South African-educated Mechanical Engineer, Genevieve Stockwell, was recently one of a select group of international delegates and dignitaries to attend the prestigious 4th Annual Women in Leadership Forum, held 21 – 22 November in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
As Operations Manager for the Qatar office of Aurecon, global engineering, management and specialist technical services group, Stockwell was among the 250 people invited to attend the event, and one of five peoplethere representing Aurecon –which was proud to be an official Supporting Partner of the event. Stockwell is a Project Management Professional with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters in Project Management from the University of Pretoria in South Africa. She joined Aurecon’s Dubai office in 2007 and has worked her way up in the traditionally male-dominated domain of engineering to take on the role of Operations Manager for the organisation’s Qatar office. Themed ‘Inspire, Influence and Innovate,’ the forum included a series of inspirational keynote addresses from high-profile female leaders, interactive panel discussions and networking sessions, all of which centred around advancing women in the economy and increasing their business opportunities in the workforce. Reporting back on the event, Stockwell says that the forum served as an invaluable opportunity to share experiences with, and learn from, peers and gender diversity champions from around the world. “The speakers covered a wide range of topics all relevant not only to women in leadership, but to also to the diverse business and social environments of today.” Stockwell adds, “The panel discussions offered great insight into some of the specific problem areas that the Middle East faces and it was enlightening to hear the viewpoints from inspiring women and men on how these problems may be addressed. The discussions ranged from entrepreneurship and innovation to diversity and champions for change.”The forum ended on a high note with an interactive think tank on ‘Strategies for operating in financially volatile markets and during economic crises.’ With the impacts of the global financial crisis still evident in the Middle East today, this session provided some excellent viewpoints.
“The ‘take-home’ advice was to know your market inside out and to always keep current with on-going changes in political, financial and social environments,” said Stockwell. She adds, “Importantly, the conference reinforced that women have a huge contribution to make. Gender diversity is ‘smart business’ and is vital in today’s business environment.” Stockwell credits her impressive career growth to determination and Aurecon’s commitment to maximising their talent pool by attracting, retaining and developing female talent.
Picture caption: Aurecon delegates at the recent 4th Annual Women in Leadership Forum, of which Aurecon was an official Supporting Partner, included Adrian Jones, Regional Manager, Middle East and North Africa, Betsey Mathews, Human Capital Consultant, Louise Adams, Country Manager United Arab Emirates and Genevieve Stockwell, Operations Manager Qatar.
