As the UAE commemorates Emirati Women’s Day on August 28, e& enterprise, the digital transformation arm of global technology group e&, is reaffirming its strategic commitment to developing Emirati talent and advancing gender inclusion. The occasion also marks the 50th anniversary of the General Women’s Union, amplifying national conversations around equity, unity, and sustainable development.

Under the official 2025 theme, “Hand in Hand, Celebrating the 50th,” the UAE is recognising the contributions of Emirati women across public and private sectors, particularly in science, technology, business, and governance. e& enterprise is aligning its human capital strategy with these national priorities through leadership development, digital upskilling, and inclusive policy frameworks.

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“Empowering Emiratis through mentorship, mobility, and upskilling is core to how we build sustainable success,” said Mariam Minhas Mannan, chief human resources officer at e& enterprise. “We’re focused on ensuring every high-potential Emirati, particularly women, has a clear path to career advancement within a culture that enables growth and performance.”

Building talent for a competitive digital economy

e& enterprise continues to invest in structured talent development initiatives that place Emiratis at the centre of its workforce strategy.

The company’s recently launched AI Graduate Programme is a cornerstone of this agenda. Since its rollout, 62 per cent of new graduate hires have been women, while the programme maintains an overall female participation rate of 81 per cent — a strong signal of gender representation in critical technology roles.

The programme is designed to equip Emirati graduates with core competencies in data science, machine learning, and applied artificial intelligence — areas identified as vital to the UAE’s digital competitiveness. Alongside the AI Academy, the company has launched technical upskilling modules in cybersecurity, software development, and agile project management.

This approach reflects a broader market shift in how organisations prepare talent for future roles that demand adaptability, cross-functional expertise, and digital literacy.

“We’re investing in the future economy by developing a digitally fluent workforce,” said Mannan. “Female participation in these programmes reflects the real shift in who is shaping the future of work.”

The company has also implemented flexible working arrangements tailored to new parents, including enhanced remote work policies and dedicated support through its New Mothers Network. These initiatives focus not only on wellbeing but also on removing systemic barriers to workforce re-entry for women after maternity leave.

Progress on Emiratisation and inclusion

e& enterprise has made measurable progress on its Emiratisation strategy, which aligns with national directives to strengthen the presence of UAE nationals in the private sector. Emirati employees currently represent 54.3 per cent of the company’s UAE workforce, up from 51.5 per cent in 2022. The company has set a target of reaching 60 per cent Emirati representation by 2030.

In parallel, the organisation is advancing its gender diversity goals. As of 2024, female representation stands at 26.2 per cent, up from 25.8 per cent the previous year. e& enterprise has formalised its intention to achieve 30 per cent female representation by 2030 in its UAE operations.

These gains are supported by internal systems for tracking talent progression and identifying high-potential individuals for acceleration programmes. The HR team has introduced key performance indicators linked to inclusive hiring, retention, and leadership readiness, with a strong focus on national talent.

Mannan, who joined the company in 2023, has led the implementation of people-first strategies across the organisation. With a background in human capital development across the Middle East and Africa, her mandate includes strengthening the company’s leadership pipeline and reinforcing its employee value proposition.

“It’s not only about increasing numbers; it’s about ensuring that talent is supported, developed, and positioned for impact,” she said.

The company’s alignment with NAFIS, the UAE’s national Emiratisation programme, further enables it to attract and develop Emirati professionals in areas such as cloud computing, enterprise IT services, and digital consulting.

Fostering a high-performance culture

e& enterprise’s inclusion efforts are reinforced by a broader cultural framework designed to enable performance while supporting employee wellbeing. Several internal initiatives are focused on improving daily experiences for employees, particularly working parents.

One example is the “How to Survive the Summer” workshop, developed to support employees managing childcare responsibilities during school breaks. Another initiative, the e& Mothers Gathering, created space for female employees to contribute to workplace improvement discussions and co-design solutions for common challenges.

“Culture creates conditions for trust and performance,” Mannan explained. “Our values reflect the belief that people perform best when they feel supported both personally and professionally.”

Launched in 2023, the She& campaign has become a key platform within the e& group to recognise, connect, and empower Emirati women. The initiative features employee-led storytelling, structured mentoring, and cultural visits — such as a curated experience at the Bait Al Banat Women’s Museum in Dubai. These activities strengthen connections across the group and reinforce the company’s long-term inclusion agenda.

The organisation’s adoption of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) reflects its alignment with global best practices for gender equity in business. The principles guide companies in areas such as inclusive leadership, equal pay, and non-discriminatory recruitment practices.

Internally, these principles are embedded through training, leadership accountability, and transparent reporting on gender-related KPIs. They also shape the design of career pathways, ensuring that merit-based advancement is equally accessible to all.

