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The Recap: Achieving Women Forum 2017 Bringing women in business together at The W Hotel on May 8, 2017, the third edition of the Achieving Women Forum, featured MENA's leading female leaders in the business arena to share their expertise to the 450 attendees of the half-day conference.

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Bringing women in business together at The W Hotel on May 8, 2017, the third edition of Entrepreneur Middle East's Achieving Women Forum presented by du featured MENA's leading female leaders in the business arena to share their expertise to the 450 attendees of the half-day conference.

Entrepreneur Middle East Editor in Chief, Aby Sam Thomas

Staged under the Entrepreneur Industry Intel banner and presented by du, the 2017 Achieving Women Forum was moderated by Fida Chaaban, Chief Communications Officer of KBW Investments, and Entrepreneur Middle East Editor in Chief, Aby Sam Thomas.

Fida Chaaban, Chief Communications Officer of KBW Investments

Thomas kicked off the event with his introductory remarks on the conference's objective of fostering a space for women in the MENA business sector to learn, network and build relationships and connections to help elevate them on both a personal and professional level. Thomas noted that the conference is a continuance of Entrepreneur's commitment of improving the status quo and stirring the ecosystem forward, as well encouraged everyone to interact with panelists and fellow attendees offline and online with #EntMEWomen.

Panelists Carla Koffel, Executive Director of Pearl Initiative, Rana Nawas, Senior VP, Capital Markets at GE Capital Aviation Services and President of the Ellevate Dubai Chapter, and Lubna Qassim, Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel at Emirates NBD, with moderators Entrepreneur Middle East Editor in Chief, Aby Sam Thomas and Fida Chaaban, Chief Communications Officer of KBW Investments

The first of the Talking Series brought insights under the title of Keys To The Kingdom: Getting Into The C-Suite, revolved around corporate governance, gender parity, and encouraging and supporting women in leadership roles. The panelists consisted of Lubna Qassim, Executive Vice President and Group General Counsel at Emirates NBD, Carla Koffel, Executive Director of Pearl Initiative, Rana Nawas, Senior VP, Capital Markets at GE Capital Aviation Services and President of the Ellevate Dubai Chapter.

Panelists Serene Touma, Marketing and Communications Director at BECO Capital, Farah Moumneh, Head of Strategy at OMD, Katharine Budd, co-founder and CEO of NOW Money, and Tara Rogers-Ellis, co-founder and Managing Partner of Mojo PR, with moderators Entrepreneur Middle East Editor in Chief, Aby Sam Thomas and Fida Chaaban, Chief Communications Officer of KBW Investments

The second discussion delved on developing and cultivating a brand identity, targeting your audience, marketing strategies and more, under the title of The Hard Sell: Building Your (And Your Business') Brand Value. Driving forward the discourse were panelists Katharine Budd, co-founder and CEO of NOW Money, Serene Touma, Marketing and Communications Director at BECO Capital, Farah Moumneh, Head of Strategy at OMD, and Tara Rogers-Ellis, co-founder and Managing Partner of Mojo PR.

Panelists Sharene Lee, co-founder of Melltoo, Alanoud Faisal, co-founder of Inevert.com and Advisory Chairwoman of ella, Sarah Jones, founder and CEO of Sprii, and Donna Benton, founder and CEO of The Entertainer, with moderators Entrepreneur Middle East Editor in Chief, Aby Sam Thomas and Fida Chaaban, Chief Communications Officer of KBW Investments

The third and final panel of the event was around the topic of generating revenue from various stages of a business, maintaining a good customer experience, and more, under the title of Scaling Through Sales: Funding Your Enterprise's Growth With Your Customers. The panel included Donna Benton, founder and CEO of The Entertainer, Alanoud Faisal, co-founder of Inevert.com and Advisory Chairwoman of ella, Sarah Jones, founder and CEO of Sprii, and Sharene Lee, co-founder of Melltoo.

The 2017 Achieving Women Forum, presented by du, was held with the support of Dubai Business Women Council and in association with Luxury Partner, Cadillac; Platinum Ally, AJSM Investments; Gold Allies, OMD and Philip Stein; Silver Ally, Yvolv; Knowledge Partner, Skyline University College; Ecosystem Partner, ArabNet, and Venue Partner, The W Hotel at Al Habtoor City.

Related: The Recap: Achieving Women Forum 2016

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