A Welcome To Our Newest Members, Kent
The Butterfly is proud to welcome our newest member of the Inclusive Employment Ecosystem, Kent. This marks a pivotal step in their journey towards workplace inclusion. They join an ecosystem of organizations dedicated to shaping, sharing, and implementing strategies that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion across the region.
Kent is a global leader in integrated energy services, delivering sustainable solutions across the energy lifecycle from consulting and design to commissioning, operations, maintenance, and decommissioning. Their work powers communities around the world while striving to solve today’s challenges with a future-forward approach.
We are excited to have Kent contribute to meaningful conversations on disability inclusion and workplace equity. We look forward to their active engagement in the ecosystem, the insights they will bring, and the collaboration that lies ahead.
Marilena and the team of Kent signing the agreement in front of signs representing Kent and The Butterfly (left to right)
The Butterfly Wins Silver at Employee Happiness Awards 2025
We are excited to announce that we won the Silver Award for ‘The Best Inclusion Strategy for People of Determination’ at The Employee Happiness Awards 2025. The Awards celebrate organizations and the teams within who prioritize employee well-being in the workplace.
The Butterfly was honored to be shortlisted as a finalist in two categories ‘Best Diversity and Inclusion Program’ and ‘Best Inclusion Strategy for People of Determination’. As part of the process, we had the opportunity to present our approach and share the strategies that underpin our Inclusive Employment Ecosystem (IEE). This recognition is a testament to our team’s dedication, the strength of our methodology, and the meaningful progress being made by our IEE members across sectors.
Marilena and Mishiel in the middle of two other people receiving the silver award at the Employee Happiness Awards
Marking 3 Years Of The Inclusive Employment Ecosystem
On 24 June 2025, The Butterfly commemorated the third-year anniversary of the Inclusive Employment Ecosystem (IEE), a dynamic business network uniting organizations across industries and sectors in a shared commitment to advancing inclusion. The celebration was generously hosted by Serco and held at the Grand Millennium Al Wahda in Abu Dhabi.
This milestone event brought together esteemed guests, including the Department of Community Development (DCD), H.E. Lorenzo Fanara, Ambassador of Italy to the UAE, IEE members and their representatives, and dedicated community partners from the third sector.
The program opened with a warm welcome by Hana Abu Kharmeh, COO of Serco Middle East, followed by opening remarks from Marilena di Coste, Founder and CEO of The Butterfly. Together, we reflected on the achievements and growth of the IEE over the past year (2024–2025), shared highlights from member milestones, and discussed what lies ahead for the network.
A key feature of the day was an engaging panel discussion titled “The Year of Community: Turning Commitment into Sustainable Action”, moderated by Dr. Florian Koemm, Vice President and General Counsel, Middle East & Africa at Siemens Energy. The panel brought together powerful voices from across sectors: Graeme Flaws, Serco, Sara Bachar, Department of Community Development, Maral Alexandrian, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Dr. Catherine O’Farrell, Incluzun.
The event concluded with a special IEE Member Awards Ceremony, honoring the efforts and dedication of organizations that have actively driven inclusion forward within their workplaces and communities.
We are incredibly proud of the progress made over the last three years and remain inspired by the passion and collaboration that define the IEE. We look forward to the continued growth of this vibrant network moving onward and upward, together.
From left to right (Left)Sara Al Bashar of the DCD is speaking. (Right) Dr. Florian Koemm (moderator) and the panelists sitting together on a stage during the Year of Community Panel Discussion Session.
Awardees of the IEE awards posing for a photo together at the 3 Year Celebration, with some doing the Butterfly sign language sign
The Butterfly Signs An MOU With The Asian Paralympic Committee
We are delighted to announce that The Butterfly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asian Paralympic Committee on 25 June 2025. The MoU reflects a deep alignment between the goals of the Asian Paralympic Committee and The Butterfly’s Inclusive Employment Ecosystem (IEE), creating meaningful opportunities to bridge sport, community, and inclusive employment
The partnership seeks to enhance the wellbeing of Paralympic athletes across Asia through collaboration, development of community-based programs, and creating new occupational pathways for them. Both organizations will combine their networks and strengths to foster inclusion and truly showcase how important collaboration is in recognizing the abilities and needs of each other. We look forward to an impactful and continued relationship, furthering our goals in inclusion and building a sustainable society.
Marilena di Coste (left) and Mr. Tarek Souei of the Asian Paralympic Committee holding signed agreements together in front of the logo of the Asian Paralympic Committee
The Butterfly Launches The Community Partner Program
In a bid to integrate the valuable third sector into the Inclusive Employment Ecosystem (IEE) and incorporate their expertise, experiences and unique propositions, The Butterfly has launched the Community Partner Program. This follows our fantastic IEE workshop about Community Engagement, the tenth pillar of the IEE, hosted by Accenture in May. We are pleased to announce that The Journey and Incluzun are the first two organizations that have officially become Community Partners, with more to come.
This program is open to Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) registered and licensed in the Middle East. This is a great opportunity for Community Partners to join monthly IEE workshops, share and showcase their services, and participate in major events, among other benefits.
This is one of the first initiatives of this kind in the Middle East. In a meeting with various third sector companies, Angel Wolf claimed this is the first meeting of all of these organizations in ten years. This reflects our sincere commitment to build an ecosystem that includes everyone, from the public and private sectors to significant community-based organizations and partners.
The logo of ’The Butterfly Community Partner’ program. There is text which says ’The Butterfly Community Partner’ on the right, with a ¾ circle ring and The Butterfly logo, all in blue on the left.
W3C website