LEADING VOICES: Carolin Zeitler specialises in empowering people with aspirations and ambitions. Right: Claire Vyyan is currently the Vice President of Dell’s EMEA Enterprise Solutions Group.

Eminent speakers will discuss initiatives that can be implemented to help bridge disparity in a workplace. By Umer Nangiana

Bringing together local businesses and influential figures to discuss the importance of addressing the gender disparity within the workplace, Wise Qatar (Dell’s Employee Resource Group focused on Gender Diversity) is organising a panel and networking session, ‘Mind The Gap’ on Wednesday, December 2.
The session will provide an opportunity to share best practices and create new practical ideas or initiatives which can be implemented to help bridge the gap between the genders.
According to World Economic Forum, it will take 81 years to bridge the gap between genders in the world if it remains at its current pace. In 2014, Qatar ranked 116th out of the 142 countries reported in the Global Gender Gap Index report, based upon health, economic, political, education-based criteria.
Gender equality has made positive gains, however, more is required to bridge the gap between male and female equality in the workplace. Women are still under-represented in leadership roles, pay gaps between genders, biases, stereotypes and discrimination still exists.
The panellists for the half-day session, to be held at La Cigale Hotel from 5pm to 8pm, will consist of Dell’s Global Executive leaders and external high ranking figures within Qatar.
The panelists include Claire Vyyan who is currently the Vice President of Dell’s EMEA Enterprise Solutions Group, having previously been Director and General Manager of Dell’s UK Public Sector and Large Enterprises Business between 2011 and 2013.
Prior to re-joining Dell in April, 2011, Claire was the Global Client Director for BT Group at Microsoft Corp, responsible for Microsoft’s overall business relationship with BT globally, spanning TV, Music and Gaming, and provision of both on premise IT solutions and cloud services to both government, enterprises and small and medium businesses.
Claire started life out as an IT professional at ICI PLC, responsible for delivery and support of manufacturing systems, before moving across to an IT role at Mars from which she branched to roles with a more commercial focus.
Claire is married with three children, has a BSc in Mathematics and Sports Sciences and an MSc in Computer Sciences, both from Loughborough University of Technology.
The other panelist Carolin Zeitler’s work is first and foremost about connection and creating cultures that encourage connection. This is reflected in all her work; be it as an Executive Coach, author, a women’s empowerment activist or the founder of the How Women Work.
Carolin specialises in empowering people with aspirations and ambitions to liberate their potential, fully leverage their strengths and to become the leaders and change-makers they were put on this earth to be.
Even in her free time, Carolin follows her passion as a board member of ‘Global Entrepreneurship Week Qatar’ (GEWQatar). She was also a founding member of the ‘Qatar Professional Women’s Network’ (QPWN), and was entrusted with setting up and leading the mentoring ring ‘Circle of Pearl’ for its initial four years.
She is the author of How Women Succeed, inspiring women to create their own success, a practical guide to creating more success in your life with 21 powerful exercises and 21 inspiring women’s success stories, available on Amazon in e-book format.
The third panelist, Maryam al-Subaiey, is a Qatari writer and entrepreneur. She graduated with MSc in Development Studies from SOAS University and is currently running her own talent company. She was behind the innovation of the new Qatar Television, as she was the Director of Programs and Creation.
She published her first collection of children’s books during Doha Book Fair 2011. She also published her poems in Gathering the Tide: An Anthology of Contemporary Arabian Gulf Poetry in 2012.
Her essay ‘Qatarisation - implementation challenges’ won first prize in the Brooking Centre essay competition 2010. Maryam is the founder of UChange Qatari youth initiative and Q Talent company which supports local talents.
Through her company she works on several local projects which promote talent investment in the Creative Industries. Maryam was part of the team who broke the world record by teaching the biggest reading lesson in Arabic in April 2014. Maryam has won the 1st place in “Al-Fikra” competition 2014 in the professional category for her idea Q Talent.
Maryam is also co-founder of Qatar Together initiative which encourages youth to achieve the goals of Qatar 2030 vision. She is also a member of Arabian Gulf youth initiative and TOMOUH network for successful youth in the Arabian Gulf.
Facilitator Richard Strong for the last four years was responsible for the delivery of a large programme and a large team of people working with HMC and PHCC, to Design, Build and Implement the Clinical Information System at HMC and PHCC.
Prior to joining Dell, Richard worked for Cerner. He worked on Cerner implementations in UK, Saudi Arabia and across Europe. Richard started his career as a Medical Technologist working in diagnostic laboratories in the UK National Health Service.
Richard holds a Master of Science degree in Intelligent Systems, from Brunel University.

Related Story