Category: Middle East VIPs

Leading Arab CEO’s get recognised

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With Prince Dr. Abdul Aziz Bin Mohammed Bin Ayaf Miqren, Mayor of Riyadh

 Burj Al Arab was a hot spot and buzzing this week….the ex President of my University who is also the former Deputy Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim was in town to speak at the 9th Leading CEO Conference that honoured the most dynamic and inspirational CEO’s that have made a difference.

I had caught up with Dato’ Anwar earlier this month at the World PR Congress and his dynamism over the years has not changed one bit – he has the same energy as I remember when he gave us talks at the University and his home whenever he invited us over for iftar during Ramadan in Kuala Lumpur. It was apt that he gave the awards to leaders who have made significant contributions towards the development of the region’s economic growth and progress.

It was great to see such a great representation from Saudi Arabia as well – the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to UAE was beaming with delight when I said hello to him after the awards. It was awesome to meet so many global experts and leaders in an intimate setting under one roof at Burj Al Arab with  a lot of familiar faces thanks to the dynamism and hard work of Ali Al Kamali, Managing Director, Middle East Excellence Awards Institute.

It was also cool to catch up with Sunny Varkey from GEMs – I first met him in 2000 when he laid out plans for where he wanted to be in 10 years – although I only bump into him once every couple of years since then, its awesome to see that he achieved what he set out to do and more. Well deserved award I must say.

To give you an insight, see the CEOs who walked away with the awards.

Government CEO Excellence Award: Prince Dr. Abdul Aziz Bin Mohammed Bin Ayaf Miqren, Mayor of Riyadh City, KSA

Service Industry CEO Excellence Award: H.E Sheikh Saleh Bin Abdulrahman Al Hassin CEO General Presidency OF Two Holy Mosques

Industrial CEO Excellence Award: Abdulla Jassim M Kalban President & CEO Dubal.ae

Banking and Finance CEO Excellence Award: Mr. Ali Shareef Al-Emadi Group CEO Qatar National Bank

Aviation Industry CEO Excellence Award: Mr. Khalifa Al Zaffin Executive Chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation

Maritime Construction and Engineering CEO Excellence Award: Eng. Yasser Nasr Zaghloul CEO National Marine Dredging Company

Knowledge Development and Education Partnership CEO Excellence Award: Sunny Varkey, Chairman, Varkey Group and GEMS group of schools

Multiple Industry CEO Excellence Award: Jamal Majid Bin Thaniah Non-Executive Vice Chairman, DP World & Group CEO, Port & Free Zone World

Woman CEO Excellence Award: Salma Ali Saif Bin Hareb CEO, Economic Zones World

Corporate Management CEO Excellence Award: Eng. Saud Al Daweesh CEO STC

Community Service CEO Excellence Award: Ahmed Humaid Al Mazrouai Chairman RCA

The Middle East Excellence Awards Institute has always persevered to recognize, honor and promote the achievements of the region’s leaders and organizations and commended their outstanding performance and commitment to excellence….another superb ceremony by Ali.

Moonlight & Roses with Sacoor Brothers

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With Derek Khan - Dubai's very own fashion icon

I reckon with hand on heart, we can say and agree that the Dubai World Cup is the most celebrated event in this city no matter which next big thing comes to town temporarily. This year was no different – celebrations started a week ahead and my favourite venue (Armani Hotel) was the place selected by the Sacoor Brothers for their pre World Cup party. For the uninitiated, Sacoor Brothers, is a leading international fashion and lifestyle brand based out of Portugal and they certainly brought the excitement and glamour of the races to Dubai an evening earlier by hosting their first Moonlight & Roses party on the eve of the World Cup.

Held at Oasi, the Moonlight & Roses themed party stayed true to the much admired Sacoor Brothers style and refinement with over 400 elegantly dressed guests treated to an evening of romance and sophistication as twinkling candles glistened in the moonlight and revellers danced under the stars. For guests in search of a hint or two of their favourite fashion brand and its unique customer service, Sacoor Brothers did not disappoint, models were beautifully dressed in the new spring / summer 2012 collection and guests honoured with deliciously refreshing bespoke cocktails.

