The Qatari Businesswomen Association (QBWA), in collaboration with Interactive Business Network (IBN), will host the fourth annual Qatar International Business Women Forum on November 11-12 at The St Regis Doha. This year’s event, which will be the largest of its kind in the region, will have as its theme “Arab businesswomen: agents of change”. It will cover six sessions and feature 37 speakers from 13 countries. Key speakers for the opening session will include HE Dr Mohamed bin Saleh al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry; Bart Cahir, ExxonMobil Qatar president and general manager; Wael Sawan, managing director and chairman of Qatar Shell; and Aisha Alfardan, vice-chairwoman of QBWA; in addition to Raed Chehaib, CEO of event organisers IBN. Launching the forum, Alfardan said: “The Qatar International Business Women Forum has quickly established itself as the region’s leading platform for discussion and action on the issues surrounding women in business. Topics under discussion will include leadership in business, capitalising on women’s capabilities and removing obstacles in business and society to help them become leaders. We will also look at leadership styles and the importance of promoting and supporting entrepreneurship, innovation and funding as a means of enabling businesses to grow.” Chehaib, on his part, said: “The increasing popularity and prestige of this forum is testament to its scope - the hottest topics of the moment are discussed freely and frankly and it has been a great platform for encouraging change in the industry to enable more women to become business leaders.” He said the forum would focus on the human aspect of women in business, including issues such as encouraging entrepreneurship, raising methods of effective leadership, angel investing and the importance of emotional intelligence and highly-developed social skills. The opening night of the forum will also see the announcement of the winners of the Qatar Business Women of the Year 2013 awards at a gala dinner. The awards were launched in 2007. The winners will be judged based on criteria such as leadership, future goals and financial performance, practical and professional achievements, level of participation in and contribution to community service and creativity and innovation. “These awards reflect the ambitious goals of our organisation as it seeks to promote the highly experienced and able women who can be our business leaders, and to enhance communication between institutions and major corporations in Qatar to the benefit of all women in business in Qatar and the wider region,” said Alfardan. http://www.gulf-times.com/qatar/178/details/367894/forum-on-women-in-business

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