Over the past few decades, the UAE has worked hard to attract top global talent to fill the gaps that its small local population was unable to. While the high salaries on offer were previously the main attractor to the country, with workers often staying for a couple of years before returning to their home country, there has been notable progress on talent retention in recent years.
Indeed, the UAE is now the number one country in MENA and 22nd globally for growing, attracting, and retaining talent according to INSEAD’s 2020 global talent competitiveness index. Additionally, with more and more regional functions for pharma and biopharma companies now based out of the country, the UAE is effectively a magnet for talent.
Diversity at the Core of Life Science Success
The representatives of global pharma are effusive on what can be achieved with diverse teams based out of the UAE. For Ahmed Moustafa of Amgen Gulf, which reached around 50,000 patients in 2022 and was recognized as a ‘Best Partner in Hematology’ by the Emirates Hematology Society and ‘Industry Researcher of the Year’ by the Emirates Oncology Society, a diverse team is at the core of its success.
“We have an incredible team of over 15 nationalities at Amgen Gulf without which these achievements would not have been possible,” he exclaims. “Amgen’s goal is to foster a culture of belonging, where diverse talent is widely represented, and everyone feels welcome.”
Diversity brings new mindsets and ideas to the challenges we face as a society and a company
Rodrigo Rodriguez, Takeda
Rodrigo Rodriguez of Takeda, a Brazilian national himself, a company which has had a massive global push on addressing health inequity in recent years, is aligned on the benefits that diversity can bring to an organisation. With Takeda basing is operations across the vast MEA region including Ukraine out of Dubai, Rodriguez feels that differences in background and opinion are crucial to arriving at good decisions.
“Diversity brings new mindsets and ideas to the challenges we face as a society and a company,” he proclaims. “We have over 26 nationalities working out of UMEA Offices with people with different backgrounds coming from Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa and top GDP countries to some of the lowest. Together we draw different conclusions and thoughts based on our experiences and this allows us to find solutions to complex problems and better serve patients.”
Gilead Sciences Middle East & Russia’s Vítor Papão, until recently the general manager of the company’s affiliate in his native Portugal, is of a similar mindset, noting that “while I am impressed with the quality of the people from the region, whether it be here or anywhere else, companies benefit from having a multicultural ecosystem and that is one of our core values. At Gilead inclusion and diversity are important to us because we understand the benefits that come from that. We are made much richer by having colleagues from Egypt, Lebanon, Argentina, France, Serbia, India, and other countries here.”
…and in Hospitals Too
The highly diverse nature of UAE society is magnified in the hospital space, where 82 percent of physicians and a full 96 percent of nurses are expatriates according to a January 2022 British Centers for Business report.
While this is the result of a scarcity of domestic physicians and nurses with the requisite skills and experience, Omer Abdel Rahman of Burjeel Hospital – one of Abu Dhabi’s leading private healthcare facilities – asserts that it is actually a positive for the country’s healthcare system.
“The UAE stands as one of the most diverse nations globally, and it is vital that our hospitals reflect this reality,” he states. “At Burjeel, we have a team representing 36 nationalities, speaking 56 languages, with more than half of our employees being women. Embracing diversity, we place deep value on adaptivity, social agility, and emotional intelligence to ensure a positive holistic workplace experience and excellent patient care.”
Gender Breakthroughs
The UAE is by some distance the Arab world’s leading country when it comes to gender equality, ranking 11th on the latest United Nations global Gender Inequality Index, up from 49th just seven years ago. The UAE authorities have rolled out multiple policies across the past decade to facilitate a greater role for women in the workforce as part of ‘We the UAE 2031 Vision’, as well as the realisation of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Five of achieving gender equality.
However, there is still a significant road to travel to fully achieve this equality across a country which is 70 percent male, at all leadership levels, and across sectors. For example, more women hold board positions in the UAE than ever before today, but the total percentage of 8.9 percent is still relatively paltry. Additionally, as Isabel Neiva, a partner at consultancy firm Kearney points out, “While there have been positive strides towards a more equitable work environment at a national level, the private sector lags behind.”
[Female leadership] initiatives benefit not only our female colleagues but also contribute to the development of our male colleagues
Patrick van der Loo, Pfizer
The multinational life sciences industry is both benefiting from, and contributing to, the bolstered role of women in the country and the region’s workforce. “In the MENAT region, our leadership team is more than 50 percent women, and we are committed to further increasing gender diversity across our teams in all countries across the region,” says Ramy Koussa of women’s health specialist Organon. “We have successfully built predominantly female teams in some countries like Ukraine, while in others, such as Saudi Arabia, we are actively working to foster a more balanced representation. Our ongoing efforts demonstrate our commitment to adapt and promote inclusivity as we progress.” However, of the 50 executives that PharmaBoardroom has interviewed for its upcoming UAE country report, only two were female leaders managing the MEA region.
Amgen’s Moustafa adds, “Our commitment to diversity has resulted in an impressive representation of women within our organization. Our entire staff, including leadership, is 50 percent female, well above the MENA average of 19 percent and Amgen Gulf has been listed as one of the ‘Best Workplaces for Women.’ I am confident that our team will continue to grow and further establish Amgen as an industry leader in the region.”
Pfizer’s MERA lead Patrick van der Loo points out that increased gender diversity has far-reaching implications in his own organisation. “Efforts have been made to increase gender diversity, with our female representation growing from 38 percent to 61 percent in less than three years,” he expounds. “We have established leadership programs for aspiring female talents and implemented a rotational assignment approach to provide diverse experiences and accelerate their growth. These initiatives benefit not only our female colleagues but also contribute to the development of our male colleagues.”
