Forsa-Insead to empower women business leaders

Forsa Foundation has unveiled details of the Executive Management Programme for Women that was recently launched under a strategic alliance that it has forged with Insead, one of the world's top 10 business schools.

Forsa, the top investment company, and a subsidiary of Dubai World, is created for women by women and aspires to attract and engage female investors, partner with successful female entrepreneurs and develop women business leaders.

The ForsA-Insead Executive Management Programme for Women, is now open for enrollment in the UAE, with a range of modules set to offer women business leaders in the region the opportunity to further enhance their leadership role and management expertise.

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FORSA announces strategic alliance with INSEAD

FORSA, an investment company launched for women by women, has announced a strategic alliance with INSEAD, one of the world's top 10 business schools, to offer women business leaders in the region the opportunity to further enhance their leadership role and management expertise.
The tie-up with INSEAD, the business school for the world, has paved the way for the introduction of a unique diploma that is recognized internationally and created for women in the region.
Being the first of its kind, the "FORSA-INSEAD Executive Management Program for Women" program will offer professional executive women a chance to reinforce their skills and prepare them for the subsequent level of leadership in the ever-changing business environment through world-class education.
Only 25 select women candidates will be offered the opportunity to participate in the "FORSA-INSEAD Executive Management Program for Women" which will be held in Dubai over a one-year period. Having understood the needs of the women in the region and respecting their lifestyle and sensibilities, this comprehensive program will consist of six one week modules will consist of six one week modules. It will be conducted INSEAD faculty who share FORSA'S commitment to excellence and an understanding of the realities of today's business conditions.
Commenting on the program, Shamsa Noor Ali Rashid, CEO of FORSA, said: "We are proud to announce the "FORSA-INSEAD Executive Management Program for Women", which is part of our vision for the region to create a new generation of executive women leaders. This significant alliance with a world class institution like INSEAD reflects our commitment to accelerate the development of management and leadership skills of women executives".
With the aim of becoming a key driver of growth for women business leaders in the Middle East and North Africa region, FORSA uses an integrated approach to provide women a platform to pursue their financial goals. FORSA's offerings include investment products, entrepreneurial opportunities and professional expertise.
Ajit Velu, Director, Partner Development, Asia Pacific and the Middle East, INSEAD, said: "Our alliance with FORSA allows us to tap into the vast potential that exists in the Middle East for a specially designed program that focuses on the professional advancement of women. We are confident that it will empower and provide them the opportunity to obtain a world-class management education, putting them on par with business leaders globally." While Mona Walid, Head of FORSA Foundation, FORSA added:"The FORSA Foundation CSR initiatives are designed to accelerate the growth of women executives in this region, funded by corporate sponsorships." The FORSA-INSEAD alliance comes at a time when the region is making concentrated efforts to encourage women into the workforce as well as boosting their career paths. Simultaneously, the "FORSA-INSEAD Executive Management Program for Women" embarks upon a new era of prosperity and will harness the GCC's human capital and encourage a greater degree of women participants. Source

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Dubai World’s subsidiary for women investors launches first realty project

FORSA, the investment company launched by Dubai World dedicated to women investors, has announced its first wave of investment projects starting with a major real estate venture to be launched this month. The real estate project will serve as FORSA's opening salvo in its long-term commitment to create diverse investment opportunities for women. Shamsa Rashid has also visited GCC member countries Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain to promote the project. The visits were also an opportunity to introduce the FORSA program to the rest of the region and encourage other women to become more involved in investment and business activities.
Shamsa Rashid, CEO, FORSA, said, “This is a very exciting time for FORSA and women investors. After the long and thorough stages of conceptualizing the company, and the successful fund-raising campaign, we are now all set for our first major real estate project and other inaugural offerings. We believe that this real estate venture will be the start of greater things in store for women investors in the UAE, giving them a more prominent role in the country's economic growth”.
The CEO of FORSA is confident of generating investments from the Middle East with the excellent return prospects offered by the real estate project. FORSA's inaugural investment package has been designed to offer attractive returns to women investors who are willing to invest Dh1 million in realty projects. FORSA has tapped into the resources of its investment partners, particularly prominent Dubai-centered real estate developer Nakheel to guarantee its initial venture is up to international standards. Source

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Forsa forum to 'empower' more women

A forum sponsored by women's investment fund Forsa is set to give women in the UAE insight into the types of careers expected to be in demand in the near future, it was announced today.The move comes after a recent survey revealed that 99% of Emirati women want to pursue a career after completing high school. And 65% said they would like to begin working immediately after their studies. The ‘Meet the Career Guru' forum sponsored by Forsa - which means ‘opportunity' in Arabic - will feature workshops and interviews with iconic achievers from a diverse range of industry sectors, in an attempt to empower women to take on a full range of professional options available to them.

