Sharjah’s NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, NAMA, and the London-based international organisation Global Thinkers Forum, GTF, have launched the Athena MENA Mentoring Programme 2018 to help women in the region to develop new skills and expertise, and to enhance and expand their professional and personal prospects.

The new partnership with a leading worldwide organisation reflects NAMA’s ever-increasing efforts to empower 100 women from the MENA region by 2020, and equip them with leadership skills that help them chart their own future path. The selected candidates are provided with a personalised development opportunity to address individual learning needs over a period of eight months.

The Athena MENA Mentoring Programme 2018 aims to develop talents, abilities and business acumen of 10-15 women above the age of 22, and provide them with support and networking opportunities and give them a deeper insight into modern business practices.

The programme offers guidance, mentorship, and professional advice for mentees by deepening their understanding of international markets and helping them with confidence-building. Adopting scientific and practical strategies and clear action plans for the inclusion of women in local, regional and global economies, the programme encourages women to launch and set up their own enterprises, a forward-thinking scheme that leads to creating a generation of active women leaders.

The GTF provides the Athena MENA Programme with an elite group of highly-experienced mentors, many of whom are CEOs and directors of leading international companies and organisations, to present workshops and training sessions to mentees.

"In our efforts to empower women we are inspired by the vision and directives of H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of NAMA, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, who believes in women’s massive potential and their ability to make unique achievements and substantial contributions to the economy and community," said Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment.

She continued, "The Athena MENA Programme is the fruition of the Women Economic Empowerment Global Summit, WEEGS, which was held in Sharjah in December 2017, and highlighted the need to create a motivating environment for women that helps in production, development, growth and innovation on the basis of merit and competence. In this vein, we launched the ‘Pledge’ initiative that aims to enable women in the working environment."

Elizabeth Filippouli, Founder and CEO of GTF and Global Thinkers Mentors, said, "We are delighted and honoured for the partnership with NAMA to launch this very important Mentoring Programme in MENA. The potential, talent and capacity that is to be found among women in the MENA region is huge. By launching this programme our aspiration is to highlight this dynamism that can add immense value to the MENA economies."