As well as being a member of Emirates NBD’s group executive committee, Lubna Qassim also sits on the board of a Lebanese bank. It’s a rare position for a female to be in, given the global average of women sitting on boards today is 16 per cent and in the GCC it’s a dismal 2 per cent, according to a recent study by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (Acca) Middle East.
Ms Qassim, an Emirati, says other board members at the Lebanese bank are former ministers and influential members of the Lebanese community, ranging in age from 70 to 90. “It was amazing just to see the reaction at the first board meeting,” she says. “For the first time in their entire careers, a woman walks in. Of course, I giggled internally. They had worked with women – their PAs, their supporters – but here there was a female board member who was not only there to nod heads, but to speak smartly.”
Ms Qassim recently shared her story at a Dubai Business Women’s Council panel talk on why gender balance and diversity make good business sense, held at Dubai’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The executive vice president and group general counsel at Emirates NBD says she has always been “gender blind” in her work and that whenever she notices sexism, she tries to “influence it”. “We add value through these kind of contributions we all make in our everyday lives,” she adds. For Andrew Mortimer, the managing director and country manager for the Middle East at Barclays, Ms Qassim’s story is an example of how women should share their personal success stories.
Barclays itself is a 326-year-old bank, and last year, for the first time in its history, it hit a milestone by employing more women than men, says Mr Mortimer. However, only three out of 13 Barclays board members are women.
“The challenge is for women to climb up the echelons of the organisation and we’re not there yet,” Mr Mortimer admits. But he points out just how much the gender landscape has changed in the financial services industry since 1988, when he started working for a stockbroker. “Back then, it was an incredibly male-dominated, highly testosterone-charged environment. I met my wife there, she was on the sales trading floor. Any of you who’ve seen The Wolf of Wall Street can imagine what it must have been like for her.”
To Mr Mortimer, the 2008 financial crisis was “almost the catalyst” for increasing gender diversity in the industry. “Could the number of banks that failed during that period have been averted if we’d the right diverse mix of decision-makers from top to bottom?” he asks. “I think that’s what was missing.”
To root out “unconscious bias” and promote the advancement of women at Barclays, Mr Mortimer says support networks have been created. “We have a mums’ network and a carers network, which bring together individuals to share the challenges they’re facing,” he says. “We’ve also tried hard to enforce flexible working, which is increasingly enabled by technology.”
Fadi Matar, a public and government affairs director for the Dow Chemical Company, is keen to encourage more women to come forward for jobs in his industry. He recalls advertising a job in Saudi Arabia two years ago, and receiving about 40 CVs – all from men. “The lady in HR asked me: how many females did you interview? I said ‘actually, none, because females hadn’t applied’. She said ‘that’s not a reason’,” he says.
“So we went back to the market and, using LinkedIn and search tools, found a number of females and actually ended up recruiting a woman. I was sad to see only males coming forward, because the females believed ‘why should I bother applying? I won’t get it’.”
Dow holds women in leadership sessions where female leaders are invited to share their career success stories.
However Raja Al Gurg, president of the Dubai Women’s Business Council and managing director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, says that unlike men, many women fail to to broadcast their achievements. Instead they “just keep a low profile and sell their abilities cheaply”.
“Women unfortunately always feel guilty and inferior, they do this to themselves,” she adds. “Why should the men make the paths for women to become leaders? The women themselves can become leaders.”
Ms Al Gurg recalls a lunch with the IMF’s Christine Lagarde at February’s World Government Summit in Dubai, where one woman complained about men refusing to “look at your face and eyes” when she spoke to them.
“I said ‘oh, you accepted that?’ Lagarde, who was sitting next to me, asked ‘Raja, what would you do?’ I said, I would say ‘maybe my points are not valid’ … and go out of the meeting. If there is nobody to hear me, I don’t want to sit and talk in vain.”
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets