Here’s a few of the articles I’ve had published with Middle East Policy:
Wiley Online Library (12 September, 2020). Retrieved, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14754967
Category: UAE
Private Sector Emiratisation
Giving private sector jobs the required significance; only such a dramatic image makeover can attract more UAE nationals to it
by Emilie Rutledge | May 10, 2018
The Federal Authority for Government Human Resources gave research on Emiratisation a boost by launching an annual award for scholarly work on the UAE labour market and human resources. This is a timely incentive because oil prices seem destined to remain some way off on their 2010—14 highs, and comfy government jobs are said to be a thing of the past.
Among the wining studies was one conducted by the UAE University; it was the first large-scale study to investigate the views of UAE nationals working in the private sector and polled 653 individuals. The survey included questions related to job satisfaction and also on context-specific sociocultural sentiments such as the prestige attached to a public sector job.
Indeed the UAE’s labour market’s distortions and segmentations cannot be fully understood, let alone addressed, without such issues being factored into the equation.
The research found that it was “salary and benefits” that most significantly and positively predicted the intention of Emiratis to continue working in the private sector, while “sociocultural influences” — societal attitudes on a given occupation’s prestige and status level — had the most significant negative effect and was likely to deter Emiratis from staying in the private sector.
In other words, money does still talk. However, employee satisfaction isn’t all about money, “training opportunities” and the “nature of job” also writ large. The latter finding is of importance because it implies, at the very least, that today’s graduates do see private sector occupations as more interesting and fulfilling, if compared to the more bureaucratic-style ‘classic’ public sector jobs.
However, as evidenced by the research, it continues to be the case that “classic” public sector positions continue to attract the most status and prestige. This sentiment is even more pronounced among male employees, with male respondents significantly more likely to be adversely affected by sociocultural influences (the pride or prestige attached to public sector positions) and be less happy with the nature (or “environment”) of work in the private sector.
The research has applied policy relevance. The more closely aligned like-for-like public/private sector positions become in terms of salaries, working hours and days of annual leave, the more attractive will be private sector career paths. Such alignment — most likely by way of more extensive subsidies or top-ups for nationals working in the private sector — would help redress the current notion that it is the citizens who’ve secured government jobs that have the higher status. The findings also show that internship programmes — that are now compulsory at some federal universities — are paying dividends and recommends that more interns should be placed in the private sector as about one-third of those surveyed were working for private sector companies where they had completed their internships.
Another revealing find was the fact that almost three-quarters of the sample of UAE nationals employed in the private sector currently had other members of their immediate family working in the same sector. Therefore government policy that champions those Emiratis who take up non-conventional private sector career paths will help change prevailing societal attitudes in relation to what is, and is not, considered a suitable career path for Emiratis.
The study on private sector Emiratisation by Dr Emilie Rutledge and Dr Khaled Al Kaabi recently received the Federal Authority For Government Human Resources Award for the Best Academic Research in HR. Their study is timely in that it considers this topic in an era where comfy government jobs are said to be a thing of the past.[1] In addition to this, their survey-based research—polling 653 individuals—is the first large-scale one to investigate the sentiments of UAE nationals actually working in the private sector. While basing their research on the notions of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and job satisfaction scales, they also factor in what are termed as context-specific sociocultural sentiments. They make the case that the UAE’s labour market distortions and segmentations cannot be fully understood, let alone addressed, without such issues being factored into the equation. As Dr Rutledge says, “employee satisfaction isn’t all about money, the benefits of even the nature of the work and relations with fellow workers, societal attitudes on a given occupation’s prestige and status levels also writ large.” As evidenced by their findings and analysis, it continues to be the case that ‘classic’ public sector positions continue to attract the most status and prestige. This sentiment is even more pronounced amongst the male survey participants.
Another issue that the study highlights is the difficulty face in defining exactly what constitutes the private sector. In a region who’s labour markets are characterised by being highly distorted and segmented along public/private and national/non-national employee lines, the division between public and private entities is often hard to determine. As Dr Al Kaabi explains, it was necessary for their study to include government-backed entities as quasi-private ones as this is what society considers them to be. While some labour market economists would classify these within the government sphere, in the UAE at least, many in this category are commercially-run and, “really do now manage their human resources as if they were genuine private sector operators.”
