HABTOOR GRAND RESORT JBR / DUBAI / UAE
Providing real-world solutions to the
challenges of gender bias and ethnic diversity
in today’s Construction sector.
31 October 2023
MAIN HALL
09:00
Introduction
Laura Naylor / Broadcaster & Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant
Welcome to the ED&I: Women in Construction Summit 2023
A review of the key themes throughout the event and why it represents an important milestone in lobbying for ethnic and gender equity in the GCC construction sector.
MAIN HALL
09:10
Keynote Presentation
Chris Bernard / Partner, Global People Recruitment & Equality, Diversity & Inclusion / HKA
ED&I – opportunities, road-blocks and what the data is telling us
To what extent are companies internationally taking up the benefits of an ED&I-led culture, and what areas are leading the way? Where do we see the primary obstacles and how best will they be overcome? What are the elements where best progress is being made and how can we all follow suit?
MAIN HALL
09:30
Fireside Chat
Anne-Lyse Raoul / Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) / JLL
The hallmarks of a compliant and EDI-aware organisation
As we lobby for ED&I fair play and gender equality, what are the aspects that the truly compliant business will embody? What are the corporate directives that need to be issued and followed? What is the engagement of HR, Human Capital and the main Board?
MAIN HALL
10:15
Fireside Chat
Naomi Miles / Vice President of Human Resources, Middle East and Africa / AtkinsRéalis
Bringing ED&I into the business
What are the steps that an organisation should follow to properly ensure adoption of an ED&I compliant culture? What must come from the Board and then, how should these initiatives trickle down and be managed day-to-day? What are the additional roles that HR professionals must play?
MAIN HALL
10:45
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
Practical Steps to a Culture of ED&I
Perkins Eastman has grown from a single office to an international and highly-respected architectural firm. From Day One, it has placed the need for Diversity front and centre of the business – a decision reflected in its recruitment practices, client-facing teams and creative output. How does this work in practice? Here, a team from Perkins Eastman tackle and explain the key issues and challenges.
Talking Points:
- The importance of Diversity in achieving Excellence
- How diverse recruitment works in practice
- The role of gender equality and executive leadership
- The importance of mentoring and the ability of every staff member to pick a mentor
Speakers:
- Supriya Thyagarajan / Managing Principal, Mumbai / Perkins Eastman
- Li Ren / Project Architect / Perkins Eastman
- Carolina Godinho / Associate / Perkins Eastman
- Christina Bahou / Associate / Perkins Eastman
Moderator:
- Preeti Mogali / Associate Principal / Perkins Eastman
MAIN HALL
11:30
Presentation
Dipali Shirsat / Founder / The Visual Poetry
Inclusive Design
Factoring the needs of People of Determination should be a key emphasis of every aspect of commercial and residential design, and here we get to understand how the right level and style of lighting can dramatically improve the comfort and performance of the visually impaired in the workplace.
MAIN HALL
11:55
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
The Diversity Quotient: ED&I in Culture, Teams & Service
What is preventing businesses from being more proactive when it comes to Diversity? How is it possible to formulate strong strategies for Diversity which then become a core part of company culture and are manifest across working teams? What is the impact that these approaches have to client output and service values?
Talking Points:
- The importance of building a Diversity Culture
- The present challenges to Diversity awareness
- What is the impact of ED&I on the way client-facing teams are built?
- Is there a role for quotas when it comes to ethnicity and gender?
- How do we fully integrate People of Determination into the workplace?
Speakers:
- Lucy May / Global Head of DEI and Culture/ Cundall
- Aarti Thadani / Counsel / Norton Rose Fulbright
- Jennifer Stables / Associate Director / AECOM Middle East & Africa
- Akhila Koroth / Quantity Surveyor / ISG
- Dr. Hagir Hakim / Senior Director of Studies for Construction Management and Surveying Programmes / Heriot-Watt University
- Emma Jordaan / Founder/ Infinite Consulting
- Manisha Dayaram / Chief Commercial Officer / The Devmark Group
Moderator:
- Sarah Saxon / Regional Head of Human Capital / Compass Project Consulting
MAIN HALL
12:45
Lunch
Networking
Lunch Break
MAIN HALL
13:30
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
The C-Suite: what are the answers in the Boardroom?
This session will look at how senior executives are addressing today’s most critical human capital issues – eg, why is it still endemic in the GCC that people are paid according to ethnicity, not skillsets? Why do we still see an extraordinary lack of women at Board level in the private sector? Why does leadership training remain so scarce?
Talking Points:
- Leading from the top – what the Board can do
- Taking the step toward parity of rewards across all ethnicities
- Encouraging gender proactivity throughout all levels of seniority
- How to implement effective leadership training
- Why recruitment and retention of Generation Z is still elusive
Speakers:
- Nicola Trivett / Commercial Director / Summertown Interiors
- Adam Smith / Managing Director / Polypipe Middle East
- Sarah Saxon / Regional Head of Human Capital/ Compass Project Consulting
- Nicky Dobreanu / Branch Director / Omnium International Ltd.
- Ralf Steinhauer / Director/ RSP
- Christopher Nicolas / Director/ TBH
- Statia Breen / Head of People & Culture / ALEC
- Swati Rokade / Associate / Godwin Austen Johnson
Moderator:
- Paul Godfrey / Head of Content / Middle East Consultant
MAIN HALL
14:15
Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
The impact of Mentoring
Mentoring can play a powerful role in securing the progress of female executives and ethnic minorities through the ranks – and can substantially boost confidence. Yet, how is Mentoring best put in place in order to work effectively? How much does it cost in terms of time and corporate investment? Can it work across departmental, office and national boundaries?
Talking Points:
- What do we actually hope to achieve with a Mentoring culture?
- Does Mentoring require physical one-to-one meetings or can it be virtual?
- How does a company set up the first phase of Mentoring?
- How does Mentoring interact with HR?
- How can a business select its raft of Mentors?
Speakers:
- Jude Wilson-Brown / Marketing and Communications Director, Middle East and Africa / HKA
- Alison Eslick / Senior Associate, Energy & Natural Resources Group / Reed Smith
- Marina Kindelan / Director of Facades – Middle East / AESG
- Nicolina Nedialkova / Site Operations Manager/ SSH
- Kathren Salah / Senior Consultant / TBH
- Roxy Reynolds / Senior Commercial Manager/ Omnium International Ltd.
- Alia Saleh / Finance Director, South East Asia & Middle East / ISG
Moderator:
- Marianna Piccolo / CEO and Founder / MY PICK ONE
MAIN HALL
15:00
Event Closes
Event Closes