Dar Al-Hekma University (DAH) recently hosted Unilever Global CEO Paul Polman. Faris Al Turki co-hosted the keynote speaker, Polman who discussed how women empowerment is one of the key pillars of sustainable development across all levels; economic, social and national. Both Dar Al Hekma and Unilever are strong believers in women empowerment, and this belief was manifest in organizing the forum titled "It doesn't matter if your dream is big or small... Dare to Dream." "We are extremely honored to have Mr. Poleman in DAH as we both stand for women empowerment and we both believe that women education is the way to change the world," said Dr. Suhair Hassan Al-Qurashi, president of DAH. Around 1,500 females from DAH and other universities attended the lecture. "It is called Mother Earth; and it is called mother everywhere and not father that is probably why it survives," said Polman in his speech that captivated his audience. Then he added "real leaders are the ones who want to engage and I think that is where the difference is; great leaders are found everywhere. Think about teachers and they are often women. Those to me are the real heroes." Polman is Unilever Global CEO since 2009. He is the chairman of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum, a member of the B Team and sits on the board of the UN Global Compact and the Consumer Goods Forum, where he co-chairs the sustainability committee. Polman has received several awards for his leadership and efforts in sustainable development. He also supports the HeForShe initiative, a global movement of men supporting gender equality, which is in line with Unilever's ambition to empower 5 million women by 2020. Because of his belief in gender equality, Unilever is building a gender-balanced organization with a focus on management. Toward the end of the conference, Dr. Suhair announced the launch of "Under Her Shade" initiative that will be supported by Unilever.
