11 August 2015
• Second year of MasterCard and Dubai Business Women Council's Ro'Ya program continues to demonstrate success, with 100 applicants on board this year

• Program aims to encourage and nurture female entrepreneurs in the UAE

Dubai - Ro'Ya, a UAE-based initiative launched by MasterCard and Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), has witnessed a significant surge in the total number of applicants compared to last year, highlighting the success of the program. The initiative, which is now in its second year, aims to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit in women and equip them with the skills and confidence needed to launch their own business. Participation this year has reached maximum capacity after one hundred females signed up to participate in the program.

Commenting on the increase in applicants, Nadin Halabi, Business Development Manager, DBWC said: "According to the Ministry of Economy, women in the UAE contribute to about half of the small-to-medium enterprise sector in the UAE. Furthermore, 48 per cent of women business-owners are the sole owners of their firms. With such a high rate of female success, we wanted to create an environment through which we could further foster talent and hence Ro'Ya was born. We are very pleased by the number of applications we received for Ro'Ya this year, and look forward to the continued success of the program from year to year."

Commenting on the importance of nurturing women in the workplace, Natasha Jamal, Vice President, Communications - Middle East and North Africa, MasterCard said: "MasterCard remains committed to helping women realize their full potential in the workplace. Ro'Ya, which means 'vision' in Arabic, was established with that vision in mind. The overwhelming success of this year's program speaks to the great quality of the workshops, and the priceless opportunity for participants to meet and learn from some of the greatest minds in the UAE."

Inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to encourage entrepreneurship in the country, the Ro'Ya initiative provides participants with the opportunity to learn about the fundamentals of starting a business from a range of industry experts.

This year's program included a total of eight workshops designed to provide female entrepreneurs with the tools and know-how to convert their business plans from ideas to business ventures, and drive higher contribution to the economy. In addition, due to the overwhelming success of the coaching sessions, two bonus coaching clinics were added for participants over the summer.

The training sessions are being led by leading Dubai-based development consultancy, Grow.ME, who came on board this year as a strategic partner. The organization spearheads interactive group training sessions for all Ro'Yaparticipants, providing expert insight on how to plan, build and manage a successful business.

Maria Pearson, CEO, grow.ME added: "It is extremely rewarding to see the positive impact our training sessions have had on participants. We continuously strive to build on and improve the sessions by tackling all aspects relevant to launching a new business. We look forward to following the journey of this year's participants and witnessing their ongoing success in the future."

In addition to a robust series of workshops, Ro'Ya also provides financial support to budding female entrepreneurs through an annual competition.The 2015 competition will see the top prize winner receive the equivalent of USD 50,000, with second and third prize winners taking home the equivalent of USD 30,000 and USD 20,000 respectively.

For more information about Ro'Ya, logon to www.royadubai.ae

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About MasterCard
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Media contact:
Stephanie King
Stephanie.King@hkstrategies.com
04 3344 930

© Press Release 2015