A high-powered leadership team discussed women empowerment and progress of the women’s movement in Bahrain at the third quarterly Falak Power Lunch 2016, held recently.

Falak Consulting, a leading Bahrain-based management consulting firm whose purpose is to build stronger economies and happier societies by unlocking human and business potential, hosted the event at the Alfai-yz Restaurant, Reef Islands, Manama.  

The guest of honour for this event was HH Shaikha Hessa bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, the chief executive of inJAz Bahrain.

Also present at the event were Yara Faraj from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office; Akram Miknas, founder of Fortune Promoseven; Weam Zaber, founder of Namaste Bahrain; Afnan Al Zayani, CEO of Al Zayani Commercial Services; Noor Al Haji, director, AON Risk Solutions; and Zeenat Diwani, managing director of  Deeko Bahrain. Representing Falak Consulting were the CEO, Suhail Algosaibi; executive director Maniza Dewan; and junior consultant Alyaa Mohammed.

The main discussions centred on issues related to women empowerment and it also touched upon the pro-gress of the women’s movement in Bahrain along with its impact on opportunities for women members of the working population.

Shaikha Hessa shared highlights of some of the successful projects undertaken by the Supreme Council for Women, and these included the 300 beneficiaries of the special housing scheme for divorced women, awareness campaign amongst women with regard to their sharia marriage rights, updating of the marriage contract process, and distribution of information booklets to women prior to their marriage.

She also discussed the history of inJAz Bahrain and its role in enabling young Bahrainis to look beyond jobs and consider the option of starting own businesses.

The attendees spoke about the progress made by Bahraini women in reducing workplace discrimination, the importance of family support in making a success of their careers, and the need for women profession-als to pursue higher and more specialized education.

Commenting on the Falak Power Lunch, Suhail Ghazi Algosaibi said: “The Falak Power Lunch provided a healthy discussion on women’s issues in the context of the work environment and highlighted how women are equal stakeholders in the socio-economic sphere. We also looked at the challenges facing working women and how these could be tackled through education, greater awareness campaigns and increased family support. We also praised the role of the Supreme Council for Women and inJAz Bahrain in enabling many Bahraini women to be responsible and productive citizens.”

The Falak Power Lunch is held every quarter, and involves discussion on topics related to Bahrain’s econ-omy and business environment. Guests comprise some of the big names in industry, government and regu-latory bodies, and has been a huge success since it was first started in April 2015.  –TradeArabia News Service