Globalization, new technologies, and changes in how public and private sectors create value and interact as stakeholders have sharply reshaped traditional models of leadership and created new rules of engagement.
In its efforts to strengthen public-private partnerships and private sector engagement, Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation co-hosted a “Corporate Leadership Day” hybrid event with Egypt’s leading corporate brands: Orange Egypt, Orange Business Services, DHL Express Egypt, Mars Wrigley and PepsiCo. The event, convened in celebration of Women during the month of March, featured an open-dialogue with Dr. Rania Al Mashat on inclusion, gender parity, agile governance and innovation in an ever-changing digital world.
The session witnessed the participation of more than 300 employees virtually across Egypt, with the presence of Ahmed Naguib, CEO Equant Egypt Orange Business Services Egypt; Dalia Salib, Managing Director Mars-Wrigley Egypt; Hesham Mahran, Vice President Orange Egypt; and Ahmed ElFangary, Country Manager DHL Express Egypt.
“2021 is the year of private sector engagement. Together with our multilateral and bilateral partners, we are investing in human capital by tapping on the private sector’s knowledge and expertise to further advance Egypt’s development” said Al Mashat.
Resilience en-face of the pandemic
The public and private sectors in Egypt quickly adapted to the “new normal” caused by the pandemic by involving digitalization and innovation in work regulations. Egypt tapped into its digital potential, as 60% of its population is youth; representing the dynamic force that has fostered creativity and adaptability as a quick and fast response to the hybrid work business model.
Hesham Mahran, Vice President Orange in Egypt shared that leadership also requires diversity, innovation and creativity. He shared that women in Orange participate in various fields of work and occupy senior positions. “The company provides various training programs that help women move forward at work in a way that guarantees gender equality. […] Orange has also launched several initiatives that affirm its care and support for the equality system between men and women, including the balanced representation of women in all jobs, strengthening their role, enhancing their effective participation in higher positions, and maintaining a balance between personal and professional lives,” said Mahran.
Effective leadership today demands quick adaptability to the dynamic business environment; innovation in the face of new challenges, developing smarter solutions; and authenticity in leadership, through transparency and governance.
“Resilience, agility and innovation are the keywords for surviving turbulences caused by global challenges. The main ingredients to foster a culture of innovation are people, processes and technology,” added Al-Mashat.
Rebuild & Recover: Gender Inclusive Policies
Promoting gender parity through collective action and sustainable investments is critical to deliver the Government of Egypt’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that it has accelerated reforms, including closing the gender gap to be able to build back better through inclusivity and nurturing diversity.
As advocates of Gender Equality, the private sector representation shared the importance of bringing women to the decision-making table commending the efforts carried out by the Ministry of International Cooperation to push for gender parity at the forefront of reform.
“We are honored to be with Al-Mashat to be a part of this discussion held between the public and private sector on women economic empowerment as a priority topic for the Government of Egypt as it is for Mars where it highlights the role the private sector can play,” said Dalia Salib, Managing Director Mars-Wrigley Egypt. Salib added that Mars-Wrigley Egypt has several initiatives that aim to empower women, such as the #HereToHear global survey. “This survey aims to capture the voices of millions of women telling us what needs to change in the workplace, sourcing communities, and the broader marketplace,” she added.
In February 2021, the Ministry of International Cooperation and the National Council for Women (NCW) launched the Action Plan for implementing the “Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator” in collaboration with the private sector, and in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF). The 10-pillar plan includes tasks and execution points that ensure women’s equal representation in the work, educational, and social spheres such as empowering work regulations, leadership mentorship and protocols, educational reskilling and preparation, digitalization of businesses, and social inclusion measures and policies.
At DHL Express Egypt, female employees have reached nearly 17% of the total workforce and 27% in managerial positions, said Ahmed ElFangary, Country Manager of DHL Express Egypt. He shared that, “our dream is to create an amazing experience for all our employees: a DHL4ALL. In our DHL4ALL initiative, we advocate equality, empowerment, and provide mentoring and a flexible working environment to inspire the next generation of women leaders.”
Private sector companies today are increasingly promoting and integrating environmental, social and governance measures, which hammer on the inclusion policies, promoting gender equality as an integral part of corporate governance.
“Diversity is the future, especially for a company that sells communication to the greatest number. Our customers are diverse, so it’s unthinkable that our employees wouldn’t reflect this diversity,” said Ahmed Naguib, the CEO of Equant Egypt Orange Business Service.
Women economic empowerment is at the forefront of Egypt’s national agenda for its clear quantifiable impact on GDP and productivity; it is a catalyst to push the global goals forward. Around 34 projects, worth $3.3 billion, are being executed to achieve the targets of gender equality, with the top targeted sectors including Health (20%), Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMes) (15%), and Education (14%).
