General Electric (GE) Gulf has appointed a new President and CEO: Dalya Al Muthanna. As the first Emirati to have a senior leadership role in GE Gulf, she is hoping to play a vital role in strengthening GE’s already-strong presence in the GCC. In addition to appointing a woman to a senior leadership role -still relatively uncommon in the Gulf corporate world- GE appointing Al Muthanna shows their intent in promoting and supporting localization, something that has been high on the agenda of GCC states of late. Emiratization is up there on the UAE’s priority list, with the Interim Committee for Nationalization (ICN) recently reporting that there are about 45,000 Emiratis looking for work in the UAE. In fact, the UAE is hoping for a tenfold increase ofEmirati employees in the private sector in the next seven years; part of a plan called UAE Vision 2021. To help fulfill UAE Vision 2021, the 14th edition of Careers UAE 2014 was staged from April 22-24 in Dubai under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. The event had representatives from 160 private and public sector companies, providing ample opportunities for nationals. Dalya Al Muthanna is also a board member of the Emirates Solar Industry Association’s Women in Solar program, is also a member of the Steering Committee of the MENA Clean Energy Business Council. That said, it should be interesting to see GE Gulf’s CSR activities with Al Muthanna at the helm.
