The British Council held a panel discussion on the importance of empowering women in the financial sector as part of the global celebration of International Womens’ Day.
The panel consisted of Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad al-Thani, managing director, Business Development at Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority; Aseel al-Obaidan, associate director – Balance Sheet Management, HSBC Bank Qatar; and Anna Zhang, senior associate, Investment Management Supervision of QFC Regulatory Authority.
The panellists shared their experience of work and study in the UK, as well as advice for studying and working in finance and business to encourage the younger generation of females to be successful leaders in the field.
The event was held at the Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration School for Girls and was attended by Sam Ayton, director of British Council in Qatar; James Elwes, COO of HSBC Qatar; and 100 students from the school.
In a statement, the British Council said the Planning and Statistics Authority in Qatar reported that when comparing female economic participation rate to that of males, a gender gap is visible in recent years.
“Female economic participation rate reached 60.9% of male economic participation. As for the Qatari economic participation rate, there is a clear rise in economic participation rate for males compared to females, accounting for 68.2% for males compared to 36.7% for females in 2017. Despite the shrinking gender gap between both genders, disparity still exists, where the female economic participation rate is 53.8% of male participation rate.
“The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide. Working effectively in ensuring equal access to opportunities for all individuals is an essential part of this. We are committed to tackling gender discrimination,” the statement said.
Ayton said, “We put fairer access to opportunities at the heart of everything we do. Gender inequality remains one of the most urgent but solvable societal issues around the world; empowerment of women and girls is a priority for the British Council.
“We had a very inspiring panel who shared their experiences of studying in the UK, working in the finance and business sector, and how they had overcome the challenges they had faced as leaders in their fields. It was a perfect place to celebrate IWD with such a fiercely-talented group of girls.”
Elwes said, “For HSBC, gender equality in the workforce is a key priority as we believe that only an inclusive and diverse workforce can effectively represent the customers that we serve.
“A diverse team is a key differentiating factor in a very competitive business environment and in Qatar we are aiming to recruit, retain, and develop the best talent for our business. This will lead to a better understanding of our customer’s needs and help to optimise the service that we provide. Our commitment to invest in the best talent in the market is aligned to the Qatar National Vision of human capital development.”
Dhabya al-Buenain, principal of Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration School for Girls, said: “We’ve been honoured to host this remarkable event. I am delighted to celebrate the efforts exerted in empowering women in the financial sector and transformative power of women and girls in Qatar.
“Qatar Banking Studies and Business Administration School for Girls is taking a very important part in a variety of initiatives to show its continued support and commitment to gender equality, economic empowerment, and female representation and inclusion in the workplace."
Related Story