TBY hosted its annual panel discussion in Lebanon on June 19, 2018. The event, held in the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut, was entitled “Narrowing the Gender Gap,” and was organized in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Lebanon and the Association of Lebanese Business People in the World (RDCL World). The roundtable brought together a unique blend of stakeholders from across the Lebanese economy to discuss the issue of gender equality in the workplace, and focused on possible causes, implications, and solutions.
Although the number of female workers in several of Lebanon’s economic sectors (in particular, banking, financial services, technology) has been steadily increasing over recent years, gender parity in the workplace is far from a reality. Globally, while it has been acknowledged that plurality in the workplace is beneficial for a company’s growth trajectory and financial performance, few firms act on this evidence and gender roles in corporate governance structures seem entrenched.
In an effort to shed light on these issues, the participants were intentionally drawn from a broad cross section of the Lebanese economy. They included: Salim Zeenni, Chairman, American Lebanese Chamber of Commerce; Tamara Salha, Hotel Manager, Phoenicia Beirut; Mona Bawarshi, CEO, Gezair; Rita Rizk, Managing Director, Tamayyaz; Raya Haffar Al Hassan, President, Tripoli Special Economic Zone; Joelle Abou Farhat Rizkallah, Co-Founder of Women in Front NGO; and Fouad Zmokhol, President, RDCL World.