As Moez says, ‘Dubai is a city filled with people who appreciate fine fashion and enjoy good company and bringing the Sacoor Brothers Party to the region was a natural choice.”….I first met Moez with his brothers early last year and at that time the brand was just getting known in Dubai….today Sacoor Brothers has 9 stores in the UAE and 10 stores in the GCC. Its no surprise they have made their mark here as their clothes are awesome….NJD will vouch for that.

Although my daughter is a bigger fan than I am of the Sacoor Brothers clothes, I have to say even I loved what I saw a few nights ago at Armani….I’m just glad NJD was not with me or else I would have had to take her shopping and the last thing I need right now is to have my credit card smoking because of little diva.

Although the next World Cup is a while away, its worth checking out the new collection at Sacoor Brothers….enjoy!

NJD in her favourite Sacoor Brothers shirt at a Polo tournament

Love the Sacoor Brothers logo...clearly I'm still not totally ready for this trend of taking pics as you enter every event in town

Admiring Sami Yusuf and his support for WFP

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With Sami Yusuf in Dubai

Although I meet some amazing people on a regular basis in Dubai, generally they remain the toast of the hour and get over my head as soon as I leave the room…..very few leave a lasting impression on this diva and I have to say, Sami Yusuf is someone who has left me thinking of what really is important for the needy people of the world and development of the young in areas needing humanitarian assistance.

Most people associate this British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and an accomplished musician with his good looks and celebrity persona so it’s heartening to know this other side of him dedicated to CSR work with the United Nations World Food Programme. You just have to look at samiyusufofficial.com to see how many people adore him.

According to Sami, 1 in 7 people go to bed hungry each night and every 6 seconds a child dies from hunger. What is great about the UAE and Dubai is that they are always the first to come to the rescue of countries needing emergency assistance so it’s no surprise that currently the DIHAD conference and exhibition is going on here, with participation from key international humanitarians including Sami, who is officially the international artist and United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Celebrity Partner.

Sami encourages young people like us to become direct agents and contributors to humanitarian change. (Notice I am calling myself young…pretty sure in a couple of years I won’t be able to do that so I’ll milk this for all its worth now :). I was introduced to Sami by the dynamic Nada and had the chance to have a quick chat with the wonderful Elise from the United Nations World Food programme who is delighted with Sami highlighting the importance of youth in humanitarian assistance and development activities, especially for WFP.

Sami encourages the youth to use their creativity, be ambitious and innovate as he rightly says that one does not need to be old or rich or in the field to make a difference.  “You just need to utilize the gifts you have and put them into action.” According to Sami, as little as 50 U.S. cents (approximately AED 2) can enable WFP to feed one person for one day in the Horn of Africa. It costs US$50 (approximately AED 200) to feed a schoolgirl for one whole year; similar to the cost of one iPod shuffle.

Also thanks to individuals like Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, the Executive Chairman of DIHAD, many celebrities and popular figures come forward to take part in DIHAD. It’s great that Sami supports WFP as it helps feed over 90 million people in more than 70 countries. How commendable is that?

All I can say is that sometimes its good to take a step back and think of others who are not as fortunate as us – it was a pleasure meeting with Sami and listening to him but mostly admiring him as a rising artist to take time out to support this cause that makes such a difference to so many people via WFP.

With H.H Sheikha Hind Al Qassimi of the UAE Business Women Council

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With H.H Sheikha Hind last night

One of the nicest people I meet regularly through my local foster family is H.H Sheikha Hind Al Qassimi, Chairperson of the UAE Business Women Council so it was awesome to renew contact with her again last night with Sahar Madani, President of the Diplomatic Ladies in Dubai at the opening of Madi International’s new showroom.

As we know very well as women, Madi International is one of the Middle East’s leading distributors of internationally reputed professional salon Furnishing, beauty equipment and beauty Brands for Salons, Spas, Beauty Centers and Beauty Clinics – we come across the name every time we go to a salon or spa in the UAE.

