The ongoing World Retail Congress in Dubai, UAE held an event to enable senior female retail executives to meet peers who are shaping the industry, to share insights and inspire each other to further success at the Burj al Arab.

During the International Women in Retail Reception sponsored by Clarity, the World Retail Congress also presented its inaugural Woman of The Year award to Zyda Rylands, CEO of Woolworths South Africa.

Rylands was given the award in recognition of her inspirational work, both as an international leader, philanthropist and for her outstanding commercial success: during her tenure with Woolworths Foods, the business saw an 83 per cent growth in turnover as well as a 240 per cent growth in profits.

Rylands said: “It is an honour to receive this inaugural Woman of the Year Award and to be recognised by such an esteemed and venerable group of retailers. I am blessed to receive the inaugural award, but I am even more excited that this is the first of many recognizing women in retail. Though competence transcends gender and race there is still much work to be done by everyone in retail to ensure greater diversity in retail leadership. ”

“I love retail. It's in my blood. I, like everyone at the World Retail Congress, continue to be inspired and excited by the constantly changing retail landscape, the amazing variety of trends and innovation in our industry and the passion and dedication of the people who work tirelessly to keep giving our customers the best.

“I feel privileged to be part of Woolworths, and lead the people who work there – our people keep making a difference and are what really makes it such an incredible place to work and shop,” she added.

Another highlight of the evening was an on-stage interview with founder of Jo Loves, Jo Malone, who was in conversation with Alison Tay, editor-in-chief of Grazia Middle East. During their talk, Jo and Alison discussed Jo’s phenomenally successful career and what inspired her to become an entrepreneur.

Malone said: “Over the past 30 years, I have been privileged to be part of an industry I simply love. The key to my career has always been to run on the track of creativity and opportunity and being able to create fragrance in my own unique way and take my business around the world has been an incredible adventure.”

Also attending the event were a number of high profile CEOs including Mindy Grossman, CEO of HSN, Inc. and Renuka Jagtiani, vice chair of Landmark Group.

Meg Crofton, former president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts said: “In a world where inclusion and integrated leadership is more important than ever, the World Retail Congress’ International Women in Retail serves as an essential platform for knowledge sharing, recognition, and mentorship- helping to inspire and support women leaders.”

Ian McGarrigle, founder and chairman, World Retail Congress, said: “We are delighted to launch the Woman of The Year award as a means of recognising the way women are pioneering in the retail industry. Zyda was a clear winner of our inaugural award for her undeniable retail skills, leadership qualities and willingness to encourage others. We also celebrate Zyda as a leader and powerful businesswomen, but most of all because she is an inspiration to other women embarking on a career in retail.”

“We created this event to bring together female executives to celebrate and champion the achievements of women in the retail industry. We would like to congratulate Zyda and all the other women who attended the event this evening for their contribution to retail,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service