Looking ahead: investing in long-term leadership

As Emirati Women’s Day approaches, e& enterprise is positioning the occasion as more than a moment of recognition. It views the event as a call to action and a reminder that inclusion is foundational to national progress.

“We honour the legacy of Emirati women, but we also focus on what comes next,” said Mannan. “Investing in talent, especially high-potential women, is central to building the future workforce.”

Over the next five years, the company will expand its digital academies, leadership training tracks, and mentoring frameworks. This includes targeted development for mid-career Emirati professionals, aimed at enabling more women to move into senior and executive roles.

e& enterprise’s strategic focus is on delivering long-term value by aligning talent development with national digital transformation goals. This includes supporting employees through continuous learning opportunities, cross-functional project experience, and mobility across the wider e& group.

The organisation is also developing partnerships with universities and vocational training institutes to deepen its talent pipeline and ensure graduates are ready to meet market needs in technology, cybersecurity, and digital consulting.

The company’s approach is pragmatic: build for scale, deliver on KPIs, and ensure alignment with stakeholder expectations — from employees and customers to regulators and government partners.

By focusing on structured growth, measurable outcomes, and a values-driven culture, e& enterprise is working to ensure Emirati women, and all Emiratis, are positioned to shape the future of work.

Veolia has signed an agreement with CDPQ to acquire its 30 per cent stake in Veolia’s subsidiary, Water Technologies and Solutions (WTS), giving Veolia full ownership of the company. The move is expected to unlock further value potential, simplify the Group’s structure, and generate approximately €90m in additional run-rate cost synergies.

The acquisition forms part of Veolia’s GreenUp strategic roadmap, with capital allocated to strengthen its position in water technologies and in the United States—both identified as priority growth areas.

By acquiring CDPQ’s minority stake, Veolia will further cement its status as a global leader in water technologies, a market driven by rising demand for solutions addressing water scarcity, climate change, health challenges, and the needs of strategic industries such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and data centers.

Full ownership of WTS will enable Veolia to integrate operations more effectively, enhance performance, and capitalise on innovation opportunities. The Group expects to realise an additional ~€90 million of cost synergies by 2027. These synergies are described as “well-identified” with “very low execution risk” thanks to Veolia’s deep familiarity with the business and its proven track record in extracting efficiencies. The acquisition is expected to be accretive from 2026 and to improve Group ROCE.

Read: World Water Day: Preserving resources for a sustainable future

The purchase price of $1.75bn (approximately €1.5bn) represents ~11x EV/post-synergies 2025e EBITDA. Following the deal, Veolia will maintain financial headroom, with its Net Debt/EBITDA ratio remaining below the 3x target, ensuring flexibility to continue executing its GreenUp strategy.

Veolia also reaffirmed its 2025 guidance and GreenUp targets, setting a new goal to achieve an EBITDA CAGR of at least +10 per cent between 2023 and 2027 for its Water Technologies division.

Estelle Brachlianoff, Veolia’s chief executive officer, said: “This acquisition marks a pivotal step in unlocking the full value potential of Water Technologies, a growth booster identified as a priority in our GreenUp strategic plan, and a segment where we are already a market leader. Full ownership will enable us to accelerate growth, enhance operational efficiency and synergies as well as deepen the alignment with strategic priorities. This move is especially crucial given the urgent and rapidly evolving needs of the market, allowing us to respond faster and more effectively to emerging opportunities and challenges.”

Albrecht von Alvensleben, managing director, Head of Private Equity Europe at CDPQ, added: “We are proud of WTS’ achievements since our investment in 2017, as it has grown into a global market leader in water technologies. Through our partnership, we helped strengthen the company’s foundations and position it for sustained growth and long-term value creation. We are grateful for the close collaboration with the management teams at WTS and Veolia, and we wish them every success in this next chapter.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of June 2025.

Progress is not measured by ambition alone, but by who is empowered to shape it. As we mark Emirati Women’s Day, it’s worth asking what authentic leadership in science and technology looks like.

Not symbolically, but structurally. Who is at the table when decisions are made? Who is building the systems that will shape our society for decades to come?

The UAE has never accepted the premise that women in technology are an exception. Our leadership has long placed women at the center of national progress, whether in space exploration, renewable energy, or frontier sciences.

That vision is clear in the UAE’s knowledge-based economy, where women are expected to contribute as innovators, scientists and decision-makers.

For me, this is personal. I was raised around women who succeeded in medicine and finance, careers traditionally seen as rigorous but socially acceptable for women.

