Ooredoo Takes the Lead in Connecting Women

DOHA, Qatar and YANGON, Myanmar, March 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ooredoo today announces that it was awarded the GSMA's Connected Women: Leadership in Industry Award for its work to empower women in Myanmar.  The ceremony was hosted during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  

Ooredoo has worked to grow the female digital economy and empower women in Myanmar through a variety of initiatives since the commercial launch of its services in August 2014. These include educational outreach programmes that increase female digital awareness and access to mobile services such as maternal healthcare app, MayMay; community initiatives that encourage women to become digital entrepreneurs such as Geek Girls; and promoting women as industry leaders through Myanmar's first-ever Connected Women conference hosted in coordination with USAID and the GSMA.

Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo commented: "We are delighted that our efforts in Myanmar have been recognised with this prestigious award.  The empowerment of women is a global priority for us which sits at the heart of our corporate culture.  We believe every woman should have an equal opportunity to access the benefits of using a mobile phone.  Working to address this we have taken the lead in providing life-enhancing services for women, in supporting the greater economic inclusion of women and in accelerating the female digital economy not just in Myanmar but across all of the markets that we operate in."  

Ross Cormack, CEO Ooredoo Myanmar who collected the award added: "This is a fantastic achievement!  Our team in Myanmar are pioneers, developing innovative solutions that speak to real issues affecting women in the Myanmar market today.  In addition to the positive impact these initiatives are creating in our market, the ideas are also scalable and we are in the process of adapting some of these for roll-out across Ooredoo's global footprint."

Ooredoo is a committed partner to the GSMA's Connected Women programme, which is focused on the socio-economic benefits of greater inclusion of women at all points in the mobile industry from consumer to employee to leaders.  In a report released earlier in the week the GSMA found that in low- and middle- income countries women are 14% less likely to own a mobile phone than men, which translates into 200 million fewer women than men owning mobile phones.

Working with the GSMA's Connected Women Programme, Ooredoo is currently undertaking a study in Myanmar that will offer critical insights into the socio-economic benefits of greater inclusion of women in the nation's telecommunications sector. The findings will be used to develop initiatives and services specifically tailored for female consumers and employees. 

Ooredoo has partnered with leading international organisations to help further its efforts in this area.  It is one of 10 global companies working with the World Bank Group, on the SheWorks partnership to implement measures which enhance women's employment opportunities.  This helps to ensure that the company's support for female empowerment is as present internally within the organisation and it is out in the markets that it operates.

The GSMA awards have recognised excellence and achievement across the mobile world for 20 years.  This was the first year that the awards recognised leadership in Connecting Women.  The Connected Women: Leadership in Industry Award recognises and celebrates leadership in the establishment of initiatives to encourage and retain women and girls in the telecommunications industry or in the larger mobile entrepreneurial ecosystem.

About Ooredoo Group

Ooredoo is a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in South East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.  As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people's lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. The company was named "Best Mobile Operator of the Year" at the World Communication Awards 2013.

The company reported revenues of US$9.3 billion in 2013 and had a consolidated global customer base of more than 95 million people as of 31 December 2013.

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SOURCE Ooredoo