The opening of Madi International’s biggest showroom was done by H.H Sheikha Hind Al Qassimi and Sahar Madani, both amazing and friendly women who continuously inspire me with their energy. I caught up with Sahar 2 weeks ago when Princess Ameerah was visiting for the dinner Sahar organised for women empowerment and its awesome to see her getting involved in all industries relating to women and organising events that we have all come to love as women living here.

With Sahar Madani, President of Diplomatic Ladies, Dubai

Naturally we were overwhelmed by Madi International’s new showroom – Mohammed Madi told me its  spread across a whopping 9,000-plus square feet and showcases all the leading beauty brands in hair care, skin care, nail care, make-up, salon & Spa furniture and equipment, among others. It truly is a one-stop-shop destination which caters exclusively to the beauty and wellness needs of consumers from the latest collections and styles  available.

As I was rushing out to a Chechen fashion show by Firdaws with another role model of mine, Thoraya Al Awadhi, I couldn’t meet Adnan Abou-naaj, GM of Madi International to ask him about the new identity of the company that makes the stores look vibrant with a more dynamic brand image. As a PR chick, I am interested to see how this was evolved from what they had before. Maybe next time.

All I can say is that from what I saw in the showroom, the UAE women are in for a treat the next time they venture out to beauty salons, clinics & spas that take on Madi products as they look awesome. My personal favourite is the black leather reclining chair for the hair wash – check it out. 🙂

Mohammed Madi opens his showroom with H.H Sheikha Hind Al Qassimi and Sahar Madani

More on the PR World Congress 2012

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The last two days was a flurry of activity with heaps happening in Dubai as always to the point that I had to take annual leave to fit things in. But most important was the PR World Congress where Lord Tim Bell, Chairman of Chime Communications (Bell Pottinger) spoke to more than 450 delegates in his keynote address ahead of a panel discussion on ‘Public Relations in an Age of Dialogue: Challenges & Opportunities.

We enjoyed his key messages like “Practice good PR, no matter how difficult the circumstances, and you will be OK. After his keynote address, Lord Bell joined a high-profile panel discussion featuring Dr. Herbert Heitmann, Executive Vice President, External Communications, Royal Dutch Shell; Daniel Tisch, Chair, Global Alliance for Public Relations & Communication Management; Khalid Al Maeena, Editor-at-Large, Arab News; and Prema Sagar, Founder President, Public Relations Consultants Association of India.

A familiar face to me was Malaysia’s former Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the opposition People’s Justice Party, Anwar Ibrahim. He was a key role player in my University in Malaysia (IIU) and my fondest memories included going to his house every Ramadan with International students for ‘buka puasa’ or ‘iftar’ (breaking fast). He is just as eloquent, friendly and a people’s person as I remember him. I wish I wasn’t such a rebel when I was in University but I’m glad I attended all his talks for the very reason that I did my second degree in Islamic Science after completing my PR Bachelors instead of doing my MA in Literary Studies first because he felt that the top students should be given the opportunity to get this qualification so they get the best of both worlds.

Naturally all the sessions at PRWC were insightful. And I had a great time at the workshop on Wednesday – it was worth every penny I paid for it. All I can say is its great that the organisers worked so hard to bring the world congress to our doorstep so we get an opportunity to get exposed to the leaders in the PR industry.

The congress was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and in partnership with the National Media Council of the UAE, the Public Relations World Congress is organised by the International Public Relations Association – Gulf Chapter (IPRA-GC). And key sponsors of the Congress were Saudi Aramco and Saudi Basic Industry Corporation (SABIC), which have signed up as headline Strategic Partners.

Emirates was the Official Airline of the Congress, while CNN and Al Arabiya TV are the International Broadcast Partners. Dubai Media City was the Industry Partner of the Congress, Bates PanGulf was the Design & Advertising Partner; ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller, the Marketing & PR Partner and Media Watch is the Media Intelligence Partner. We have these guys to thank these guys to making this happen for the regional PR industry.