My path veered elsewhere. I was drawn to mathematics, to abstraction, to the logic of systems. That led me to cryptography, then to artificial intelligence, and ultimately to cybersecurity. I didn’t pursue technology to prove anything. I pursued it because it was the best way I knew to solve complex, real-world problems.

Along the way, like many women in technical fields, I encountered doubt. Not about the work but about my place in it. Those moments didn’t deter me. They clarified my purpose not just to participate, but to lead.

At the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), that vision comes to life every day. We are home to more than 355 women scientists and engineers, including 157 Emirati women, working across AI, robotics, quantum technologies, cryptography and space science. Many of them are leading AI research projects, from advancing our Falcon large language models to developing ethical AI systems, showing that women are at the forefront of shaping the UAE’s AI landscape. They are building infrastructure, shaping standards, and setting the pace for a new era of Emirati-led innovation.

Their contributions are proof of the UAE’s strategic capability.

Because globally, the picture is very different. According to Randstad, women represent less than one-third of AI professionals and just 18 per cent of AI researchers. The imbalance isn’t about interest or aptitude. It is about access, representation, and systems that determine who gets to lead. In a field as consequential as AI that is rapidly reshaping industries, geopolitics, and governance, that imbalance isn’t just unjust. It’s a liability.

UAE is making inclusion a ‘national advantage’

Here in the UAE, we are taking a different path, inclusion is not treated as a moral imperative, but as a national advantage.

One example is the NexTech Program, the flagship talent development initiative of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC). Designed exclusively for Emirati nationals, it has already placed 100 students, many of them women, at leading universities including Cambridge University, Yale, and CalTech.

By contributing to advanced projects abroad and bringing their expertise home, these women are emerging as future leaders in transformative technology, including AI. Their success stories demonstrate the UAE’s commitment to ensuring that women are central to its scientific future.

Emirati women in AI

And make no mistake: the stakes are high. The next generation of Emirati women in AI will be the ones who ensure that the UAE’s technological progress is inclusive, ethical, and globally competitive. They will write algorithms that drive our industries, design intelligent systems that serve society, and create solutions that we cannot yet imagine.

As one of the few women globally leading a deep tech research institute, I take seriously the responsibility to advance science, to lead and to mentor. I often meet young Emirati women who ask me how I found my place in this field. My answer is always the same: I didn’t wait for permission. As women, we belong here.

Every young woman considering a path in science and technology should have the courage to be bold. Your intelligence, creativity, and resilience are valuable. They are essential. This field needs your insight at the core.

But for this to happen, inclusion cannot remain aspirational. It must be operational. We must continue to invest in mentorship, education, and opportunity.

We must empower women in AI to unlock innovation, strengthen national competitiveness, and secure the UAE’s leadership in the technologies of tomorrow. If innovation is to serve all of society, then all of society must be involved in shaping it.

This Emirati Women’s Day is not just a celebration of what has been achieved but a reminder of what’s still at stake. AI is already embedded in our economies, public services, and security infrastructure. If we want systems that are effective, ethical, and resilient, they must reflect the full spectrum of human intelligence, and that includes women.

When women rise in AI, they lift more than themselves. They lift the standards, the systems, and the nation rises with them.

Read: Inclusivity in the workplace: A strategic imperative for the UAE

My Sports Academy (MSA), one of the UAE’s leading swimming organisations, has announced a landmark partnership with Australian Olympic Champion and World Record holder Stephanie Rice, who now resides in Dubai. Rice will spearhead My Swim Club, the region’s most comprehensive swimming programme, designed to save lives through water safety, build confidence through learn-to-swim education, and nurture future champions through performance excellence at every age.

The collaboration brings together MSA’s 14 years of regional expertise with Rice’s world-class performance insights, delivering programmes that aim to transform swimming education across the UAE.

“From a very young age, I knew I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer, and I will always be grateful to have grown up in a country with some of the world’s highest standards of learn-to-swim programmes. So I’m thrilled to be supporting MSA’s programme here in Dubai, the place I now call home, as the quality of their programme reflects the same teaching standards I was fortunate to grow up with. My hope is that your children benefit from the same high-quality swim education, whether they dream of becoming Olympic champions or simply want to enjoy the city’s wonderful beaches and pools with peace of mind,” said Stephanie Rice.

Rice will play an active role in curriculum development and coach support across MSA venues and partner schools, including Dubai British School (Barsha & Mira), Jumeirah Baccalaureate School (Al Wasl), The English College (Umm Suqeim & Mira), and Brighton College (Al Barsha South).

Read: Inside UAE’s wellness, sports communities: What is it like to live there?

MSA’s programmes are tailored to every stage of a swimmer’s journey, ensuring participants of all ages and abilities acquire essential water-safety skills while offering clear pathways to competitive excellence.

