BAHRAIN: Saudi Aramco has been participating at the Leadership Excellence for Women Awards and Symposium” (LEWAS), held in Bahrain from Oct. 23-25, Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday LEWAS aims to empower, engage and develop female professionals working in the energy sector, through focused workshops, leadership seminars and networking symposia, alongside awards that celebrate and recognize professional excellence. It is one of the growing gender diversity initiatives in the GCC energy industry and this year’s Symposium was held concurrently with the Gulf Downstream Association (GDA) Conference and Exhibition event at the same venue. Saudi Aramco Vice President of Downstream, Abdulaziz Judaimi, mentioned in his keynote speech the professional development of Aramco’s women employees. He noted the best practices in recruiting, developing and advancing women in Downstream. Welcoming delegates, he identified three key corporate drivers which deliver healthy numbers of women professionals in a company; a strong belief in the role of women, strategic recruitment and effective professional support. “I am pleased to say that Saudi Aramco has been investing in tailored outreach programs for some considerable time. These programs are helping women to compete before they even enter the workplace and specifically in our industry.” The company also continues to champion the professional development of its women employees through the implementation of company functions such as the Diversity Division, which works on providing programs to help leaders develop their inclusive leadership capabilities, and to develop professional careers for women. The company is also home to a number of women in senior positions including Diversity and Inclusion Leader, Reem Al-Ghanim, who has been chairing LEWAS since 2017, and all of whom attended the event in Bahrain.