The Pearl Initiative, a non-profit organisation focused on corporate accountability and transparency in the Gulf region, recently held a Business Pledge session at the University of Bahrain, engaging with more than 450 students.

During the Business Pledge sessions, prominent companies in the Gulf region pledge their commitment to continue to work responsibly and ethically, following the principles of accountability and transparency in their business practices and behaviour.

Schneider Electric’s Talent Acquisition Partner, Amira Amr Ali, aimed to raise awareness among the students on the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace to define the goals of sustainable and responsible growth for large companies.

Amira Amr commented: “It was a great opportunity to share how Schneider Electric promotes inclusion in the workplace and works towards increasingly implementing practices and measures in the recruitment process that ensure diversity in all its aspects, giving everyone a fair chance to voice their opinions and excelling in their careers.”

The session focused on tackling unconscious gender bias, highlighting the different tools and tactics that students can use to break and avoid unconscious gender bias, identifying whether or not they’re being subjected to it, and actively trying to stop these ingrained biases from influencing their decision-making and judgement.

Feedback from students included: “The session was very insightful. It awakened my curiosity to learn more about how corporate governance practices, diversity and inclusion in specific, are applied in practice by businesses in the Gulf region, and the journey and practical steps leading companies have taken to implement such initiatives in the workplace. I am looking forward to participating in future Business Pledge sessions to learn more about the other pillars of corporate governance.”

The Business Pledge programme was launched by the Pearl Initiative in 2017 during the Regional Forum for Sustainability in Action, held in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact. The programme highlights the role of the private sector in promoting responsible and sustainable growth in the Gulf through good corporate governance. The Pearl Initiative calls for business leaders to renew their commitment to adhere to ethical principles in interacting with society.

Universities or companies who wish to participate in upcoming Business Pledge sessions can reach out to the Pearl Initiative for further information.

About the Pearl Initiative

The Pearl Initiative is the Gulf region’s leading independent, non-profit organisation working to promote the business case for a corporate culture of accountability and transparency. The organisation was established in 2010 by regional business leaders in cooperation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships. The Pearl Initiative is the only private, non-profit Gulf business network to receive special consultative status from the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

The Pearl Initiative runs a series of corporate governance-related programmes, including Anti-Corruption Best Practices, Diversity in Business Leadership, Governance in MSMEs, Governance in Family Firms, Governance in Tech, and Governance in Philanthropy. The organisation also conducts locally relevant research, hosts workshops and executive education training sessions, and convenes business leaders, policy makers, students, and non-profit executives to encourage a proactive approach to implementing best practices in the workplace across the Gulf region.

With a growing network of over 40 regional and international partners, the Pearl Initiative continues to strive to be the leading business-led action-oriented platform to advance corporate governance as a key driver of competitiveness, job creation, and sustainable economic growth across the Gulf region.

For more information, please visit www.pearlinitiative.org and check out our Social Media Channels: @PearlInitiative on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and @ThePearlInitiative on LinkedIn and Instagram.