The study found that it was ‘salary and benefits’ that most significantly and positively predicted continuance intentions (β = .399, p < .001) while ‘sociocultural influences’ most significantly and negatively predicted continuance intentions (β = -.423, p < .001). In other words, money does still talk. These observations also suggest that the more closely aligned like-for-like public/private sector positions become in terms of salaries, working hours and days of annual leave, the more attractive will be the private sector career paths. The authors of this study both contend that such alignment—most likely by ay of public sector pay freezes than pay cuts—would help redress the current notion that it is the citizens who’ve secured government jobs that have the higher status. Other job satisfaction related constructs that had a significant impact on the degree to which individuals planned to continue working in the private sector were: ‘training opportunities’ were a positive factor (β = .163, p < .001) and interestingly, the ‘nature of job’ (β = .072, p .009). The latter finding is of importance because it implies, at the very least, that today’s graduates do see private sector occupations as more interesting and fulfilling (if compared to the more bureaucratic-style ‘classic’ public sector jobs).
In terms of differences between the genders, male respondents were significantly more likely to be adversely affected by sociocultural influences pride (or “prestige) and were significantly less happy with the nature (or “environment”) of work in the private sector. With regard to age, the younger the respondent, the less likely they will be to intend to continue working in the private sector. The study’s authors argue that younger members of society are significantly more influenced by sociocultural barriers and least satisfied with the professional development opportunities on offer. They suggest that this may be due to the fact that they have relatively junior positions at the given private sector organisation. With regard to education, the higher one’s qualification is the more likely it will be that they intend to remain in the private sector. This ties in with the age-related differences, it follows that within the private sector the positions that require post-graduate qualifications will not only pay more but will also have attached to them more status.
Of perhaps most note and applied policy relevance are the following observations. Firstly, no less than one-third of those surveyed were working for private sector entities that they had actually competed their internships with. This suggests that the internship programs that are now compulsory at some federal universities in the UAE are paying dividends. The second observation is that almost three-quarters of the sample (that is UAE nationals employed in the private sector) currently have other members of their immediate family working in the same sector. As Dr Rutledge says, “any government policy that champions those individuals who take up non-conventional career paths will help change prevailing societal attitudes and norms in relation to what are and are not suitable career paths.”
[1] Al Nowais, S. (2017, March 7). Sheikh Abdullah tells UAE youth to think beyond ‘comfortable’ jobs, The National. Retrieved from https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/sheikh-abdullah-tells-uae-youth-to-think-beyond-comfortable-jobs-1.41511
Arabian Gulf Economics Blog
| i | This is the website of Dr Emilie J. Rutledge. An academic with over a decade’s worth of experience in designing, managing and delivering economics courses at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels (see: Courses). Emilie has published over a dozen peer-reviewed papers (see: Publications) and is the author of “Monetary Union in the Gulf”. Her current research interests include the Arabian Gulf’s economic diversification and labour market reform agendas. Emilie also provides academic consultancy services — specialising in the developing of interactive university-level courses — alongside analytical and research expertise focusing on the economies of the oil-rich Arabian Gulf. About ‧ Consultancy ‧ 📚 Papers  erutledge.com  Dr Emilie J. Rutledge |
Educated Emirati fathers want more for their daughters
The more educated a father is, the more likely he is to encourage his daughter to take up a high-powered career, a study suggests
by Roberta Pennington | April 23, 2017
Researchers from United Arab Emirates University are studying the influence of parents in their children’s careers. And an Emirati child with parents in the private sector is much more likely to hold similar aspirations, it says. Before Mariam Al Zaabi had finished university, her father urged her to become a self-sufficient, professional woman. “He wanted me to be as strong as the men,” said Ms Al Zaabi. “So he said, ‘you need to work and you need to go and earn your degree’.” Her experience is in line with the two main findings of the study into the influence of parents in their children’s careers, by researchers at UAE University.
Academics polled 335 female Emirati students to see what influenced their career intentions. Dr Emilie Rutledge, associate professor at the university’s College of Business and Economics, hoped the two findings could help with Emiratisation policy. “Encouraging more males to undertake tertiary education and continuing with the policy of subsidising the employment costs of nationals will pay longer-term dividends in terms of female labour force participation,” Dr Rutledge said. An unexpected finding was the lack of influence mothers had over children’s career choice. “Mothers, irrespective of their educational attainment level, had no significant influence in the career decision making process of their daughters,” said Dr Rutledge.
