Emirates NBD, one of the most prominent banking institutions in the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye (MENAT) region, has formally signed the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), further underlining its ongoing drive to support and enhance female representation in leadership roles across the organisation.

With a clear vision to have women occupy at least 25% of leadership positions by the year 2027, the bank continues to build on a series of structured, long-term initiatives aimed at driving progress towards gender equality while maintaining alignment with global benchmarks on diversity and inclusion.

“Signing the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles provides further momentum to the impressive efforts we have undertaken here at Emirates NBD to champion women in the workplace. Empowering women at every level of Emirates NBD is something we are deeply committed to. Looking forward, we will continue to accelerate our action to increase female leadership, achieve gender equality at all levels and encourage more women to pursue careers in banking,” said Shayne Nelson, Group CEO of Emirates NBD.

The announcement has been welcomed by the United Nations Women GCC Liaison Office, reinforcing the broader national and regional efforts to promote inclusive growth.

Dr. Mouza Al Shehhi, Director of the UN Women GCC Liaison Office, remarked: “We are delighted to welcome Emirates NBD as a signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs). This commitment reflects the Bank’s dedication to advancing gender equality and building an inclusive workplace culture. Importantly, it mirrors a strong shift nationwide toward embedding gender parity within its national development agenda. As the UAE accelerates its journey towards a knowledge-based and sustainable economy, empowering women across all sectors is not just a social imperative, it is a strategic enabler of innovation, resilience, and long-term prosperity. We look forward to supporting Emirates NBD in implementing the WEPs framework and continuing its journey towards empowering women across all levels of the organisation.”

The bank’s commitment is backed by a suite of policies and programmes aimed at creating a workplace environment where women can succeed and advance. This includes enhanced parental leave policies, remote work opportunities, and initiatives tailored to support career continuity for women returning to the workforce.

Eman Abdulrazzaq, Group Chief Operating Officer and Group Chief Human Resources Officer at Emirates NBD, said: “By signing the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, we demonstrate our dedication to advancing gender equality, particularly our goal of ensuring that 25% of leadership roles are held by women by 2027. Our initiatives, including an expanded maternity policy, flexible working arrangements, and the Career Comeback Programme, are designed to create an inclusive environment where women can thrive and reach their full potential. We are already seeing positive outcomes, with women representing over 40% of our global workforce. This exceeds global benchmarks, and we will continue to invest in initiatives that foster female leadership.”

The financial institution’s efforts are not only internal. Emirates NBD also places emphasis on influencing broader community and industry-wide change. Through educational opportunities and development pathways, the bank is nurturing a culture of equal access and professional growth.

Over the past few years, Emirates NBD has launched a number of notable initiatives to advance this cause, such as:

• Expanding its maternity policy and introducing paternity and adoption leave
• Enabling remote work arrangements for UAE-based employees
• Implementing the Career Comeback Programme to support women re-entering the workforce
• Providing bespoke training and leadership programmes targeted at women, alongside organisation-wide unconscious bias training
• Signing the UAE Gender Balance Pledge in 2023 and aligning its sustainability agenda with the UN’s Goal 5 on gender equality
• Enhancing workplace facilities to better support women, including dedicated parking, breastfeeding areas, and professional networking spaces for women

These efforts collectively reinforce the bank’s mission to not only retain and promote women within its own workforce but also to inspire other organisations to take similar steps towards balanced representation and inclusive economic participation.

The Women’s Empowerment Principles, co-developed by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, serve as a framework for businesses to adopt practices that uphold gender equality across the workplace, marketplace, and broader community. Grounded in international labour and human rights standards, the principles highlight the critical role companies play in shaping inclusive and equitable environments.

With this signing, Emirates NBD further strengthens its commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and reaffirms its active participation in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It joins a growing coalition of global entities that are collectively working to ensure women have equal opportunity and recognition in every sector of society.