An evening with Her Highness Princess Ameerah Al Taweel

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With Her Highness Princess Ameerah Al Taweel

Flanked by Princess Ameerah & Rajah Galadari

One of the most amazing benefits of being a long term member of various professional women’s groups is that you get opportunities to meet with some very inspiring, beautiful and motivating women leaders. One such personality I met a few days ago was Her Highness Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel.

I was blown away by her down to earth personality, by the fact that she spent so much personal time with every woman in the room to get to know what they did and what their aspirations were. What was equally impressive was her knowledge in Mass Communication and the tips she gave us that night on communications, PR and Social media- it was on par with a professional communications expert.

I was thrilled to know that H.H Princess Ameerah had been to Fiji Islands….i don’t meet many people who have been to my country so we immediately felt at ease with other.

She taught me one good lesson that night…to never depend on anyone except myself. I will treasure this thought as I always trust people close to me way too much and I’ve realised that’s not a good thing as people can sometimes be deceiving and detrimental to your success because they drive you to do things that only benefit them….this is a lesson I will recall every time I am in situation where I’m told something but know in my heart its not the real scene.

Princess Ameerah is Vice Chairwoman and Board of Trustees and Head of the Executive Committee of the Al Waleed bin Talal Foundation in Saudi Arabia and the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation Global. She supports a wide range of humanitarian interests in Saudi Arabia and around the world and has won numerous awards including the CEO Middle East 100 Most Powerful Arab Women 2012.

I went to the awards ceremony where Sheikha Lubna, another incredible Arab woman who has done this region proud spoke. Arab women are drop dead gorgeous, they have brains to match their beauty and given the opportunity, they shine among their peers….its great to see more and more Arab women making their mark in the global scenario as well.

It was awesome to come up, close and personal with Her Highness Princess Ameerah thanks to the hard work of Sahar Madani who is the founder of WE Group – this is different group from the International Business Women’s Group of which I have been a member of since 2003 thanks to the far sightedness of my ex boss Stuart Cameron who first encouraged me to network with women who were empowering. I owe this opportunity to him and till date, I always make time to meet and learn from women of calibre and high intellect.

One thing is clear…. The amazingly gorgeous Arab women of today are setting the stage to become inspiring leaders of tomorrow. Today I also heard a great talk by H. E Reem Al Hashimy who is a UAE Minister of State at the 20th World PR World Congress. Like her, Princess Ameerah is such an amazing example of an educated and incredibly eloquent, warm leader we all hope to see more of in the media and in forums around the world.

Saying goodbye at the end of the dinner…

Novaro -The King of Modern Glass and The Royal Treasures Gallery

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Novaro pieces

Art Dubai is next week – I just received the most beautiful access card I’ve seen for any event so I was hoping to make this week more about PR World Congress, fanciful yachts belonging to members of our Millionaire Group plus about script writing and film making.

But Joelle had other ideas…..she wanted me to get in gear a week ahead and get a sneak peak into what Royal Treasures Gallery was up to. And boy I got some awesome insights – The Royal Treasures Gallery, host to the world’s finest crystal antiques and rare artifacts is announcing their partnership with Jean Claude Novaro, a French glass blower whose works have been snapped up by art connoisseurs….Joelle, loads of people heard of this here first!

Royal Treasures Gallery will launch this partnership through a 5 day exhibition at their Gallery, starting April 3rd – April 7th 2012 so do watch out for this perfect collaboration.

To give you a low down, Novaro, born in 1943, has worked with glass for more than 50 years. The artist  works on shapes but also on transformations due to the reaction of materials, adding enamels, metal oxides, inclusion of gold and silver sheet, coloring the surface or between two layers of clear glass.

As a result of the overwhelming response by the UAE’s antique and glass aficionados as well as artifact enthusiasts and following the success of the Royal Treasures Gallery inauguration before, Dinsha and Munchi Shroff, along with Manav Suri, their local partner, are thrilled with this new-fangled partnership with Jean Claude Novaro.

Novaro is widely acclaimed as the ‘King of Glass’ – his customer portfolio includes the likes of Mike Tyson and Sheikh Tariq Al Qassimi and he has also earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest hand blown coupe ever made.