“Having three-time Olympic champion Stephanie Rice involved, brings elite level experience and a fresh perspective to our squads. As Head Coach at MSC, I’m extremely excited to collaborate with her this season. Our pathway is designed to develop both performance and character, while nurturing a lifelong love for the sport at every level,” said Dimitrije Didic, Head Coach, MSA.

Swimming continues to gain momentum in the UAE, supported by initiatives such as 24/7 night-swimming beaches, water parks, luxury residential developments, and a strong government push to promote wellness and leisure. However, according to the World Health Organization, drowning remains one of the leading causes of accidental death worldwide—a challenge also reflected in the UAE.

By combining infrastructure investment, community engagement, and international sporting expertise, the UAE is laying the foundation for a vibrant swimming culture. MSA, which already achieved notable victories such as winning the Dubai Open 2024/25, now aims to set a new gold standard for swimming education in the Middle East under Rice’s leadership.

With this partnership, MSA reinforces its mission to ensure every child in the UAE not only learns to swim but does so with confidence, skill, and ease.

As the global energy map is redrawn, the Middle East finds itself at the epicentre of a profound transformation. The region’s traditional hydrocarbon foundations are rapidly being complemented and, in some cases, challenged by an accelerating push into renewables, hydrogen, carbon capture, and digital innovation.

While capital investment and infrastructure headlines dominate, there’s a deeper shift underway: the emergence of a new energy workforce.

The GCC’s ability to compete and lead in this evolving landscape hinges on how well we reimagine our talent strategies. This is a moment of opportunity that GCC leaders must seize.

Talent strategy is business strategy

For decades, the energy industry has been built on deep technical expertise and legacy systems. But the emerging reality requires teams that are technically capable, adaptable, cross-disciplinary, digitally fluent, and diverse.

McKinsey projects that the global energy transition could create up to 25 million new jobs by 2050. The International Energy Agency projects continued expansion of energy sector employment by 2030, with clean energy expected to be the main engine of growth.

These are not incremental changes, they represent a bold realignment of the labour market, opening the door to new industries, new roles, and new possibilities for talent across the region.

Diversity drives long-term growth

Inclusion and adaptability are powerful catalysts for innovation and long-term competitiveness, core to any forward-thinking workforce strategy. The sector continues to face underrepresentation of women, particularly in field and leadership roles.

Saudi Aramco’s Women Development Program is a compelling example of an initiative tackling this gap head-on. At the same time, ADNOC’s In-Country Value (ICV) programme is redefining what it means to build national capabilities through structured localisation.

Diversity extends beyond gender or nationality and encompasses a spectrum of skillsets, experiences, and viewpoints. These varied perspectives are vital in today’s complex energy environment, where teams must navigate the interplay between legacy infrastructure and next-generation technologies.

Building capability, not just filling roles

The reality is that the talent needed to fuel this transition often isn’t readily available, but that presents an exciting opportunity to shape and cultivate a new generation of energy professionals.

This is why we have made workforce capability a priority at Advance Global Recruitment. Our focus is on professionals from adjacent sectors such as logistics and infrastructure, offering them a pathway into the energy sector through intensive, tailored training programmes.

Structured mentorship and knowledge transfer programmes are equally important. Bringing in international expertise is just the starting point. The real opportunity lies in embedding learning and leadership development at the heart of workforce models to create lasting value and sustainable growth.

The role of global expertise in local growth

Even with bold nationalisation and training initiatives, the region will continue to face short-term skill shortages in key areas like offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and AI/data intelligence.

International sourcing remains vital, but as a strategic tool to accelerate knowledge transfer and innovation.

Shaping the future through shared purpose

The GCC’s economic visions are bold, long-term blueprints for diversified, knowledge-based economies. Achieving them also depends on building human capital at scale.

The private sector must be a joint driver, particularly in shaping curriculum pipelines, training programmes, and policies that match real-world demand.

The UAE offers a strong model. Its pro-business environment, streamlined setup processes, and investment incentives show what public-private alignment can achieve. But as the skills equation becomes more complex, even tighter collaboration will be required.

From vision to execution

According to the World Economic Forum, 50 per cent of all employees will need reskilling by 2025. This figure underscores just how rapidly the global workforce is evolving. Nowhere is this shift more urgent, or more promising, than in the energy sector.

Reskilling should not be viewed as a cost, but as a strategic asset. The winning playbook includes targeted training, inclusive hiring, international partnerships, and measurable impact.

The bottom line

Infrastructure may fuel capacity, but people fuel progress. The GCC has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the global energy transition, not only through its projects, but through its people.

That journey begins by making talent development a priority today.

Read: How the GCC is fueling the transition to clean energy

The writer is the CEO at Advance Global Recruitment.