Under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, the year 2015 commenced with a 
tribute to Women with the launch of Women in STEM 2015 Conference & Awards. Organized by The Meera Kaul Foundation, the conference and awards welcomed over 300 women from the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) from North America, Europe, China, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula and beyond.
Meera Kaul, Chairperson of The Meera Kaul Foundation believes that “Women can never win if they are just a statistic. With this event we aim to inspire women to compete on the basis of their talent and competitiveness rather than just statistics in the diversity chain. We would like women in the Middle East and across the globe to come and join us on 15th January in Dubai.”
Talking about the event, Her Excellency Dr. Mrs. Raja Al Gurg, Managing Director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group and Member of the Board at Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry states “We have gathered at this prestigious occasion to celebrate and invigorate women in business, an international phenomenon as no matter where in the world you go, women are discussing the very same things we are addressing today. We share one common goal and it encourages us to further leverage the importance of platforms like these to eventually gain a bigger share of voice. Dubai, the UAE, welcomes every women in business as we build a successful future together.”
President, Society of Women Engineers, Silicon Valley, Claudia Galvan spoke about Gender Roles with a focus on the challenges faced on being a woman engineering. Talking about the event Claudia said, “We are at a tipping point for women in STEM, let’s spread like a wildfire”
Jos Anna Dirkx, Brand & Communications at IBM said, “The options for women working in technology are endless – especially if you are willing to challenge yourself and you are able to step out of your comfort zone. Explore different technological solutions that work for the problem you are trying to fix. Talk to others in the field; often working together in innovative teams makes for the most effective results.”
Dareen Alhiyari, Software Engineer, Dubizzle.com commented, “I find myself always advising people not to be their own obstacles by thinking they can’t do something or thinking that someone will tell them ‘No’, and for that I always say ‘don’t be the one who tells you No!’” A panelist on the topic “How I Work with Men”, catch Dareen share her interesting perspective on the subject.
Sharing her insight on the worldwide status of Women in STEM Keynote speaker Anu Ancharya, CEO, www.mapmygenome.in, YGL- WEF, IIT KGP said that “it is time for women to be take their rightful space in STEM. I am so happy to see the Meera Kaul foundation pioneering this effort in inspiring more women in science.”
