The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) announced the launch of a new mentorship initiative – the Future Female Leaders Programme – aimed at developing the next generation of female finance leaders in the Middle East.
The mentorship programme will pair prominent women in the finance sector with aspiring members and students, facilitating the exchange of experiences and insights to propel more women into leadership roles.
The first ‘Future Leaders’ programme will run from 24 April to 24 July.
ICAEW also announced its first set of mentors – Amanda Line, entrepreneur and non-executive director, Sana Khater, CFO and board member and Jaimi Raikundalia, Partner at Deloitte – for the inaugural cohort.
The programme, aimed at enhancing aspiring members’ leadership skills, professional network expansion and improving business decision-making skills, will have separate sessions to address challenges for women in the industry.
The mentorship initiative comes amidst the Middle East region grappling with gender equality, with the largest gap to close standing at 62.6 percent, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2023 Global Gender Gap Report.
The gap is particularly pronounced for aspiring female leaders in the finance sector. Globally, women hold just 23 percent of c-suite level positions in finance, contrasting with 49 percent representation in entry-level positions.
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