Yara Anabtawi, ACWA Power

YARA ANABTAWI

chief people, culture & communication officer

ACWA Power

Women need to be undeterred by challenges and push past the unfamiliar to pursue the fields they are passionate about.

What aspects of ACWA Power gender empowerment programmes are you most proud of and why?

At ACWA Power, one of our key internal principles is to foster diversity and equal opportunity. Our commitment to gender empowerment encompasses programmes both within the company and externally amongst communities. I am happy that we have a holistic approach to gender empowerment; it is essential to drive change.

For example, in Morocco, we have partnered with Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) and ECOHZ to empower women based in Ouarzazate, a local community near our NOOR solar complex. WOCAN is responsible for creating the W+TM Standard (W+), a tool that measures the impact of projects on women empowerment and increases their access to resources and capital, scaling up solutions to climate change, food security, and poverty. Our partnership with WOCAN allows us to support local women's initiatives in Ouarzazate.

Internally, we have recently pioneered a programme focussed on women's leadership empowerment and advancement within ACWA Power and enhancing their learning and development through internal workshops and international conferences.

Our initiatives cover both internal and external gender empowerment programmes, and we believe it is important to have a balanced approach to address this globally important issue.

ACWA Power is also a signatory to Empower Alliance - G20 global initiative which drives meaningful measures aimed to promote the advancement of women.

What is ACWA Power vision towards sustainability, and what steps are being taken to achieve ACWA Power sustainability goals? How do you engage employees in sustainability efforts?

ACWA Power's mission is to deliver power and water reliably and responsibly in the markets we serve across the world. Sustainability, therefore, is deeply embedded in our business DNA and is at the core of our efforts to accelerate energy transition globally. As the need for climate action gets more pressing by the day, we are relentlessly pursuing affordable clean energy solutions that enable nations to chart a sustainable path to progress.

One of ACWA Power's key internal values is diversity and equal opportunity. At ACWA Power, we encourage a diverse and inclusive workforce in line with UN SDG 5: Gender Equality.

ACWA Power is also committed to localisation; we support meaningful employment, education, training, and a safe workplace for people within the local communities we serve. We assist in their development by enhancing local infrastructure, skill-building, and nurturing financial sustainability.

Additionally, our internal programmes engage employees in our sustainability efforts and support their desire to make a difference.

What does women's empowerment mean to you?

Empowerment can be defined in many ways - for me, it is first and foremost about creating equal opportunity and appreciating people with different approaches. Favouring people who are most similar to us, whether by gender, ethnicity, skill set, behaviour, or working style, gives us tunnel thinking and limits what is possible. It is important to develop an environment where women can learn and work in any field they choose, and give them the same platforms to compete and excel. This starts with nurturing an accepting and tolerant environment.

Through our Empower Alliance G20 global initiative partnership, we support sharing best practices on women's empowerment and looking beyond ratios and targets to focus on meaningful measures aimed at equal opportunity, removal of bias, and other behaviors that stand in the way of diversity.

What are the challenges facing women in leadership?

We witness new progress in women leadership every day, the most recent being many countries pushing for more women as board members. ACWA Power has women in management and leadership, which gives gender diversity a voice at a strategic level.

However, despite an upward movement and a more gender-inclusive approach in recent years, women still face several challenges. Many of these are behavioural biases that have been years in the making. Things will not transform overnight. We need to work towards changing mindsets every day, and devise meaningful measures and systems that help create a truly diverse business environment.

There is also a clear need to build strong women-centric business network platforms supporting leadership skill-building and creating visibility for women leaders. It is also essential that we train the next generation of leaders through effective mentorship programmes. At ACWA Power, we have recently introduced a mentoring programme for young women supported by senior women leaders within the company. It is our way of training the next generation champions for leadership roles.

What advice would you give to women who are seeking out leadership roles?

Women need to be undeterred by challenges and push past the unfamiliar to pursue the fields they are passionate about. They should build a network of mentors, colleagues, industry leaders who will support them in this journey.

But my most important advice is: don't give up; pursue your path with confidence. The glass ceiling can often be one's own creation, or at the very least, supported by one's own doing. It will not be easy, but each barrier that is broken and each positive change that emerges helps women across the board become strong leaders and create the right influence. Our collective responsibility is to pay it forward and pave the path for future leaders - essentially continuing the strategy that has been used over the last two centuries to champion gender equality and support women to achieve equal leadership positions in the future.

What is your most important diversity goal at your company right now?

We are working to improve our gender parity numbers. We recently welcomed onboard a leader responsible for driving diversity across all roles within the company. We have set strong number-driven internship and recruitment criteria to ensure equal representation and gender parity in new roles. ACWA Power has always championed meritocracy and equal opportunity, and we are now taking a more proactive role to ensure we build a truly diverse workplace, powered by the strength of its constituents who each bring a unique and valuable offering.