The survey also asked students whether they wanted to work in the public or private sectors, to which 78.5 per cent responded public. “Furthermore, 29.6 per cent strongly agreed with the statement that they would ‘wait’ for a government job, as opposed to taking a private sector job in the interim,” the study found. The respondents also said that if the prospective job were “interesting,” the employer offered maternity leave and employed women role models, it would increase women’s likelihood of entering the workforce, the study found. “The job being interesting was ranked as the most important and this was subsequently found to significantly increase the likelihood of labour market entry,” the researchers wrote. While salary was also identified as a factor, “it did not turn out to have a significant relationship” with choice of career.
Emirati women and the labour market
This is a recent article on the subject of Emirati women and the labour market
Parents play critical role in Emirati women’s career choices, UAE study shows
Dr Emilie Rutledge, associate professor of Economics at UAE University, at the lecture on Parental Influence on Female Vocational in the Arabian Gulf at Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National.
The research team was led by Dr Emilie Rutledge, associate professor of economics at UAE University, who presented their findings to academics at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) on Tuesday.
“Parental influence has a significant role on a given female’s likelihood of seeking to enter the labour market post-graduation,” she said. “Parental support reduces what women perceive as cultural barriers to employment.”
Sixty-eight per cent of the women said their parents influenced their decisions about careers, and 80 per cent said they preferred to work in the public sector.
Forty-six per cent said they felt it was the Government’s responsibility to find them work in the public sector.
Working in education, the civil service and police were deemed the most culturally “acceptable” careers for an Emirati woman, although areas such as advertising, marketing and pharmaceuticals were deemed more “attractive”.
“However, if parents are engaged in the vocational decision-making process, the female is more likely to consider exploring opportunities in the private sector,” Dr Rutledge said.
For Emiratisation to be successful, there must be more emphasis on these other fields rather than banking, human resources and finance, which the women did not consider interesting or attractive, Dr Rutledge said.
“Being in a gender-segregated environment was not as important to the girls as the salary or the job being interesting was, even if society or parents as a whole object to this,” she said.
Dr Rutledge cited holiday time and maternity leave as important, both of which were more attractive in the public than private sectors.
Ensuring the women return to the workplace through flexible working times and better maternity benefits was vital.
“A lot of females leave the workplace when they have a family because of the poor provisions, so they simply don’t go back and in turn, they lose their skills,” she said.
A father’s level of education was key in determining how his daughters would be guided. Fathers with degrees are more likely to support and encourage women to seek employment.
“Private-sector career paths are more attractive if the parent already works in the private sector,” Dr Rutledge said.
“This is of importance as there is merit to incentivising more Emirati males into higher education for the long-term participation of Emirati women in the labour market.”
Women graduate at a 3 to 1 ratio from UAE federal universities.
Dr Maryam Salem Al Marashad has been a long-standing academic at UAE University since she graduated with the first batch of students in 1977.
She left her post as dean of students two years ago but is still active in academia. She said a husband’s influence could not be underestimated.
“We see many girls at UAEU get married in their third year, so by the time they are going to the labour market, it is not only the family but their husband – she is stuck with an answer from her husband that she can or cannot work here or there.”
Geography will also sway a woman’s choices, she said.
“In Fujairah when I go to my bank, the whole first row is full of Emirati women who are supporting their families and are interested to work,” she said. “In Abu Dhabi or Dubai where there are many more opportunities, they can afford to be more picky.”
MBRSG’s head of gender and public policy, Ghalia Gargani, said more research was needed for the long-term participation of Emirati women in the job market.
Only 9 per cent of the labour force is Emirati, a fifth of them women.
“We need to think of ways to have policies for both men and women to balance their work and life and the responsibilities that come with their culture here,” she said. “It’s very relevant to research we’re doing here on the family unit.”
“National” FLFP in the Arabian Gulf
A short clip on the issues surrounding the subject of Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) in the Arabian Gulf. The focus is on national women in the UAE.
Dubai: alive to the financial competition
From the Financial Times (Feb 4, 2014) by Simeon Kerr
Dubai’s financial centre says it will slash telecommunications rates as it seeks to sustain growth amid increasing competition from neighbours such as Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The DIFC is set this year to roll out a technology transit zone within its data centre, offering prices that can compete with London and other western cities to ease costs for trading desks and asset managers.
