EGA Achieves Major Gender Diversity Milestone

Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), the UAE’s largest non-oil industrial company, announced on International Women in Engineering Day that women now hold 25% of all supervisory roles, successfully meeting a target set in 2021.

When EGA initially set this ambitious target in 2021, women occupied just eighteen per cent of supervisory roles. Over the intervening years, the organisation has dedicated substantial resources towards recruitment, training, and retention to bridge this gap by the end of 2025. The results of these focused efforts became particularly evident throughout 2025, a year that saw robust recruitment figures. During this period, more than two hundred women officially joined the company. Notably, this intake included one hundred and thirteen UAE Nationals, further demonstrating EGA’s commitment to domestic talent development. Consequently, the company now employs a total of over eight hundred and thirty women. Highlighting the technical nature of these placements, more than sixty per cent of these female employees are currently working in highly specialised operational roles focused predominantly on engineering.

Leadership and Long-Term Vision
The strategic importance of this demographic shift within the workforce is championed at the highest levels of the organisation. Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, clearly articulated the corporate philosophy underpinning these initiatives. Regarding the milestone, he stated: “Advancing women’s role in industry is essential to building a future-ready workforce that drives excellence. The progress we have achieved reflects our belief that diverse organisations perform better. That’s why we are focused on creating an inclusive environment, and why we will continue to create opportunities for women to contribute, grow, and lead EGA’s and the UAE’s long-term success.”

National Training and Future Targets
Looking beyond the supervisory level, EGA continues to implement robust programmes designed to secure a pipeline of female talent. Last year, the organisation successfully recruited one hundred and ninety-nine young UAE nationals into its comprehensive National Training and Graduate Training programmes. Impressively, ninety-five of these new recruits were women. These specialised training programmes are meticulously structured to prepare high school graduates for demanding technical and administrative positions within the company’s extensive industrial facilities and corporate administration. These ongoing efforts are strictly aligned with EGA's future objectives. The organisation aims to steadily increase overall female representation to fifteen per cent of all roles by the end of 2026. Currently, women account for twelve per cent of the total workforce, a figure that includes frontline operators working directly within the industrial environment.

Cultivating Talent Through Mentorship
EGA has launched and participated in several targeted initiatives over recent years to ensure long-term systemic inclusion. In early 2025, the company introduced Ershaad, a dedicated mentorship programme created specifically for female UAE students. This initiative is carefully designed to encourage young women to pursue fulfilling careers in industry, particularly within STEM fields. Through direct mentoring provided by experienced EGA experts, the Ershaad programme delivers invaluable industry exposure, essential career guidance, and crucial access to professional networks, all of which help young women effectively shape their future careers.

Industry Collaboration and Support Networks
EGA has demonstrated a commitment to advancing gender diversity across the broader industrial landscape, not just internally. In 2023, the organisation launched the Challenger Programme. This collaborative initiative brings together leading industrial companies to collectively address shared, practical challenges related to gender diversity. Complementing this collaborative effort, EGA has actively worked with the American University of Sharjah to rigorously research the specific barriers to women’s participation in the heavy industrial workforce, actively seeking viable solutions to achieve true systemic inclusion. Finally, the foundation for much of this internal support was laid in 2020 with the establishment of the EGA Women’s Network, which continues to provide women at all levels of the company with a vital platform for connection, leadership development, and mutual professional support.