DIFC FinTech Hive Launches Career Mentorship Program AccelerateHer To Empower Female Talent In Finance And Tech Financial technology accelerator DIFC FinTech Hive has launched a new mentorship program designed to equip budding female professionals with necessary tools and experience.

By Megha Merani Apr 29, 2019

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Financial technology accelerator DIFC FinTech Hive has launched a new mentorship program designed to equip budding female professionals with necessary tools and experience to play a more active role in the development of the region's fintech landscape.

Mentorship programme AccelerateHer will connect young aspiring executives to accomplished professionals with relevant expertise from across DIFC FinTech Hive's strategic partnership network, which includes some of the world's leading financial organisations.

AccelerateHer, a partnership with global specialist marketing and sales recruitment agency Cater Murray, will run from April to November 2019.

Raja Al Mazrouei, Executive Vice President of DIFC FinTech Hive, said in a press statement: "Research shows that women remain significantly underrepresented in the upper levels of financial services, so we are very excited to launch today's initiative under the FinTech Hive umbrella. DIFC's fintech accelerator plays a crucial role in our efforts to shape the future of the regional financial landscape. I'm confident that AccelerateHer will complement these efforts by exposing the young female talent of the UAE to a diverse range of experiences that allow them to play a more influential role in the future of the industry."

The first edition of AccelerateHer formally launched this month, with 12 mentorship pairings already established between mentees and mentors from Arab Bank, AXA Insurance, CIGNA, Emirates Islamic, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC, Insurance House, Noor Bank, Noor Takaful, Standard Chartered, VISA, and Zurich.

The DIFC FinTech Hive is a financial technology accelerator in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region that program provides startups from all around the world the opportunity to engage with world-renowned financial institutions, insurance firms and strategic partners to test and develop technologies that address the sector's ongoing challenges.

This article was originally published on Dubai Startup Hub and has been reposted on Entrepreneur Middle East based on a mutual agreement between the websites.

Megha Merani

Independent Journalist

Megha Merani is an independent journalist based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Her stories have made headlines across a number of publications including Reuters, Associated Press, Entrepreneur Middle East, Bloomberg Middle East, Arabian Gulf Business Insight, Arabian Business, and former local daily 7DAYS.

Megha also produces editorial for government platforms including the World Government Summit and World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the Global Future Councils. She has been a grant winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The Global Initiative Against Organized Crime funded by the government of Norway to report on the online trade in illegal wildlife.

Megha is also an Associate Fellow (AFHEA) at Murdoch University in Dubai and leads its Digital Newsroom course unit. In addition, Megha serves as a United Nations Women mentor to support equal opportunities for women entrepreneurs, and supports various other programs including TIE Women, 60 Day Startups, and the Watt Inc. Business Incubator.

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