Telecommunications costs in the United Arab Emirates, dominated by two state owned companies, are a major cost disadvantage of doing business in the DIFC and the rest of the country. Located in liberal Dubai, the DIFC’s popular cluster, featuring familiar regulations and common law courts, has become the financial gateway to the region. But the indebted commercial capital of the region faces growing competition from its energy-rich neighbours.
The capital of the United Arab Emirates, oil-rich Abu Dhabi, is pushing ahead with Global Marketplace Abu Dhabi, a financial centre modelled on the DIFC. Gas-rich Qatar is seeking to boost asset management and insurance at its financial centre in Doha. And Saudi Arabia, the regional economic superpower, is to open King Abdullah Financial District – dozens of towers near Riyadh’s airport – later this year.
Growth in Dubai’s financial sector, which contributes around 12 per cent to Dubai’s overall GDP, reflects the broader revival of the emirate’s economy, whose bedrock remains trade and tourism.
In 2013, the DIFC had its strongest year since the financial crisis, with the number of registered firms rising 14 per cent to 1,039. The number of people working within the district grew 11 per cent to around 15,600. Regulated financial companies operating from the centre have risen by 11 per cent to 327 in 2013.
The DIFC rented out the largest amount of real estate since the global financial crisis last year, with occupancy at almost 100 per cent in the buildings it operates. But buildings operated by third parties will over the next year provide enough space to house another 15,000 staff.
Filling this extra space is the centre’s main challenge, especially as it faces increasing competition from neighbouring states keen to develop their own financial sectors. The centre has already frozen rents that had become less competitive compared to other parts of Dubai.
Dubai hopes to attract more Asian companies. Reforms this year allowing Chinese banks to open branches in the centre has allowed four major Chinese institutions operating in the DIFC to use their home balance sheet to lend in the region.
Future of Emirati women often determined by parents
Parental attitudes can reduce the cultural barriers that keep Emirati women from entering the workplace.
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/future-of-emirati-women-often-determined-by-parents-1.687617
Melanie Swan | The National | January 29, 2014
A study polled 335 female citizens between the ages of 15 and 24 from across the country.
The research team was led by Dr Emilie Rutledge, associate professor of economics at UAE University, who presented their findings to academics at the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG) on Tuesday.
“Parental influence has a significant role on a given female’s likelihood of seeking to enter the labour market post-graduation,” she said. “Parental support reduces what women perceive as cultural barriers to employment.”
Sixty-eight per cent of the women said their parents influenced their decisions about careers, and 80 per cent said they preferred to work in the public sector.
Forty-six per cent said they felt it was the Government’s responsibility to find them work in the public sector.
Working in education, the civil service and police were deemed the most culturally “acceptable” careers for an Emirati woman, although areas such as advertising, marketing and pharmaceuticals were deemed more “attractive”.
“However, if parents are engaged in the vocational decision-making process, the female is more likely to consider exploring opportunities in the private sector,” Dr Rutledge said.
For Emiratisation to be successful, there must be more emphasis on these other fields rather than banking, human resources and finance, which the women did not consider interesting or attractive, Dr Rutledge said.
“Being in a gender-segregated environment was not as important to the girls as the salary or the job being interesting was, even if society or parents as a whole object to this,” she said.
Dr Rutledge cited holiday time and maternity leave as important, both of which were more attractive in the public than private sectors.
Ensuring the women return to the workplace through flexible working times and better maternity benefits was vital.
“A lot of females leave the workplace when they have a family because of the poor provisions, so they simply don’t go back and in turn, they lose their skills,” she said.
A father’s level of education was key in determining how his daughters would be guided. Fathers with degrees are more likely to support and encourage women to seek employment.
“Private-sector career paths are more attractive if the parent already works in the private sector,” Dr Rutledge said.
“This is of importance as there is merit to incentivising more Emirati males into higher education for the long-term participation of Emirati women in the labour market.”
Women graduate at a 3 to 1 ratio from UAE federal universities.
Dr Maryam Salem Al Marashad has been a long-standing academic at UAE University since she graduated with the first batch of students in 1977.
She left her post as dean of students two years ago but is still active in academia. She said a husband’s influence could not be underestimated.
“We see many girls at UAEU get married in their third year, so by the time they are going to the labour market, it is not only the family but their husband – she is stuck with an answer from her husband that she can or cannot work here or there.”
Geography will also sway a woman’s choices, she said.
“In Fujairah when I go to my bank, the whole first row is full of Emirati women who are supporting their families and are interested to work,” she said. “In Abu Dhabi or Dubai where there are many more opportunities, they can afford to be more picky.”
