Gender Balance Is Not An HR Agenda Or Women-Only Strategy: Standard Chartered Executive

Four UAE-based companies have been recognised for turning commitments to gender balance and women's leadership into workplace policies and initiatives, as the UAE Gender Balance Council celebrated its 2026 SDG5 Pledge Awards.

The awards, held under the theme“From Pledge to Impact”, recognised companies for progress in gender balance, women's representation in leadership, initiatives supporting gender equality and family-focused workplace policies.

The four winners were Standard Chartered Bank UAE, ADNOC, Schneider Electric and Deloitte Middle East, with each recognised in a different category.

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Standard Chartered Bank UAE won the Champions of Gender Balance and Policies Award, recognising its approach to embedding gender balance into organisational policies and practices.

Wasim Ben Khadra, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Bank UAE, said gender balance should not be treated as an HR agenda or a women-only strategy, but as a leadership responsibility embedded across the organisation.

He highlighted the bank's progress on parental leave as an example of how workplace policies can evolve over time. He said the bank had moved from two days of parental leave when he joined in 2013, to two weeks in 2017, and now offers 20 paid weeks of parental leave irrespective of gender.

Ben Khadra also pointed to flexible working arrangements as another area where workplace policies have evolved, saying organisations need to continue enhancing their strategies rather than treating gender balance as a box-ticking exercise.

ADNOC received the Pioneer of Women's Leadership Representation Award for its progress in women's representation across leadership and decision-making roles.

Mariam Al Mazrouei, Vice President, Group People Culture and Employee Experience at ADNOC, said women currently represent around 26.4 per cent of the company's senior leadership, with two women CEOs and six women in chief roles.

She said representation was not only about numbers, but also about the influence women have on business decisions and the direction of the organisation.

The SDG5 pledge, she said, had strengthened ADNOC's ambition to reach 30 per cent women in leadership by 2028, while leadership accountability, mentorship, visibility and access to development opportunities remain important parts of the journey.

At Schneider Electric, the Exemplary Initiative Advancing Gender Balance Award recognised its efforts to support women and young talent through initiatives extending beyond the company.

Asli Cakir, Vice President of Human Resources, Gulf Countries at Schneider Electric, highlighted a programme supporting female university students in fields including engineering, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and other technical disciplines.

The programme aims to help students navigate the transition from university into corporate environments, while providing mentorship, guidance and access to industry professionals.

Cakir said the initiative had grown from around 50 applicants to 100 applicants, while the number of participants increased from 25 to 50, requiring the company to expand its pool of mentors.

She described the programme as a two-way learning experience, with students gaining industry knowledge and Schneider Electric employees also learning from the perspectives of young women entering technical fields.

The Family-Focused Employer of the Year Award went to Deloitte Middle East, recognising workplace policies and practices designed to support employees both at work and at home.

Lamisse Muhtaseb, Managing Director, People and Purpose at Deloitte Middle East, said becoming a family-focused workplace was not a one-time achievement, but an ongoing process that requires organisations to adapt as employees' needs change.

She stressed the importance of policies being connected to wider business strategy, saying family support, wellbeing and gender inclusion should not operate in isolation.

The discussion also highlighted a recurring theme among the four companies: turning commitments into measurable action requires leadership accountability, clear targets and policies that can evolve with employees' needs.

The awards ceremony followed the UAE Gender Balance Council's launch of the SDG5 Pledge Awards initiative to recognise private-sector achievements and encourage greater ambition in gender balance and women's leadership.

The council said that among companies that submitted their 2025 data, 70 per cent reported that women held at least 30 per cent of middle and senior management positions. Ten companies have also committed to reaching 50 per cent gender parity by 2028, according to remarks delivered at the ceremony.

The council also announced that eight new organisations would sign the SDG5 pledge, expanding its signatory community as companies continue to move from commitments towards measurable impact.

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