Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani
Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani (also Haifa Al Kaylani) (Arabic: هيفاء الفاهوم الكيلاني ), Founder Chairman, Arab International Women’s Forum is well known in international government and business circles as a high-impact change agent focusing on leadership in cultural and gender issues. An economist and graduate of the American University of Beirut and Oxford University with highly developed diplomatic, administrative and communications skills, she brings a wide range of skills and experience to her personal mission of encouraging greater cultural understanding between Arab and international communities, supporting a strong role for women in that process.
Al Kaylani has successfully led numerous initiatives and has been involved in a wide variety of charities, cultural institutions, NGO’s and the private sector in the UK, the Arab world and internationally. She also commands wide international exposure in government and business circles, including high level contacts in the Middle East, Europe, India and North & South America. Haifa Al Kaylani serves as a Freeman and Liveryman of the City of London, and as a much sought-after speaker. Haifa has chaired and addressed major conferences on development, diversity, leadership and cross cultural dialogue. Fluent in five languages, she is widely travelled in more than 60 countries.[citation needed]
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Early life and languages
Al Kaylani was born in Palestine and raised in Lebanon. She is the eldest of 5 daughters and studied at English-speaking schools, learning five different languages fluently. Mrs Al Kaylani is a dual British and Lebanese citizen of Palestinian origin, Jordanian by marriage and a UK Resident since 1976. She speaks English, Arabic, French (fluent), Spanish and Italian.
Education
Al Kaylani attended the Sherborne School for Girls in Dorset the British Lebanese School for Girls in Beirut. She achieved a BA in Economics at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 1966, later returning to AUB to earn a Masters in Economic Development in 1971 after preparing for a Diploma in the same subject at Oxford University in 1967. After completing her education, she went on to work as a junior economist for the United Nations for two years.
Personal life
Al Kaylani married a Jordanian Ambassador, the late Wajih S. Al Kaylani, in 1970. For over forty years she assisted her husband in his diplomatic postings and official and business engagements including those as Jordanian Ambassador to India, Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Tunisia. They moved to the United Kingdom permanently in 1976 whilst maintaining close ties in Jordan and Lebanon. They have a son, Sirri Al Kaylani, who is a successful commercial lawyer.
Advocacy
Al Kaylani holds senior roles in several cultural, commercial and educational UK and international organisations. These include: Founder Chairman The Arab International Women’s forum, Board Member, The Women's Leadership Board at Harvard Kennedy School; Advisory Board Member, The Middle East Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London; Advisory Board Member, The Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, Lebanese American University, Beirut; Board Director, EastWest Institute in New York, and Board Member The Arab British Chamber of Commerce in London. Mrs Al Kaylani serves on The Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance. Mrs Al Kaylani became the first Honorary Member, the Euro Mediterranean Association for Cooperation and Development (2012) and serves as a Freeman of the City of London.
Arab International Women's Forum
With the mission Building Bridges, Building Business, Al Kaylani founded the Arab International Women's Forum (AIWF) in London in February 2001. AIWF is a unique, non-profit network that serves as a voice for Arab women; showcasing and developing their talent, ability and competence in business and public life to create a greater global awareness of the unprecedented impact they are making on economic, cultural and social development in the Arab world.
AIWF fosters co-operation among its members and between Arab, British and international communities. Through activities taking place in London, the Arab world, Europe and international business capitals, AIWF links Arab business and professional women in the 22 Arab countries with each other and with their counterparts in the international community. In addition to members from all the Arab countries, AIWF has also attracted members from more than a dozen countries in the UK, Europe, North and South America, Australia Africa and Asia. AIWF supports its members in meeting challenges and identifying opportunities for women created by globalisation, by leading with an agenda of capacity building and advocacy to create jobs and foster economic and social development. Through its annual events and initiatives, AIWF is proud to work across the board with governments, educators, NGOs and the private sector to advance gender equality and sustainable development in the Arab world, powering change, creating partnerships and promoting viable business alliances between women leaders in the 22 Arab countries and their counterparts in the international community.
The creation of a progressive business and social environment in the region where women-led SMEs can flourish has been a common keystone of AIWF’s work. AIWF conferences, seminars, roundtable and networking events, held over the years in Paris, London, Brussels, Madrid, Cairo, Amman, Washington DC, Sharjah, Beirut, Damascus, Dubai and Berlin, connect high-level change agents in the region to emphasise the importance of partnership, capacity-building, mentorship and best practice exchange; identify economic challenges and cultural barriers to women’s success; and ultimately produce concrete outcomes and recommendations based on findings of attending policy makers, academics and business leaders. AIWF reports in 2005 and 2007 on Women as Engines of Economic Growth in the Arab World set the benchmark for promoting policy recommendations and strategies for economic competiveness, sustainable human development and the empowerment of Arab women and youth.
AIWF is distinguished by its many collaborations to advance legislative rights for Arab women with, among others, the League of Arab States, the European Commission and European Parliament, United Nations organisations and agencies, the World Bank, the OECD, women’s business councils in the Arab States and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. AIWF places great strategic importance on the development of its global networks and the establishment of key alliances with multinational corporations across all sectors. AIWF’s Global Corporate Benefactor Partner, PepsiCo, and its valued Global Partners are deeply engaged in the MENA region and uphold strong diversity policies that enhance the recruitment, training and development of women as key contributors to the Arab human capital pool.