MBRSG’s head of gender and public policy, Ghalia Gargani, said more research was needed for the long-term participation of Emirati women in the job market.
Only 9 per cent of the labour force is Emirati, a fifth of them women.
“We need to think of ways to have policies for both men and women to balance their work and life and the responsibilities that come with their culture here,” she said. “It’s very relevant to research we’re doing here on the family unit.”
Dubai to repay Abu Dhabi debt
Economist Intelligence Unit | September 30th 2013 | Dubai to repay Abu Dhabi debt
Dubai, which needs to repay US$20bn to three Abu Dhabi entities next year, will meet its obligations and is not negotiating to refinance its debt, according to the chairman of the emirate’s Supreme Fiscal Committee, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. However, if necessary, Abu Dhabi would probably roll over the debt, to avoid any negative impact on market sentiment.
The emirate, which was on the brink of a default in 2009, borrowed US$20bn from its wealthier neighbour to shore up a troubled conglomerate, Dubai World, and others. The debt comprised US$10bn from the Central Bank of the UAE and US$5bn each from two state-owned banks, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Al Hilal Bank. The US$10bn debt is due to mature in February and the bank debts in November 2014. In comments to reporters, Sheikh Ahmed also said that Dubai’s state-linked companies were doing well and were able to meet their debt repayments.
Debt rises on improved sentiment
Dubai’s debt, including that of government-related entities (GREs), has continued to rise since the global financial crisis. The IMF stated in June that the total debt of the emirate and its GREs rose by US$13bn between March 2012 and April 2013, to US$142bn. This is equivalent to 102% of the estimated 2012 GDP of Dubai and the UAE’s poorer northern emirates. Of the estimated US$93bn owed by GREs, US$60bn will fall due between now and 2017, the Fund added.
The increase in GRE debt in 2012 and early 2013 reflects successful debt restructuring, the strengthening of the UAE economy and its property sector and ample global liquidity. These factors meant that Dubai GREs regained access to international credit markets and sought to take advantage of favourable borrowing conditions.
Fundamentals
Dubai’s performance in 2014 will be pivotal to maintaining solid investor sentiment. Senior government officials have said consistently that the emirate will meet its debt obligations next year, buoyed by the UAE’s wider economic recovery. The UAE is not well served with high-frequency economic indicators, but what indications there are regarding tourism, transport, the property sector, the stockmarket and company results point to considerable strength in the economy persisting in 2013. Ongoing support from high oil prices and the UAE’s appeal as a safe-haven investment location in the region have bolstered the economy.
Rises in airport traffic and hotel occupancy contributed to a strong performance by the tourism industry in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the first six months of the year. Tourist arrivals in Dubai rose by 11.1% year on year to more than 5.5m in the first half of 2013, helping to drive overall hotel occupancy to 84.6%. The city state’s main airport handled 32.6m passengers during the period, marking an increase of 16.9% year on year. Furthermore, the property market in Dubai sparked back into life in 2012 and has continued to gain momentum in 2013. This has certainly benefited the finances of many GREs.
The main risks to this ongoing rebound include a shift down in oil prices and slowing global growth. We forecast that international oil prices will dip next year but will remain above US$100/barrel. On balance, we expect global GDP this year to expand by 2% at market exchange rates, down from global growth of 2.2% in 2012. However, we expect most of the currently suffering emerging markets to perform better in 2014, if only because the US, the EU and Japan are poised for faster growth. This should lead to a mild rebound in global GDP next year, to 2.7%.
More reforms needed
Dubai has been successful in restructuring GRE debt since the financial crisis, with most major agreements in place; a final deal regarding the debt of Dubai Holding is advanced but still pending. Progress with restructuring certainly boosted investor sentiment in 2012. Alongside this, the UAE is working on reforms to limit the risk of a renewed debt crisis.
The Central Bank has moved to curtail local banks’ exposure to GREs, proposing that lenders should offer no more than 100% of their capital base to local governments and to state-linked entities. This law was announced in April 2012, and banks were told to be in compliance by the end of September last year. However, several banks—including leading UAE banks such as National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Emirates NBD, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank and Noor Islamic Bank—said that they were unable to comply. The Central Bank has not yet managed to finalise this rule, but it announced in mid-September that an agreement had been reached with commercial banks and would be confirmed before the end of 2013.
