UAE: Four male CEOs honored for supporting female colleagues – News

These men actively champion and empower women leaders while supporting them to gain board positions

During Khaleej Times’ 2022 Middle East Women’s Boards, four male CEOs were honored for their role in actively advocating and empowering women leaders and supporting women’s access to board positions.

The award was presented by Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women’s Institute and Secretary-General of the UAE Gender Balance Council.

The first recipient was Nader Haffar, Chairman and CEO of KPMG Middle East. Haffar has been at the forefront of management consulting for the past 25 years. Chairman and CEO of KPMG Lower Gulf (UAE and Oman) since 2018, Nader has been a driving force for change within the firm.

In March 2022, KPMG Lower Gulf signed the UAE Gender Balance Council’s ‘commitment’ to achieve 30% women in management by 2025. Since then, the company has focused on women’s participation in leadership from middle management to the highest level of decision-making roles.

Mars Middle East and North Africa General Manager Per Johansson was also honored. Johansson has over 25 years of experience driving teams striving for regional growth, synergies and comprehensive stakeholder management. Before joining the Dubai team, Johansson worked at Bosch Security Systems in Sweden and Singapore.

Alexis Lecanuet, Senior Managing Director, Accenture Middle East, is the third recipient. He is responsible for developing and executing Accenture’s strategy in the region and managing the local business.

During his 24 years at Accenture, he directed large and complex transformation projects in Europe and MENA, mainly in the consumer and retail industries. He is a recognized regional leader, seasoned speaker, and is ranked among the top 50 leaders in the Forbes region’s “Global Meets Local.”

The fourth honoree is Duncan McCulloch, General Manager of Mars Middle East and Africa. He was responsible for leading the entire business in the GCC markets, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa and the Levant, and spent over 20 years at Mars across the Mars Chocolate, Gum, Mint, Fruity Confectionery and Pet Care business categories, holding numerous Senior roles across many geographies including the UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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He also has additional responsibilities as a member of Mars Incorporated’s Global Inclusion and Diversity Council and as a project sponsor for Mars’ purpose-driven business innovation programs.

Sponsored by MOTF, BEE Concierge & Travel & Events Services, and Marriott International Luxury Brands, the forum includes keynote presentations, career-focused case studies, panel discussions, and interactive workshops.

The topics discussed were related to women’s empowerment, closing the gender gap and developing women’s strong leadership skills. Participants discussed increasing women’s representation on boards and the role of executive search in increasing the number of women on boards.