Ellevate Dubai Chapter helps women create opportunities through professional networking
Ellevate Network is the largest global community of women at work.
It is a coalition of ambitious and supportive women who help each other build careers and navigate the work landscape and its challenges.
The group also works to mobilise their collective power to change the business culture, focusing on diversity and inclusion in the gender space.
The History of Ellevate Network
Ellevate Network (formerly 85 Broads) was started in 1997 by Janet Hanson, one of the first women to be promoted to sales management at Goldman Sachs.
Janet, who was on leave from work, found herself (like many women do at one time or another) in need of clarity and wondering, “What’s next?” She realised that to gain the insights she needed to build a new path, she needed to interact with people who could shed some light.
That is when she started 85 Broads – an unofficial network for women who worked or had worked at Goldman Sachs. The name, 85 Broads, refers to Goldman Sach’s old headquarters at 85 Broad Street in New York City.
The Network expanded to include women in other industries and organisations, and was rebranded Ellevate Network in 2014, reflecting the evolution of the community from its finance roots to a more diverse group of ambitious and supportive women who believed that, together, they could change the culture of the business.
Ellevate Network Dubai Chapter
The Ellevate Dubai Chapter was launched in 2006 led by a robust market that necessitated the presence of a professional women’s Network. Since then, Ellevate Dubai has grown in membership numbers and services scope, offering a platform for women to connect professionally, explore opportunities, and find advice and mentoring.
Not being industry-specific, Ellevate Network supports women at all levels within the workplace in industries ranging from banking to consulting to law to publishing, among many others. The Network is also an excellent platform for SMEs and entrepreneurs looking to grow their brands and businesses.
The vibe of the Ellevate Network events is unique. It encourages members to authentically connect and get to know each other at a human level. Members connect around business, life, relationships, children, and hobbies, forming genuine networks and often friendships.
The Ellevate Network Dubai Chapter is run by volunteers who form a board and decide on programming and general direction based on members’ feedback.
Why should you join Ellevate Network?
Women generally join the Ellevate network to meet women and build genuine and deep professional and personal connections.
Typically, the Ellevate Network Dubai chapter offers two in-person events every month, along with an online book club.
The Ellevate programming covers areas of professional development, panel events, wellbeing workshops, executive-level private lunches, roundtable workshops and breakfast networking. Some recent professional development themes have included negotiation skills, brand-building, and strategic planning, and some recent events have focussed on women’s health and the workplace, as well as stories of successful women in traditionally male-dominated industries.
Members also get access to online events hosted by other chapters globally, as well as the annual mastermind- called Squads, which brings together a small group of women to discuss their businesses and workplace issues in weekly meetings. The Network also provides speaking and publishing opportunities for its members.
For more information, please visit https://www.ellevatenetwork.com