AIWF is proud to have developed strong relationships with global media and a special partnership with the leading MENA communications company, Memac Ogilvy, and has assisted publications such as TIME, Forbes and the Financial Times with special reports to recognize the Arab world’s emerging women business leaders. AIWF also supported the publication of Domains of Influence: Arab Women Business Leaders in a New Economy, the first book of its kind and a unique testament to the impact of Arab Women in today’s global environment of entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
As Chair of AIWF, Haifa Al Kaylani has consistently called for the region to fully utilise its most precious natural resource – its well-educated, tech-savvy, multi-lingual and increasingly interconnected pool of young Arab talent. In just over a decade, AIWF has become a powerful advocate for youth in the region, working closely within the corporate and academic spheres to enable young women leaders of the next generation to fully tap into their unexplored potential, to leverage technology and social media to network effectively, build the confidence to take greater leadership roles within their companies and communities, and to aspire to higher levels of responsibility in all areas of their lives.
The utmost priority for AIWF in 2015 and beyond is to promote empowerment for women and youth to act as future agents for lasting, sustainable development and prosperity in the Arab world. Therefore, AIWF has committed its resources to the Young Arab Women Leaders: The Voice of the Future initiative which it launched in 2011 and has thus far featured an outstanding series of conferences held in Amman, Beirut and Dubai, bringing together speakers from government, business, NGOs and some of the region’s most prominent women in business with young women who aspire to community, business and political leadership.
Voluntary & Philanthropic Work
Haifa Al Kaylani was the President of the Federation of International Women’s Associations in London (FIWAL), an organisation of 30 women’s associations and clubs encompassing around 40,000 members, from 1997 – 2000, and a Board Member of FIWAL from 1990 – 2000. She was a Member of the Steering Committee of the Department of Trade and Industry UK, co-chairing two conferences in 1999 and 2000 to promote Arab-British business opportunities and women in business in the Arab world.
Al Kaylani was the Chair of Welcome Clubs International Middle East, a worldwide network of international women’s organisations aimed at fostering friendship and understanding through education and training, in 2000 – 2003; the Chair of the UK Appeal of the Jordan Badia Research & Development Programme 1998 (Co-Patrons: HRH Prince El Hassan, and HRH the Duke of Kent), a joint initiative of the Royal Geographical Society and the Higher Council of Science & Technology in Jordan; Chair of the UK Appeal of the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development 1994, chaired by HRH Princess Basma bint Talal, which helped to empower women in rural Jordan through small loans. A Co-Patron of the UK Appeal was the Duchess of Kent.
Al Kaylani was a Member of the Board of Medical Aid for Iraqi Children (1995 – 2005), a UK registered charity supplying medicines from the UK to children in Iraq (with UN Sanctions Committee approval); and a Member of the Board of the Fund for Refugees in Slovenia (1994–Present), a UK charity to assist Bosnian refugees set up in 1992 by Lady Nott with Baroness Margaret Thatcher as Patron.
Memberships
Al Kaylani's Board memberships are listed below:[citation needed] • Founder & Chairman, [Arab International Women’s Forum][1] • Vice Chair International, Women’s Leadership Board; Harvard University • Member of Advisory Board, Global Thinkers Forum • Member of the Advisory Board and Past President, The Federation of International Women’s Associations in London • Member of Advisory Board, Middle East Institute • Member of Advisory Board, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) [part of the University of London] • Member of the Advisory Board Imperial College Business School, London • Past Member of Advisory Board of Imperial College Business School • Member of The Worshipful Livery Company of the World Traders, City of London, London
Recognition and Awards
Al Kaylani received recognition as one of the Women eNews 21 Leaders for the 21 Century (2006); was included in the Muslim Power 100 Leaders in the UK listing (2007) receiving the Education Excellence Award; she is a recipient of the International Alliance for Women 2008 World of Difference Lifetime Achievement Award; and was named one of the 20 leading Muslim women in the UK in The Equality & Human Rights Commission Muslim Women Lists 2009-2012. She was recognised as First Honorary Member of the Euro Mediterranean Association for Cooperation and Development (EMA) in Hamburg in 2012 and received the United Kingdom Muslim Woman of the Year Award at the British Muslim Awards in 2013.
Al Kaylani was presented with an Award for an Outstanding Contribution as a Women Leader of Palestinian Origin in 2013 and was honoured by the Qatari Businesswomen Association and presented with an Award for her contributions to the growth and development in the Arab region. She was the recipient of the Global Inspirational Leadership Award 2013 and was honoured for individual achievements as a role model and having made contributions worthy of acknowledgement towards the role of women in Emerging Economies by the Georgia General Assembly.
In 2011, 2012 and 2013, Al Kaylani was included in the Power 100 List compiled by Arabian Business Monitor and recognised on the Arabian Business Power 500 List published by Arabian Business Magazine, placed in the highest ever recording of 118 women in a list of Arab men and women leaders. Mrs Al Kaylani was inducted in 2013 by the Centre of Economic Leadership & Development into The Global Women Leaders Hall of Fame as a distinguished achiever and symbol of female achievement globally. Mrs Al Kaylani received The Excellence in Life Award presented by The Global Thinkers Forum in Dubai December 2014.
In January 2013, was nominated for the Muslim Woman of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.[1]
In 2015, Al Kaylani, received The Pearl Initiative Recognition for a Career Focused on Arab Women in Leadership, presented by the Pearl Initiative Honorary Chairman H.E. Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Narayan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development in the United Arab Emirates on the occasion of The Pearl Initiative & United Nations Global Compact Forum held in Dubai.
Beliefs and Quotes
A belief she holds: "that a society cannot truly prosper without utilizing the resources of its women." 'Cultural and gender issues'.[citation needed]
References
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