Christine Lagarde, the French Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment will speak at the second annual Women in Leadership (WIL) Forum organised by naseba, due to take place on November 23rd – 24th 2010 at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Lagarde, born in Paris on January 1st 1956, has had an extraordinary career, graduating from law school then obtaining a masters degree from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques d’Aix-en-Provence. She then gained an internship at the United States Capitol as William Cohen’s congressional assistant. Now Lagarde is France’s Minister of Economic Affairs and is the first woman to be appointed in such a capacity in a G8 economy.
In 2008 Lagarde was ranked the 30th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine and made history by becoming the first female chairman of the international law firm Baker & McKenzie. The Financial Times also ranked her the best minister of Finance in the Eurozone in November 2009. Lagarde, a role model for every young budding female politician, she will also debate what the future holds for the next generation of businesswomen.
Lagarde will address leading businesswomen at the forum via video link drawing on her own considerable experience from an idealistic student to one of the most prominent female political figures on the world stage today.
Other high profile speakers to address delegates at the forum include Fatima Al Jaber, COO, Al Jaber Group, who is an accomplished engineer with significant expertise in the management of international businesses in a variety of industrial sectors. In 2007, Al Jaber was voted by Forbes Arabia as the seventh most influential woman in the Arab world and as one of the most influential business women in the region for the year 2008.
Also speaking at this year’s forum is Salma Ali Saif Bin Hareb, who became the first woman in the MENA region to be appointed head of a free trade zone when she took over operations of Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority in June 2005. In September of the same year, as CEO of Economic Zones World, Salma’s responsibilities widened to cover global operations currently spanning 13 countries and include TechnoPark, Dubai Auto Zone and now Gazeley, a global developer of sustainable logistics space.
“These women are possibly the first Arab role models for young Arab women throughout the Middle East. All of our speakers and panellists have excelled in their respective fields and are highly regarded in the Arab business world. WIL is a platform for young business professionals to listen, recognise and engage with true leaders, drawing inspiration from their experiences,” said Sophie Le Ray, CEO, naseba.
Organiser of WIL, naseba produces, promotes and hosts business summits, professional training courses and business exhibitions targeting executive level attendees across multiple vertical industries. Each event is focused on re-education, networking and creating a ’deal-flow’ platform for all participating organisations.
For more information about WIL, please log on to www.wilforum.com