Jean Claude Novaro’s unique and distinctive art-glass creations are highly valued and sought after by art connoisseurs all over the world. Several of the Frenchman’s creations are being displayed in museums, galleries and private collections around the world…..now Diva reckons that’s something to wait for patiently for the next couple of weeks…can you?

With Novaro

Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012

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Last night I went to the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012 to listen to an author (David Nichols) whose book “One Day’ I’m reading after my NJD and Eric persuaded me that it was totally up my street – and they were right as I am currently enjoying this book as my bedtime reading. 

I bumped into people I know at the festival who enthused about the breathtaking display of readings, poetry, song and dance at the spectacular theatre that  is part of Cultural & Scientific Association at Al Mamzar.  This is where I saw the Japanese Drum show last week and it was wow.

The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature 2012 is held in Dubai between 6-10 March 2012 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President & Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and is held in partnership with Emirates Airline and the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage.

I am going to some of the sessions later today. As my first project in the UAE in 2000 (DSF 2000) was for Saeed Al Nabouda, who is now the Acting Director General of the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, I look forward to catching up with him hopefully at the festival – always good to stay in contact with ex clients.

I am all set for the literary sessions today as well which look awesome. I wish local author Dedra Stevenson was part of the line-up too as my daughter loves her work too. Can’t wait to hear Rashad Bukhash speak on the architectural Heritage of Dubai. I love his groups talks on design and traditional architecture so it would be delightful to hear both Rashad and Peter Jackson share their knowledge in one session.

Diva hangs out with the Dubai International Boat Show team at DIMC

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With His Highness SHeikh Marwan on board his yacht in Um Al Quwain during a Millionaire Group soiree

It is one of Dubai’s busiest weeks. All my friends are super busy….earlier today I caught up with an excited Barbara who is from the main organising team of the Dubai International Boat Show. We became friends early last year while I was shopping with NJD for a yachting weekend with friends and we clicked right away. She is awesome and we had a ball at the Motorshow together. The boat show publicity is done by Wallis Marketing (Mike Wallis and I go back years when we first went to Sharm al Sheikh together with a group for diving and dining – he of course played golf as well but I’ve never delved into this one sport – shame). Mike has an awesome team and together with them and Barbara’s dynamic team at DWTC, I reckon the public is in for a cool show this year.

Few of the cars I have driven already will also be on show :). Naturally my friends from Rolls Royce, Bentley and Mercedes Benz will be there in full force. The Supercar Promenade will show the finest models on four wheels with world class marques that will align perfectly with the prestige of the high-end boating brands.  Visitors will be able to get behind the wheel of some of the world’s fastest and most expensive cars – among them Bentley Continental Series 51, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, and Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupé :). My daughter had an awesome time at last years show playing on the yachts and she showed her VIP tag to anyone who sat up and noticed. Little diva is having a fabulous time skiing in Switzerland and I have not had a single phone call :(.

This year’s 20th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show will celebrate the rich history and incredible growth of the regional maritime industry, bringing together the ‘who’s who’ in the vast sector from across five continents. In addition to an impressive number of global and regional firsts, the world’s leading marine leisure industry players will unveil their launches to tens of thousands of boating enthusiasts, confirming the event’s growing international reach and continued ability to attract top quality buyers in record numbers two decades after its inaugural staging. Members of our Millionaire Group are waiting in anticipation and keep asking me about what’s in store.

I remember hanging out 8 years ago with the Victory team at DMC when the show still revolved a lot around sports and I was doing profile stories on the main players for our Group. I’m glad they are still members of our group and still as dynamic as ever. Before that, 20 years ago, the Dubai International Boat Show was originally launched as the ‘Watersports & Powerboat Show’ as a fully indoor event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.  Its current home at the Dubai International Marine Club, Mina Seyahi has accelerated its transformation into one of the most influential brands in the world and witnesses incredible growth of 43 times in size and 14 times the number of exhibiting companies since its inception.

