Mrs Nadine Halabi

Mrs Nadine Halabi is the Business Development Manager for the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), Nadine Halabi oversees the mission of the Council to provide strategic education, training and networking opportunities to aid the holistic development and aspirations of UAE-based women, towards the acceptance of women in business. Since taking up the position in 2011 Nadine has played a key role within the Council, coordinating the high-profile board members, stakeholders and members in line with the values and vision set out by its president, Dr Raja Al Gurg. Nadine has been instrumental in growing the Council’s membership to a more than 500 strong community of visionary and influential trailblazing women. Nadine has been at the forefront of ensuring the Council continually delivers on its promise to enhance positive change towards a more gender balanced society by pioneering new programmes and initiatives that inspire women to be the best version of themselves. An ambitious woman in her own right, and a shining ambassador for the Council’s vision and values, Nadine consistently demonstrates the drive and motivation to scale new heights in her role while inspiring others. A committed intrapreneur, Nadine presented a women’s empowerment initiative to the Council’s board members in 2013, which resulted in the launch of Ro’Ya in 2014. Spearheaded by Nadine, the initiative empowered more than 200 budding female enterpreneurs over the course of two successful editions, presenting them with a unprecedented platform to showcase their remarkable business plans. In addition to giving participants an arena to display their ideas, Nadine’s vision for the initiative was to encourage education and networking among participants and Council members to develop new skills and share best practices. The Ro’Ya initiative also opened the doors for participants to potential partnerships with influential organisations, collaborators seeking to support gender parity, media engagement and investors interested in the talent this country has to offer. Through Ro’Ya, Nadine created a campaign that was beneficial to the entrepreneurs but was also a positive reflection on the work of the Council and the support of the UAE’s business community. Throughout her tenure, Nadine has brokered numerous mutually beneficial partnerships with various organisations through innovative barter deals, enhancing the Council’s profile and strengthening its standing in the community. As a result, the DBWC is able to offer its members more value-driven workshops, industry specific seminars, mentoring programmes, and networking opportunities. The Council’s vision for gender parity can only be achieved if the wider society embraces the goal. To this end, Nadine has worked tirelessly on collaborations and joint initiatives with the United Nations, the University of Wollongong in Dubai and the Harvard Business Review to facilitate knowledge sharing and debate among a wider audience.Working in a society that remains largely influenced by culture and tradition, Nadine continues to create forums for exploring changing trends of female leadership in the modern world.