"Forsa is committed to developing women's role in society by providing opportunities that are designed to foster the next generation of leaders in the home, in the workplace and in society," said Shamsa Noor Ali Rashid, CEO of Forsa."Through establishing strong partnerships with complementary organisations, Forsa is supporting Emirati women in their pursuit of a broad range of career options and nurturing management expertise and leadership skills," she added. The forum will show visitors what careers will be in demand, what forms the basis of the demand, professional qualifications required and predicted salary ranges. Ali Rashid also said that the event reflects Forsa's philosophy of encouraging women to be "active and contributing members of society from a diverse range of sectors."The exclusive investment company - ‘created by women for women' - was launched in January with the aim to help women to enhance their role in the nation's development.The even is being held during the Gulf Education and Training Exhibition (GETEX) - the largest education fair in the Middle East & Asia - at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre from April 11-14. Source

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Female finances on the up

Nicola Horlick is CEO of Bramdiva, a wealth management service offered exclusively for wealthy women. Bramdiva is about to launch services in the Middle East, starting in Dubai in 2007. One of the greatest opportunities I see in the wealth management global market is in the Middle East where the growth in female wealth is gaining attention.

"I first noticed this trend at the beginning of 2006 since when I have been working to develop various alliances in key territories including Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. I hope to extend Bramdiva [the women's wealth management company based in London] further still in time into Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.A handful of important developments have emerged since the Gulf region drew my attention. In Bahrain, the Abu Dhabi Investment House has launched Masrafy to target high net worth women in the Gulf region. In January this year, Dubai World launched Forsa, a fund aimed at providing investment opportunities for women and educational and financial support for female entrepreneurs. The fund, which hopes to raise AED 1 billion, has the enthusiastic support of Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World.But, we would be wrong to assume this is a very recent phenomenon. The entrepreneurial Sheikha Hanadi bint Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani recognised the opportunity nine years ago when in 1998 she established the Qatar Ladies Investment Company. That has since developed into a powerful and award-winning financial institution under a new name, Amwal. "Continue to the full story from Source.

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Bramdiva to tap $1.5bn investment fund

Nicola Horlick - dubbed the ‘superwoman' of the UK's fund management world - is to set up a wealth management service aimed exclusively at the region's most well-off women.The service, called ‘Bramdiva', is set to launch in Dubai this year, and - upon its expansion across the GCC - aims to attract up to $1.5bn in regional wealth within the next four years. Like Dubai World's recently-launched 'Forsa' investment fund, Bramdiva aims to take a slice of the estimated $38bn that women in the Gulf have ready to invest.
Information on a Dubai-based partner for Bramdiva was not forthcoming but Horlick is believed to have met with officials of the National Bank of Dubai during a visit to the UAE late last year.
Bramdiva will offer advice on investment opportunities, as well as a number of other services appropriate to the country of operation. For instance, in the UK - where Bramdiva was established in November 2005 - the company offers bespoke advice on divorce cases. However, the extent of services offered will depend very much on demand and local sensitivities.
In Saudi Arabia - where Bramdiva is set to launch after Dubai - the service could focus solely on investment advice.
The news comes just a month after the announcement that Dubai World is to launch an ‘exclusive' $270m fund that will only be open to female investors.‘Forsa' - which will form partnerships with Dubai World companies including DP World, Istithmar and Limitless - will also help encourage female entrepreneurs. Source

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Driving Forsa

"I want to provide women with opportunities to invest in this economic boom," smiles Forsa CEO Shamsa Noor Ali Rashid, as she reclines behind a neatly organised desk in her spacious light-flooded office, overlooking a typically-bustling Sheikh Zayed Road.After over 25 years of working abroad in the US and UK, gaining considerable experience at Procter & Gamble as well as establishing and then selling her own IT company, Rashid is convinced the time has come to "give back" to her country, especially to women. Obtaining an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and being one of the first Emirati women to study abroad, Rashid is a firm believer in making your own way through life, however, she also affirms that women in the region do not always have access to opportunities. Now, with Forsa, a fund created by and dedicated to women, she is certainly proud to say they do. "The Forsa idea started with Dubai World. We started thinking how we could form a company that allows women who have a lot of money sitting on the side to have the opportunity to invest in some of the more lucrative projects in the region," explains Rashid.
Continue to the full story from Source.

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Investment firm for women launched by Dubai World

Forsa, an investment fund for women investors and entrepreneurs, was launched by Dubai World on Monday. Forsa is a company created by women for women, with a vision based on the three central tenets of attracting female investors, partnering with female entrepreneurs and developing woman business leaders.
Forsa will focus on women with investment capacity to build a AED 1 billion fund guided by an investment management team to deliver superior results. The company has already obtained a commitment of AED 100 million towards its goal. Forsa will also create a series of funds focused on a variety of sectors including real estate, retail, education, health and technology, and is expected to generate exclusive investment opportunities through its size and partnerships with other Dubai World companies.
Find more details from the Source , Source.

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