(MENAFN- Memac Ogilvy) Amman, Jordan, 23 June 2022: Building on its commitment to and advocation of diversity and inclusion, AstraZeneca Near East and Maghreb (NEMAG) hosted the second edition of its Women Empowerment Summit from June 19 to 20, 2022 in Tunisia. The summit was attended and led by AstraZeneca representatives and its leadership team, in addition to prominent female figures within the region, with the aim of honoring and empowering women within the AstraZeneca workplace and beyond. The two-day summit discussed key topics such as the importance of fostering a welcoming environment, providing a platform that encourages open, transparent communications, prioritizing overall wellness and leading with purpose.
The summit was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Tunis in the presence of Her Majesty’s Ambassador Mrs. Helen Winterton, ambassador of Great Britain in Tunisia, and Her Excellency Mrs. Anna Block-Mazoyer, ambassador of Sweden in Tunisia, who hosted the final panel discussion of the event, sharing their experiences and insights and showcasing effective leadership in practice. The event was also attended by Rami Scandar, Country President at AstraZeneca NEMAG, Noha Zannoun, HR Director at AstraZeneca NEMAG and Leila Mrad, Tunisia Country Director – who were present on-ground – amongst all of AstraZeneca NEMAG’s senior leadership team, in addition to an inspirational line-up of key opinion leaders, speakers and panellists. Pelin Incesu, Area Vice President at AstraZeneca Middle East & Africa and Smita Saha, HR Director at AstraZeneca Middle East & Africa, attended the summit virtually.
Commenting on the summit, Rami Scandar, Country President at AstraZeneca NEMAG, stated: “As responsible members of the community, we – at AstraZeneca – are committed to leading crucial conversations with the aim of driving positive change within the region and the world. By hosting the Women Empowerment Summit for the second time, we aim to continue empowering women by highlighting how we must all, as a community, take ownership in our role towards making that happen. At AstraZeneca, we are continuing to do so by launching impact-driven programs and campaigns for our people, leading by example and ensuring AstraZeneca remains a Great Place to Work – and live.”
Across the two days, AstraZeneca hosted engaging workshops and panel discussions led by prominent figures from the region. Day one saw a session about AstraZeneca’s “Speak Up Culture” and the importance of maintaining an open and transparent line of communications by Noha Zannoun and Amel Semaoui, and a panel discussion on the stigma surrounding mental health. The day wrapped up with workshops on boundaries and wellbeing by Sara Aziz, Founder and President of Safe Egypt, and the inspirational story of Rania Hammad.
Day two focused on leadership workshops by Dina El-Selmy, Nevin ElGendy, Rania Badreldin, Wiem Klaa and Yassine Chaker. Building on that, a panel discussion was held to discuss leadership in practice, and the summit came to a close with the incredible story of chef May Yacoubi.
Noha Zannoun, HR Director at AstraZeneca NEMAG, added, "Even though we are a cluster of 12 countries, our people have proudly come together to ensure that AstraZeneca is a place where diversity and inclusion can thrive, encouraging the community to embrace all differences. It is with great pride that we are able to host the second edition of our Women Empowerment Summit in person in Tunisia and in the presence of influential, inspiring leaders and figures – giving us all the chance to witness how every story is worth telling. Today, we are thrilled to be celebrating and honoring our female leaders and community with the hopes to continue shaping the future and initiating positive conversations for future generations to embrace and take forward.”
The first edition of the summit was held in Beirut, Lebanon in 2018 and was attended by 130 AstraZeneca female employees and over 24 speakers – more than two thirds of which were female leaders. Participants discussed topics that ranged from work-life balance, unconscious biases in the workplace and sharing best practices from female leaders from within the region and the world.
The AstraZeneca Near East and Maghreb (NEMAG) cluster includes 12 countries, namely Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, Libya and Yemen, where 43% of the community are women, around 40% of which are in managerial and leadership roles.
For more information on AstraZeneca, please visit
MENAFN23062022003563009771ID1104421491
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.