'Men and women need to be allies': How this UAE platform is empowering women in workplace

In the bustling streets of Istanbul back in 2009, Carla de la Vega's life took a transformative turn. A journalist and author, Carla had just published her first book, Honour Heels and Headscarves, chronicling the real-life stories of women in Istanbul. However, her joy was swiftly overshadowed when she encountered a disturbing photo montage online, depicting her bruised face with derogatory remarks labelling her as a prostitute. This shocking incident not only shook her confidence but ignited a profound realisation – the urgent need to empower herself and subsequently, other women.

Carla had a life-changing experience that led her on a path of self-discovery and promoting women's empowerment. Her research into areas like neuroscience and psychology revealed that most women grapple with self-doubt in their professional lives, with studies showing that three-quarters of women struggle with confidence issues in their careers.

Motivated by what she had gone through and equipped with insight, Carla co-founded Bepow Media, a media platform focused on helping women grow on a personal and professional level. Through Bepow Media, Carla and her colleagues made available tools, information, and an encouraging community to assist women in conquering difficulties and cultivating self-assurance.

However, Carla soon realised that empowering women wasn't enough. True progress required collaboration and inclusivity, including men in the conversation. Thus, her latest venture, International Women Empowerment Initiative (IWEI), was born. “Our Mission at IWEI is to unlock the untapped potential of women in the workplace, promote diversity and empower organisations to achieve better business results”.

Elaborating on how IWEI functions, Carla says that it empowers businesses to enhance female talent retention and engagement through a research-backed, bespoke, interactive e-learning platform aimed at boosting women's confidence and professional growth. The inclusive approach fosters a workplace where women thrive, driving business success while championing diversity and women's empowerment.

“There are so many studies that show that companies that have women in senior leadership positions out-earn those that don’t. For instance, Ernst & Young says there is a 6 per cent increase in profits in companies with gender diverse teams, and BCG also found that there’s a 38 per cent increase in innovation revenue when both genders are represented,” she says.

Unfortunately, many women drop off before they reach senior levels or do not perform to their fullest abilities due to a lack of confidence and work environments. IWEI takes a holistic approach, first helping women build their confidence so they can lead teams and participate at senior levels. Secondly, it helps companies and institutions to create environments where women can thrive, increasing organisational prosperity by harnessing the power of diversity.

IWEI is an e-learning platform with rich video lessons that contain valuable content from the latest studies from psychologists, neuroscientists, and experts. They also share stories of real-life women to inspire people. IWEI also helps create actionable takeaways with workbooks along with online and off-line interactions such as on-site conferences. This in turn helps to create a community that will support their journey.

She highlights the value of men's support, stating, "Men and women need to be allies. From my personal experience, some of my best mentors have all been men. They have helped me grow so much throughout my career”. Enrolling male associates could help women to grow into leaders of the future.