Emirates NBD: #Dubai’s Biggest Bank to Boost Number of Women in Senior Roles - Bloomberg

Emirates NBD: Dubai’s Biggest Bank to Boost Number of Women in Senior Roles - Bloomberg

Emirates NBD plans to fill a quarter of all senior positions with women over the next five years as Dubai’s biggest bank joins a global push for greater gender diversity.

Females represent 41% of the lender’s workforce, and “while this exceeds industry standards, we must now increase female representation at senior levels,” Managing Director Hesham Abdulla Al Qassim said in a statement.

The United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, of late has been pushing for gender diversity in top leadership positions and board rooms. The Gulf nation now requires listed companies to have at least one woman on their boards. First Abu Dhabi Bank, the country’s biggest lender, appointed a female as its chief executive officer last year.

Emirates NBD has one woman on its board after the lender’s shareholders last month approved a list of nine candidates. Females on the bank’s top executive team include chief human resources officer Eman Abdulrazzaq and head of research Khatija Haque.