The IMF has also stressed the importance of greater transparency with regard to the finances of GREs. The Fund acknowledged that the government had taken some steps towards better oversight. For example, the Dubai government has put in place a team to oversee debt issuance, and any new borrowing by GREs needs to be approved by the Supreme Fiscal Committee. Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, has improved its monitoring of GRE debt. Nevertheless, the IMF has urged a more comprehensive approach to transparency and the governance of GREs, stressing the importance of better data availability on debt and further reforms to improve corporate governance of GREs.
Roll over?
The finances of Dubai and the emirate’s GREs have benefited from the economic rebound in 2012‑13. As a result, Dubai may now be in a position to repay its debts to neighbouring Abu Dhabi on schedule in 2014. However, any difficulties in meeting the due debt would play out behind closed doors, and Abu Dhabi would probably roll over the debt if necessary, to avoid any negative impact on market sentiment.
Companies to be rated according to how ‘Emirati-friendly’ they are
Amna Al Haddad | The National | October 16, 2011
https://www.thenational.ae/uae/companies-to-be-rated-according-to-how-emirati-friendly-they-are-1.473096
A list is being compiled by the Great Place to Work (GPTW) institute in the UAE, which will conduct surveys to sort the best from the average.
1,400 teachers to lose their jobs by end of year Move is part of Emiratisation plan and will also see male teachers replaced with females in lower grades. Read article
GPTW-UAE is part of a global research and consultancy group that releases an annual list of the best places to work in the world, and in 45 countries.
The Great Places for Emiratis to Work index is a new sub-list of their annual survey, which will highlight companies with strong Emiratisation programmes in various sectors.
“We want to highlight the diversity of disciplines available to Emiratis,” said Dr Farrukh Kidwai, the chief executive of GPTW-UAE.
“This will broaden the avenue for them to participate in the private sector and hopefully boost the knowledge economy in the UAE.”
A paper by Ingo Forstenlechner and Emilie Rutledge from UAE University, published in the Middle East Policy Journal last summer, showed Emiratis account for only 4 per cent of the private sector workforce.
Nadia Salameh, a consultant who specialises in Emiratisation at Cobalt Recruitment, said Emiratis were most likely to take up private-sector jobs in human resources, marketing, engineering, business management and organisational development.
“Emiratis should believe from an early age they can work in any field,” Ms Salameh said. “Companies that encourage continued learning are the most successful in Emiratisation.”
The normal GPTW-UAE list is drawn up according to two scores.
A “trust” survey is completed by all employees to measure aspects such as camaraderie, respect and pride, and accounts for two thirds of the final score. A second survey quizzes management and HR to gauge the corporate culture.
The Great Places for Emiratis to Work list will only take the corporate cultural audit into account, as many companies may not have many national employees but do have excellent Emiratisation programmes at management level.
“There are companies that have impressive programmes regarding Emiratisation and we want to communicate those to the wider public, as they are doing outstanding work,” he said.
Mohammed Hamza Al Qasimi said his experience in working for the French oil company Total helped him to develop many skills.
Mr Al Qasimi was recently sent to Paris to oversee a project related to a challenging oilfield in the Middle East. “The international experience I’ve gained from my assignment in Paris is not only beneficial on a personal level,” he said.
“I am really looking forward to more challenges in my career in France and by absorbing those challenges I will be able to return the favour to my country, and bring new and innovative ideas in the development of UAE oil and gasfields.”
Mr Al Qasimi was chosen for an internship while studying for his bachelor of applied sciences at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He did an internship at the Abu Dhabi office of Total in 2004.
“I was given a challenging project in the geosciences domain,” he said. “I was a bit worried but the confidence management placed in me made me realise I was up to the challenge.”
The company then offered him a scholarship to complete a Masters of Science at Institut Francais du Petrole in France before he joined Total full-time in 2009.
Suaad Al Hajri, 33, who has 12 years’ experience in the private sector and now works at a senior level in treasury and cash management for Aldar Properties, said the workplace was challenging at first because of the misconception private companies had about Emiratis.
“I tried my best to work hard and prove myself,” she said. “I was so lucky that my management noticed me and gave me all the chances to develop my career, motivate me and give me all the delegation I needed to get the job done.
“If you want to be successful in your career you have to take the charge of your own growth. Ask for specific and meaningful help and plot out your personally developed plans and goals.”
Companies older than two years that employ more than 50 people may register to be included on the GPTW-UAE list until October 31.