Four UAE-based companies win recognition for gender balance and women’s leadership at the 2026 SDG5 Pledge Awards. The UAE Gender Balance Council recognised workplace policies, leadership representation, mentoring initiatives and support for families.
Standard Chartered Bank UAE, ADNOC, Schneider Electric and Deloitte Middle East each received a different award. Held under the theme “From Pledge to Impact”, the ceremony focused on translating commitments into workplace action.
UAE-Based Companies Win Recognition For Workplace Policies
Standard Chartered Bank UAE received the Champions of Gender Balance and Policies Award. The recognition covered its approach to embedding gender balance in organisational policies and practices, according to Khaleej Times’ report.
Wasim Ben Khadra, the bank’s Managing Director and Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, described gender balance as a leadership responsibility. He said it should extend across the organisation rather than remain an HR agenda or women-only strategy.
Ben Khadra highlighted changes in parental leave. The bank offered two days when he joined in 2013, then two weeks in 2017.
It now offers 20 paid weeks of parental leave irrespective of gender, he said. He also cited flexible working arrangements and urged organisations to keep improving their strategies.
Related coverage examines support for women returning to work. That separate initiative concerns workplace access and employee support.
Leadership Targets And Mentoring Shape Recognition
ADNOC received the Pioneer of Women’s Leadership Representation Award. Mariam Al Mazrouei, Vice President, Group People Culture and Employee Experience, described progress across leadership and decision-making roles.
Women represent around 26.4 per cent of senior leadership, she said. The company has two women CEOs and six women in chief roles.
Al Mazrouei said representation also concerns women’s influence on business decisions and organisational direction. The SDG5 pledge strengthened ADNOC’s ambition to reach 30 per cent women in leadership by 2028.
Leadership accountability, mentorship, visibility and development opportunities remain important, she said. Related reporting considers women’s representation in management across a separate regional context.
Schneider Electric received the Exemplary Initiative Advancing Gender Balance Award. Asli Cakir, Vice President of Human Resources, Gulf Countries, highlighted support for female university students entering technical careers.
The programme covers fields including engineering, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. It provides mentorship, guidance and access to industry professionals during the transition into corporate environments.
Applications grew from around 50 applicants to 100 applicants, Cakir said. Participants increased from 25 to 50, requiring a larger pool of mentors.
Cakir described learning in both directions. Students gain industry knowledge, while employees learn from young women’s perspectives.
Family Support And Measurable Commitments
Deloitte Middle East received the Family-Focused Employer of the Year Award. Lamisse Muhtaseb, Managing Director, People and Purpose, said family-focused workplaces must adapt as employees’ needs change.
Family support, wellbeing and gender inclusion should connect to wider business strategy, she said. Related coverage follows a separate women’s leadership award involving human resources responsibilities.
The ceremony followed the council’s launch of the SDG5 Pledge Awards initiative. It recognises private-sector achievements and encourages greater ambition in gender balance and women’s leadership.
Discussion among the four companies highlighted leadership accountability, clear targets and adaptable policies. Those elements were presented as requirements for turning commitments into measurable action as employees’ needs change.
As UAE-based companies win recognition, the council also reported figures from companies submitting their 2025 data. Among those companies, 70 per cent reported women held at least 30 per cent of middle and senior management positions.
Ten companies have committed to reaching 50 per cent gender parity by 2028, according to ceremony remarks. UAE-based companies win awards within a pledge community that the council said would expand through eight new organisations signing.
