High energy, exciting panels at LEWAS

High energy, exciting panels at the Leadership Excellence for Women Awards and Symposium (LEWAS)
High level panels for Gender Diversity at LEWAS 2018 in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

Dubai, U.A.E., 6 August 2018: Under the patronage of His Excellency Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain and supported by National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), pioneers in the energy industry have launched the fourth edition of Leadership Excellence for Women Awards and Symposium (LEWAS).
Under the Chairpersonship of Reem Al Ghanim, HR Leader, Saudi Aramco, LEWAS began in 2013 with the objective to Engage, Empower and Elevate experts in Energy. Since its inception, it has recognized and honored men and women who are not only making a mark in the energy industry but are also being an advocate for gender diversity in the GCC.
About the Symposium: The highly anticipated LEWAS Symposium will be held on 25th October 2018 at the Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre as a co-located event of GDA International Downstream Conference and Exhibition. The objective of the symposium is to celebrate professional achievements, learn from well-respected experts, have an opportunity to network and improve upon knowledge.
LEWAS presents a high caliber of panelists who are experts and can offer deep insights into gender diversity in the energy industry. In addition to the opening remarks delivered by His Excellency Shaikh Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Oil, Kingdom of Bahrain and Suleman A. Al-Bargan, Vice President Domestic Refining & NGL Fractionation, Saudi Aramco, the symposium, themed at Gender Diversity Advancement, covers key topics that aim at different aspects of gender diversity.
Presentation- Best practices in advancing women in downstream: The theme for this presentation is Gender Diversity Advancement. This topic will focus on the best practices in advancing women in downstream. The speaker will elaborate on innovative solutions that his/her organization has embedded, to drive diversity, equity and inclusion. This topic is also the main theme of the LEWAS Symposium, with the objective to Engage, Empower, and Elevate professionals in energy. This presentation is led by Abdulaziz M. Al- Judaimi, Senior Vice President Downstream, Saudi Aramco.
Winning women panel: The theme for this panel is Gender Diversity Accomplishments. This session will highlight the individual journeys our LEWAS award winners have undertaken. The discussion will shed light on the opportunities these women have found in industry and begin to identify catalysts to improve gender diversity in energy. This panel, moderated by Eng. Najla Baeshen, Senior Civil Engineer, Saudi Aramco, is led by Fatema Moosa, Supervisor, GPIC and Ms. Hamda Al Shamsi, VP Internal Audit, Borouge.
Talk show- Examples of innovative solutions in the GDA founding companies and partners: The theme for this talk show is Gender Diversity Accountability. This discussion topic will focus on innovative solutions that have been embedded in organizations, to drive diversity, equity and inclusion. Attendees are expected to learn more from the panelists on what they have done/supported in their organization, describe the innovative solution, why the organization invested in that particular solution, the impact that it had created, and the next steps. This session is moderated by Eithne Treanor, Managing Director, E Treanor Media and is led by Basem Issa Ahmad Alissa, Deputy CEO, Admin and Commercial, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC); Dawood Nassif, General Manager, nogaholding; Muna Al Suwaidi, Vice President Human Capital Division, ADNOC Refining; Nabil K. Dabal, Human Resources Executive Director, Saudi Aramco, and Suleyman M Ozmen, Vice President - Downstream Licensing (Retired), Shell Global Solutions International.
Debate- To quota or not to quota: The theme of this debate is Gender Diversity Approaches. This topic will focus on the various Gender Diversity Approaches related to setting quotas, identifying targets, handling sticky floor, leaky pipeline, and glass ceiling syndromes. It focuses on the advantages of using different approaches in bridging the gender gap in energy. This debate is moderated by Eithne Treanor, Managing Director, E Treanor Media and Shamael Al-Sharikh, Team Leader Corporate Communications, Q8 - Kuwait Petroleum International Ltd. and is led by Ebrahim Talib, Deputy Chief Executive (Refining and Marketing), BAPCO; Faaeza Alkatheeri, Geo-science Manager, ADNOC; Mae S. Al Mozaini, Manager, Research & Advisory, Corporate Affairs, Saudi Aramco; Naila Haider E. Baqer, Team Leader Market Research, Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) and Sam Thiara, Professor, Simon Fraser University
Presentation- The state of gender diversity globally in oil and gas, and in downstream specifically. Numbers tell the story: The theme for this presentation/interview is Gender Diversity Analytics. At a macro level, this topic will focus on the state of Gender Diversity around the world, as it relates to the downstream industry and the energy industry, as a whole. This session is focused on presenting facts
and figures that address the issue of gender diversity and recommendations in moving forward on the journey of gender diversity in the energy industry. This is led by Dr. Iván Martén, Senior Partner and Managing Director, Vice Chairman Energy Practice, The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
About the Awards: The Leadership Excellence for Women Awards will be held on 23^rd October 2018 at Four Seasons Hotel, Bahrain Bay. The awards is dedicated to recognizing excellence and celebrating professionals who demonstrate talent and innovation in the energy industry.
LEWAS is a co-located event of the GDA International Downstream Conference and Exhibition. It is the leading Middle East strategic platform for downstream professionals to address business challenges, share best practices and unlock potential opportunities through collaboration and partnerships. Striving towards excellence, this forum aims at engaging regional and international stakeholders across the business, academia and technology providers to capitalize on investment, innovation and growth.
Registration for the symposium is currently open. To get involved, log on to www.lewa-symposium.org.

For any enquiries or suggestions, kindly contact Gitanjali Venugopal at gitanjali@mee-events.com or +971 442 70 739.