A recent Al-Fanar Media talk has discussed the slow progress for women on company boards in the Arabian Gulf. Women continue to hold only 7 percent of board positions across publicly listed companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council, according to the newly released Gulf Cooperation Council Board Gender Index Report 2026, although the report showed women have made gradual year-on-year progress.
The findings were the focus of a recent episode of Al-Fanar Media Talks, hosted by Mohammad El-Hawary, chief executive and editor-in-chief of Al-Fanar Media.
Professor Dame Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai and one of the leading voices behind the report, discussed the issue with El-Hawary.
They looked at the latest data from the report, the structural and cultural barriers against women taking leadership roles, and the growing influence of universities, regulators, and business leaders in the region.
Heriot-Watt University, Aurora50, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Board Gender Index produced this year’s report. Aurora50 is an Abu Dhabi and Dubai based
