Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 27 August 2024: Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today announced that over 110 women have joined the company since Emirati Women's Day 2023, including 67 UAE Nationals. 

EGA now employs over 550 women in the UAE in total, including more than 195 in operations. The company is aiming for 25 per cent of supervisory roles to be held by women by 2025, up from around 20 per cent today, and 15 per cent of all positions by 2026.

EGA marked Emirati Women's Day with the launch a new initiative dedicated to promoting gender diversity across UAE industry.

EGA's Break the Mould initiative aims to inspire young women with an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to follow in the footsteps of pioneering women who have made significant contributions to the UAE industrial sector.

The UAE is one of only a few countries in the world where more women than men graduate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said: 'At EGA and in the UAE industrial sector, pioneering women are making significant contributions and inspire many more women to follow in their footsteps. Emirati Women's Day is an opportunity to celebrate their achievements in our industry and our nation. We believe that diversity leads to improved business performance, and we are committed to creating more opportunities for women and to inspire the next generation of women leaders and innovators in the UAE.'

On Emirati Women's Day, EGA's Women's Network organised an event for all women at EGA to showcase the progress made so far and discuss how to further accelerate gender diversity.

In 2022, EGA opened the long-standing National Training programmes for front-line roles in industrial operations to women for the first time. Some 20 per cent of the programmes' new joiners were women in the first full year since opening the programme for females.

Last year, EGA launched the Challenger Programme, which brings together leading industrial companies to make quicker progress on promoting gender diversity by addressing shared practical challenges.

EGA is a signatory to the United Nations' Women's Empowerment Principles and committed to promoting gender diversity throughout its business as well as advocating for women's role in industry and society.