Boat Show - image courtesy DIBS

According to a story Mike’s team sent our Millionaire Group today, with an astounding 33 premiers, including world and regional launches, and 750 companies plus 430 boats on display, the strength of this year’s 20th anniversary event programming clearly reaffirms its position as one of the top five international boat shows and the Middle East’s number one destination for leisure marine trade.  46 countries including Austria, Cyprus, Djibouti, Egypt, Hongkong, Madagascar, Poland, Philippines, Seychelles and Tunisia will be there.

The show will feature 186 new exhibitors and some of the world’s most renowned brands this year, including Abeking & Rasmussen, Al Futtaim Marine, Blohm + Voss Shipyards GmbH, Bombardier Business Aircraft, CSO Yachts, Dutch Thruster Group, Fehrmann Metallverarbeitung GmbH, Fraser Yachts, Green Marine, Kaiserwerft GmbH, Koot Yachts, Limassol Marina, Mave, Milano Teleport S.p.A., Oldenburger Yacht Interior GmbH & Co., Otto Pienning GmbH, RE-Boat Srl, Sunreef Yachts, Yamal Boats and many more. Plus 11 members of the world’s most prestigious super yachts builders association (SYBAss), to include Abeking & Rasmussen, AMELS, Benetti, CRN, Feadship, Fincantieri, Heesen Yachts, Lurssen, Oceanco, San Lorenzo, and Trinity Yachts, will show their latest yacht models and designs in a dedicated SYBAss Pavillion.

Several of the Dubai International Boat Show stalwarts including leading shipyard Westport have increased their space while North Africa’s latest shipyard, Koot yachts, are among the many first time exhibitors alongside Al Rubban, AM Shipyard and Dutch Thruster Group, who also make their debut appearance. Key exhibitors including Al Shaali, ART Marine, Aquaspeed, Azimut, Cummins, Emirates Boats, Gulf Craft (my favourite), Heinen & Hopman, Princess Yachts and Sunseeker will be very popular I’m sure.

Enjoy the show….Island girl is back on the clear blue waters of the Arabian Sea…even if it is on a yacht in April with my pals in Umm Al Quwain – its too cold for me still to jump into the sea so my after work swimming sessions are on hold. Next up is my take on the soiree with the 100 Top Arab Women’s networking at Emirates Towers plus the Emirates Festival of Literature – it sure is a busy March!

Corvette UAE Club & Road Safety

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Our Corvette Drive in Abu Dhabi with me in car number 3

I’m having one of those roller coaster weeks…. After being extremely excited about the upcoming Corvette UAE Club meeting for which I am a board member, I now come to realise that I will probably miss most of the drive and proceedings. Instead I will only venture out for part of the event to celebrate my daughters birthday with the club members at YAS island where I hope to see a lot of fellow car enthusiasts and people promoting road safety.

I am sad about missing the main part of the road safety campaign because I have just qualified for a 2 day intensive camera course which I hope to study from a script writer’s perspective. It was something I have always wanted to do so when I had to choose between this course and the drive, it was indeed painful as I would like to be both in Dubai and Abu Dhabi at the same time. Especially as Ford Middle East has given me the most awesome, state of the art Ford Explorer to experience and be seen in and I really wanted to have a leisurely drive in it behind the corvettes to support the safety campaign :). Very excited though that I will at least make it part of the event.

For people who are passionate about road safety, this is a good time to follow the example of our club and attend the lectures organised on road safety. Members and public will be signing on a roll up presenting the campaign of not using phones while driving.

The CUC gathering is on Friday 28th Oct in Abu Dhabi 3:30pm @ the Abu Dhabi International Marine club parking opposite Marina mall. The parade starts at 5pm after the talks to go to YAS island.

Also the corvettes will have a sticker of the campaign on each car’s rear to support this noble cause. The sticker urges people not to use the phone while driving.

As a speed junkie who has reformed to now release any adrenaline energy on safety controlled race circuits, I am a strong advocate of this campaign. Lucky for us, we have the Autodrome and the YAS Marina Circuit to try our driving skills on without having to risk the lives of innocent people on the roads….speed is NOT for public roads. Its a CUC message.

* CUC’s new campaign slogan is “Your commitment, your safety” – a pretty straight forward message that urges drivers to be responsible of their own lives (not much to ask now, is it?)