ExxonMobil has given US$1 million (Dh3.763m) to the Family Development Foundation, an Abu Dhabi non-profit organisation, to help develop the skills of Emirati women. The money will fund the training of 30 women to become social workers caring for the elderly, and the development of leadership and managerial skills of 20 other Emirati women. Morten Mauritzen, the lead country manager of the ExxonMobil companies in Abu Dhabi, explains why the energy giant got involved.
Tell us about ExxonMobil's involvement with the foundation.
We operate all over the world and in all places we are, we try to be a responsible corporate citizen. We want to support the community. [The foundation runs programmes] to empower women to support their families and communities. That fits so well with what ExxonMobil is trying to do in a country like this.
What support do you offer?
We support them with $1 million but if they want our support to help them with their programmes we [also] have some expertise.
Such as?
Well, for example, the ExxonMobil Foundation, the philanthropic arm of ExxonMobil, [has] for the past seven years contributed more than $50m to programmes round the world. One programme called Global Women in Management, we've done it in several countries but for the first time this year we did it here in the UAE. We had 19 Emirati females ... and they started here with some workshops, then we took them to Washington and they spent a week [there] meeting prominent US female policymakers including Nancy Pelosi. Through that they really got so engaged. After that week they came back to the UAE for a wrap up workshop. I met then before they went and I met them after they came back to us and I could just see the enthusiasm. These were females that had already made it into leadership positions but this helped them grow further.
The oil and gas industry is pretty male-dominated. What are you doing to advance women within ExxonMobil in the UAE?
About a year ago we employed an Emirati female reservoir engineer. She has been in Houston for over a year as part of being in the ExxonMobil training curriculum, being exposed to other ExxonMobil operations. That's what we can offer Emiratis: we are a global company and to the extent people are interested and willing to move, they can see other parts of our operations.
We have tried to spearhead a women's network within Zadco [a joint venture with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and the Japan Oil Development Company to develop the Upper Zakum oilfield]. Very often there are female leaders from ExxonMobil who visit Abu Dhabi. My boss in Houston is a woman. She is a vice president for the Middle East and Russia and she was here last week. She spent an hour with these Emirati ladies in Zadco just chatting. They are interested in how come [she] made it up to a VP in ExxonMobil, and she asked them about their lives.
lgutcher@thenational.ae
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
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The biog
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Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Cofe
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 80-100
Amount raised: $13m
Investors: KISP ventures, Cedar Mundi, Towell Holding International, Takamul Capital, Dividend Gate Capital, Nizar AlNusif Sons Holding, Arab Investment Company and Al Imtiaz Investment Group
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Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Tell-tale signs of burnout
- loss of confidence and appetite
- irritability and emotional outbursts
- sadness
- persistent physical ailments such as headaches, frequent infections and fatigue
- substance abuse, such as smoking or drinking more
- impaired judgement
- excessive and continuous worrying
- irregular sleep patterns
Tips to help overcome burnout
Acknowledge how you are feeling by listening to your warning signs. Set boundaries and learn to say ‘no’
Do activities that you want to do as well as things you have to do
Undertake at least 30 minutes of exercise per day. It releases an abundance of feel-good hormones
Find your form of relaxation and make time for it each day e.g. soothing music, reading or mindful meditation
Sleep and wake at the same time every day, even if your sleep pattern was disrupted. Without enough sleep condition such as stress, anxiety and depression can thrive.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.