. The meeting was facilitated by Dr Alanoud Al-Sharekh, one of the most accomplished advocates for women’s rights in Kuwait and the region. She was recently awarded a knighthood by the French Government (National Order of Merit) for her work promoting women’s rights in the region. Dr Sharekh participated in the gender diversity conference with Alghanim Industries last May as a panelist and is currently a Consulting Partner for Ibtkar, a boutique Strategic and Public Relations Consultancy firm.
The lecture entitled ‘Aspirational Leadership for Women’ covered some of the most motivational female leaders of our time and what really works when it comes to making gender diverse cultures a reality. The related discussion panel afterwards included three female employees at Alghanim Industries: Finance Manager, Asha Baby, Senior Government Relations Manager, Dina Al-Sharekh, and Senior Compliance Specialist, Danielle Dorsainvil. Dr Sharekh explored each panelist’s individual experiences, reflections and advice on leadership and success at Alghanim Industries.
Chief Human Resources Officer at Alghanim Industries, George Lambros confirmed Alghanim Industries’ commitment towards gender diversity saying: “Alghanim Industries Women’s Network (AIWN) is one of the many ways that the company demonstrates its commitment to gender diversity in the workplace. This network provides our female employees with a platform to explore areas of common interest, network with colleagues and voice their feedback on various subject matters which exemplifies the company’s vision to attract, develop and retain talented women.”
Commenting on the event, Dr Sharekh said, “It was a pleasure to lead the Ibtkar Aspirational Leadership for Women workshop within the amazing kaleidoscope of female professionals at Alghanim Industries. The panel discussion where employees shared their experiences with integrity and passion was a great learning experience for all in the room.”
Adding on the subject, Asha Baby from Alghanim Industries said, “It was great to sit with all the female employees in the company and openly discuss the common challenges and experiences we face as women in the corporate world, this is a good initiative to empower each other and knowing that we are not alone when we deal with such issues”.
Alghanim Industries has actively prioritized gender diversity at the company, and worked on multiple fronts to address issues related to recruiting and retaining female talent. The company introduced improved maternity leave policies, including extending the paid maternity leave up to 90 days. Alghanim Industries also coorganized a gender diversity conference that hosted local and international guest speakers, along with CEO Omar Alghanim who highlighted the company’s commitment to female talent during his keynote speech.