Gender Balanced Workplace Vital To Attract FDI To Qatar

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Deepak John | The Peninsula

Doha: Female-led entrepreneurship and innovation is crucial to economic development, and creating a gender balanced workplace is essential to attract further foreign direct investment to Qatar and bolster the country's position as an ideal place to work and do business for international companies, said a senior official during an event.

The Qatar financial Centre (QFC) recently organised a webinar entitled 'Visionary Women in Tech – Inspiring Diversity, Leadership and Entrepreneurship' which shed light on the pioneering role of women worldwide, and highlighted the role women in Qatar have in supporting the national economy at an increasing rate.

Addressing the event, Sheikha Alanoud Al Thani, Deputy CEO & Chief Business Officer at QFC said:“Creating a gender balanced workplace is essential to attract further foreign direct investment to Qatar and bolster our position as an ideal place to work and do business for international companies. Without female participation, progress would stagnant yet as women in Qatar our journey is supported by the wise leadership, we have the power to create our own opportunities and be equal partner in shaping the future”. 

She added:“Qatar has long stood at the forefront of women's empowerment across all industries starting in the early years to higher education opportunities. In the tech sphere we see a growing ecosystem that encourage female participation whether in starting their own startups, finding business funding, or collaborating with others. Many women trailblazers came before us and unlocked opportunities for women in the STEM field”. 

Sheikha Alanoud further explained that female-led entrepreneurship and innovation is crucial to economic development. Citing a study by McKinsey Global Institute, she noted that advancing women's equality can add $12 trillion to the global economy by 2025, an impact that is roughly equivalent to the size of the combined Chinese and US economies today. This becomes an ever more important endeavor against the backdrop of COVID-19 and the setbacks to equality, economic advancements and access to education which has affected women worldwide in recent years. 

“To shape the future, we must uphold women's rights and leverage the true potential of women's leadership. It starts by recognising the unique contributions, generating creative solutions for the future, resourcefulness and new ways of thinking, and bringing sustainable development for all,” she added. Sheikha Alanoud also reiterated that Qatar is host to various initiatives that place women at the centre of tech innovation. Just a few months ago, Injaz Qatar and Microsoft launched the women technopreneurs project to empower women to partake in the AI industry which is expected to bring about 58 million new jobs globally in this year alone. 

“Internationally, we are represented by Qatari IT leaders who help put us on the map, emphasising crucial role women play as leaders in digital entrepreneurship. Our country has also launched several projects that actively promote women's participation in the economy through their own business. Along with many other institutions, QFC stands at the forefront of women empowerment and leadership. About 37 percent of the QFC Authority workforce is female, approximately 80 percent of female QFC colleagues are highly skilled experts in their respective fields,” she added. 

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