A year after its launch we spoke to Layal Takieddine, head of marketing at OMD UAE and an instrumental member in the launch and success of Omniwomen in the region.
Omnicom launched the UAE chapter of its global initiative, Omniwomen, on International Women’s Day 2017. The initiative is dedicated to championing the number and influence of female talent within the company and is currently active in ten local chapters across the globe, including in the USA, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, China and the UAE.
How did the Omniwomen initiative come alive in the UAE in the past 12 months?
Omniwomen is a global Omnicom-wide initiative that champions the role of women in the workplace and aims to empower them to take on leadership roles. It was launched here in the UAE on March 8 last year by senior executives from Omnicom Media Group, OMD, TBWA, RAPP and Impact BDDO, with an event that discussed equality, diversity and inclusion. We also announced the three pillars on which we will focus:
Education: Kick-starting the conversation to change the stereotypical narrative in the workplace and work towards eliminating gender bias.
Work/Life balance: Working closely with HR to put programs in place that support mothers and fathers to be able to focus on both their professional and personal responsibilities.
Training & mentorships: Putting programs in place to give the right opportunities and tools for growth, no matter the seniority level
The event included speakers from Jumeirah, MBC, Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research as well as inspirational talks, in particular from Raha Moharrak, the first Saudi woman to climb Mount Everest. This event marked our ambition and dedication to bringing Omniwomen to life through those many aspects that will lead to a positive change.
In the course of the last few months, we have been elaborating a plan of action and defined some of our activities. OMD’s Farah Moumneh also spoke at the Achieving Women Forum in 2017 about building personal and business brand value.
To read the interview in full, go to Communicate Online
