General Motors Africa and Middle East marked International Women’s Day by championing its ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion in the region.
The global automotive giant spotlighted the more than 370 women in its workforce in the Middle East — with a large portion of females in GM working in managerial and technical roles such as engineering, analytics, finance and key aftersales positions at the company’s regional dealership network.
This further adds to GM’s already strong lineup of women in the workforce, holding senior leadership roles spanning multiple disciplines from marketing to compliance and comprising chief officers and directors in GM Africa and Middle East headquarters. This extends to dealerships in the GCC, Levant and North Africa, too, where Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have the highest volume of women in the workplace, following GM’s Middle Eastern headquarters in the UAE.
“At General Motors, we are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and globally we aspire to be the most inclusive company in the world,” said Luay Al-Shourafa, president and managing director, GM Africa and Middle East. “From putting in place local employee programs and initiatives to building on our global efforts to support our MENA community, all of this is underpinned by our commitment to our people and what we call the three tenants: Trust, Empathy and Flexibility. Female empowerment is something we always champion at GM and we will continue driving equal opportunities across the board to help better our society and our business.”
The automotive industry is primarily thought of as a male-dominated world, especially at the leadership and dealership level. However, GM continues to push to change this — starting from the very top with Mary Barra, the auto industry’s first female CEO. In 2020, Barra was ranked No. 6 in Forbes Power Women List, and is widely regarded as the most consequential leader in today’s auto business.
Its most recent partnership saw GM join forces with Stanford University to bring to Dubai the virtual Women in Data Science Conference (WiDS) for the first time in the region, taking place on International Women’s Day.
“Data science is at the heart of our journey to help create a future that is safe, equitable and all-electric. Investing in the development of this talented workforce is critical. That’s why we’re proud to support Stanford’s Women In Data Science Conference,” stated Sheri Marshall, head of global analytic capability development at GM International.
The regional WiDS Conference profiles professionals and students in various fields to share technical trends, discuss ethics in machine learning and share how data science is advancing by solving complex issues in health, environment and other industries.
