KUWAIT: Limak Insaat Kuwait S.P.C. announced yesterday that the company is now officially recognized as a member of the Women's Empowerment Principles' (WEPs) group of companies committed to making a difference for women in the workplace, marketplace and community.


Limak Insaat Kuwait S.P.C. was added to the global list of over 2,275 signatories after signing the CEO Statement of Support for the program on May 30, 2019. Established in 2017 through the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) under the Foreign Direct Investment Law, Limak Insaat Kuwait S.P.C. is an independent subsidiary of Limak Holding, one of the leading conglomerates in Turkey and the world. Limak strongly supports gender equality, economic empowerment and sustainability on a global level and Limak Investment has been a member of the WEPs' list of global companies since 2015.


Limak Investment Chairperson Ebru Ozdemir said: "We are pleased and honored to now have Limak In?aat Kuwait S.P.C. enlisted amongst other highly respected international companies in different sectors, working together to achieve the same goals. It encourages us to further extend our ongoing support for women and promote professional programs that enhance their capabilities. We look forward to inspiring more women and seeing them placed in leadership positions in the construction world, as well as in business, politics, diplomacy, and academia."


Established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, WEPs work to advance gender equality and promote women's economic empowerment through seven principles offering guidance on how to empower women by encouraging firms of all sizes, in all countries, industries, and sectors, to take decisive action towards gender equality.


Limak is a strong and long-term advocate of the advancement of women in engineering and has played an active role in women empowerment by adding permanent value to society in the countries it operates. In Kuwait, the company has undertaken various initiatives in support of women including the establishment of the 'Kuwait's Engineer Girls' Program in May 2017 in partnership with Kuwait University and Turkey's Bogazici University. The project-based learning program aims to empower female students' leadership and management skills and help them envision their future careers in engineering. To date, there have been two generations of graduates consisting of 60 young female engineers, many of which have accepted job offers at Limak since completing the program.


The Kuwait program is modelled after a successful program launched by Limak in Turkey in 2015, the 'Engineer Girls of Turkey', where Limak has offered sustainable support to over 100 students at 30 different state universities across Turkey. The objective of these programs is to help the youth reach their professional career goals and transform them into capable and qualified individuals prepared to create a positive long-lasting impact in the world. Limak operates in over 17 countries with more than 66,000 employees and across various sectors, including tourism, cement, energy, infrastructure, airport management and operations, port management, food, and aviation.