Dubai: As part of its active role in promoting gender equality and empowering women in the capital markets sector, the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) today hosted a bell ringing ceremony in celebration of the International Women’s Day.

The DFM has joined 61 global exchanges honoring this occasion over a week of bell-ringing activities, in partnership with the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, the World Federation of Exchanges, IFC, UN Global Compact, UN Women and Women in ETFs.

Moaza Al Marri, Board Member of the DFM Company and Shamsa Saleh, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Women Establishment rang the market-closing bell in the presence of Maryam Fikri, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of Clearing, Settlement and Depository Division (CSD) and Fahima Al Bastaki, Executive Vice President, Head of Business Development Division. Senior attendees also included other senior DFM officials.

As part of the global event, participants are encouraged to make commitments to improve gender equality in their markets, such as signing the Women’s Empowerment Principles, improving diversity in senior managements and boards of directors and developing more gender-friendly policies.

On this day, the DFM launched its newly formed Women Council to drive women empowerment and diversity. The Women Council is the most recent initiative from DFM in order to strengthen the role of women in the capital markets sector as well as its listed companies through greater participation of women as board directors. The Council consists of six DFM female members representing various divisions and will be responsible for preparing annual work plans, internal and external coordination, organizing, and participating in women's events. Members of the council also participated in the bell ringing ceremony.

“We are grateful to DFM for taking the lead and aligning with the ‘Ring the Bell on Gender Equality’ initiative; by doing this they are recognizing that gender equality is a key driver to growing the global economy. We are proud of our participants who have embraced the women empowerment principles in their commitment to global goal 5: gender equality,” said Mahmoud Al Burai, Chairman of UN Global Compact UAE Local Network .

It is noteworthy that the DFM is at the forefront of national institutions in terms of empowering women as they have been playing a major role in its momentous journey over the past 18 years and account for 60% of its workforce.  Women efficiently run many of DFM’s divisions and departments.

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About Dubai Financial Market: Dubai Financial Market (DFM) was established as a public institution with its own independent corporate body. DFM operates as a secondary market for the trading of securities issued by public shareholding companies, bonds issued by the Federal Government or any of the local Governments and public institutions in the country, units of investment funds and any other financial instruments, local or foreign, which are accepted by the market. The DFM commenced operations on March 26, 2000 and became the first Islamic Shari’a-compliant exchange globally since 2007. Following its initial public offering in November 2006, when DFM offered 1.6 billion shares, representing 20 per cent of its paid-up capital of AED 8 billion, DFM became a public joint stock company and its shares were listed on 7 March 2007 with the trading symbol (DFM). Following the IPO, the Government of Dubai retained the remaining 80 per cent of DFM Company through Borse Dubai Limited. www.dfm.ae 

 

For further information, please contact:

Atef Fathy
Vice President – Head of Media & Public Relations

Dubai Financial Market
Tel: 04-305 5334
Email: afathy@dfm.ae 

© Press Release 2018