Making the Mandate Matter: How the UAE can avoid tokenism while increasing female representation on boards

Starting January 2025, all private joint stock companies in the UAE must allocate at least one board seat for women, following the expiration of their current board terms.

This requirement builds on a 2021 mandate for public joint stock companies and reinforces the aims of the UAE Gender Equality Council and its goal of 30 per cent female representation on corporate boards by 2025.

As Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, noted, the initiative supports the country’s commitment to “enhance gender balance, empower women in the business sector, and increase their presence in leadership and decision-making roles.” Early results from public companies have already shown a positive impact, with better institutional performance and economic outcomes. The UAE have continued to rise in the Gender Inequality Index (SDP 5) for United National Development Program. As Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stated: “Our wise leadership’s profound commitment and support for gender balance and their eagerness to enhance women’s representation across economic, political, and social fields through pioneering legislation and initiatives have led made this exceptional achievement possible.”

Let’s also not forget that women’s influence on consumer spending in the UAE is substantial, driving around 80 per cent of all consumer purchases³. However, simply increasing the number of women on boards is not enough to generate lasting, meaningful change and maximise the benefits. It is imperative that their voice is empowered, heard and strengthened in the board room.

As Dr Najat Benchiba-Savenius, a prominent advisor to UAE, Saudi and general GCC businesses and Family Offices, affirms, this is an “excellent direction by the UAE leadership and requires an urgent need for UAE businesses to mobilise to meet this target — but it must be done on meritocracy, not tokenism.”

While women held 77 board seats, representing 8.9 per cent of the 868 seats across 115 UAE-listed companies in 2022⁴, substantial work remains. True success will not come from meeting quotas alone; boards must ensure female members contribute fully and effectively to decision-making. Alison Reynolds, a DE&I researcher, cautions that “quotas often risk having a detrimental impact — where females fail to speak up out of fear, disempowerment, or lack of experience.” UAE executives must avoid this pitfall.

In light of this mandate, there are three key recommendations for UAE organisations aiming to maximise the value in the boardroom:

1) Hear the voice: Build a culture that supports diverse contributions

Merely having women in the boardroom isn’t enough. Their voices must be respected, heard, and integrated into decision-making processes. Too often, boards that appear diverse on paper are still dominated by traditional perspectives, with dissenting or alternative viewpoints sidelined.

To change this, boards must actively cultivate a culture that encourages inclusive participation. This begins with an honest reflection on board culture and authentic board recruitment: What behaviours do we value? Who feels empowered to speak up?

How do we handle dissent? Boards should adopt practices that prioritise psychological safety, ensuring that all members — regardless of gender — feel comfortable sharing alternative perspectives.

This includes developing board members to recognise unconscious bias, electing chairs who champion inclusivity, and regularly evaluating the contributions of each director as part of board effectiveness assessments. Boards that do this will build the kind of environment where diverse voices are not only heard but also drive innovation and better decision-making.

2) Enable the voice: Support female board members’ transition into their roles

Being an effective board member requires far more than attending meetings and reviewing minutes. Many newly appointed female directors may have excelled in senior leadership roles, but board positions demand a unique set of skills — ranging from governance and audit to relationship building and influence management. This is the same for their newly-onboarded male counterparts, it is a question of supporting the early journey into the boardroom irrespective of gender.

Proper onboarding is critical. Without targeted support, newly appointed women risk falling into token roles, which not only diminishes their impact but also undermines the broader goals of the mandate. To avoid this, organisations should invest in mentoring, transition coaching, and skill development for new board members. This should include training on corporate governance responsibilities, navigating board politics, and developing the influence necessary to shape board decisions.

Dr. Najat Benchiba-Savenius added: “In aiming to recruit diverse board members or trustees, enabling a shadowing framework, attending board shadowing programmes or trainee board placements is invaluable to not only gain experience, but to also determine if the board is the goal before committing to a formal role.”

Dr. Najat Benchiba-Savenius is CEO, Gazelle Advisory Group and an award-winning speaker on women in business. Natalie Wharton is CEO & Founder, Wharton Business Consulting and a Wharton-Ignite.