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Events such as She Talks, hosted bCreative Zone provided women entrepreneurs a platform to connect and collaborate

In conversation with Lorenzo Jooris, CEO, Creative Zone.

Creative Zone has made all the right noises for woman empowerment in entrepreneurship here in the UAE with your accelerator and networking events. What can we expect this year?

This year also, we have more such events, only on a bigger scale. After organising events like She Talks, we quickly realised we were filling a huge gap, wherein women needed an elevated platform to connect, collaborate and talk ‘All Things Business’. And it is wonderful to see our efforts translated into actual results when we see so many participants collaborating, finding mentors and partners, and establishing life-term connections.

A lot is being done to foster entrepreneurship and nurture a culture of entrepreneurship for future generations. How are you contributing towards the goal?

In the last couple of years, we have worked extensively with college students, educating them on the basic tenets of business setup in the UAE, legalities of specific industries, banking requirements, jurisdiction knowledge etc. This practical knowledge gives them a jump start if they plan to start their own business. We have very exciting partnerships in the pipeline with some of the UAE’s top universities.

How critical is CSR to Creative Zone’s business? Keeping this in mind please shed some light on the group’s pro bono initiatives in recent months.

I’m proud to say that Creative Zone has a rich history of corporate social responsibility, a history that has grown to meet the complexities of the business world and society.

Creative Zone is closely associated with several charitable organisations that are doing excellent work in healthcare, education and improving labour conditions in the country.