EGA, where one in every four supervisory roles are held by women, celebrates International Women in Engineering Day

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Emirates Global Aluminium, the largest industrial company in the United Arab Emirates outside oil and gas, today will celebrate International Women in Engineering Day tomorrow with women holding 25 per cent of supervisory positions at the company.

EGA achieved the target it set itself back in 2021 to reach 25 per cent gender diversity at supervisory levels by the end of 2025. Women then held just 18 per cent of supervisory roles at EGA.

In 2025, more than 200 women joined the company, including 113 UAE Nationals. EGA now employs over 830 women. More than 60 per cent working in operational roles focused on engineering.

Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer of Emirates Global Aluminium, said, “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.”

Last year, EGA recruited 199 young UAE nationals, including 95 women, into the company’s National Training and Graduate Training programmes. EGA’s National Training programmes prepare high school graduates for technical and administrative positions in the company’s industrial facilities and administration.

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EGA aims to increase women’s representation to 15 per cent of all roles by the end of 2026, with women currently accounting for 12 per cent of the total workforce including frontline operators.

In early 2025, EGA launched Ershaad, a mentorship programme for female UAE students to encourage careers in industry, particularly in STEM fields. Through mentoring by EGA experts, the programme provides industry exposure, career guidance, and access to professional networks to help young women shape their future careers.

In 2023, EGA launched the Challenger Programme, bringing together leading industrial companies to collaborate on advancing gender diversity across the sector by addressing shared, practical challenges.

EGA has worked with the American University of Sharjah to research barriers to women’s participation in the heavy industrial workforce and find solutions to achieve systemic inclusion.

EGA established its Women’s Network in 2020, providing women at all levels of the company a platform for connection, leadership development, and mutual professional support.