17 minute read
Women in Business 2020
Women in Business 2020 Gulf Insider speaks to some of the leading businesswomen in Bahrain
Ms. Nahla Al Mahmood, founder of LalaBella Events & Flowers, immensely believes in the ‘right time’ for everything.
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She says... L alabella was a complete coincidence. The company I was working in shut down unexpectedly and that was really devastating for me. Being a workaholic, finding myself unemployed wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I always wanted to have leadership positions and leave an impact where I worked. But all of a sudden, my dreams were paused and gone with the wind.
I was depressed for 3 months. But I guess life had other plans for me. I used to do weddings and functions for family and friends. It was one of those weddings that changed my life.
It worked really well especially for an inexperienced wedding planner like me and everybody loved it. So once I lost my job, I had these people contacting me to do events for them. But for some or the other reason, I kept rejecting all of them, and in fact shutting all doors. That’s when my husband sat down and spoke to me. He told me this is something I could do until I find a job. But I didn’t want to do anything for the sake of it. So the very next day, I went to the commercial registration office and registered my company. Even the name Lalabella was chosen out of the blue. It was just to prove to my husband that I could do it. Yes, the Lalabella you see today started this way - after being challenged and with absolutely nothing in my bank account!
The UNIDO entrepreneurship program that I had taken during my last year of university actually helped a lot in shaping my entrepreneurial skills, along with other International women dedicated entrepreneurship programs in the United States. Apart from that. I didn’t have any knowledge in the event planning business. I had to read a lot and take courses to be prepared enough to conduct events. There were lots of challenges from managing finances to finding the right employees. In the beginning, we even had to put
in extra investments so that we could create a good profile. Nobody’s going to approach you when you have got nothing to show. Finding the right people to help you run and grow the business is very important. I had quite a tough time finding florists with whom I could communicate well enough.
I remember, there was this time when Lalabella was almost on the verge of shutting down - we didn’t have cash, we couldn’t pay the bills or the suppliers and we didn’t know what the issue was. Later, when we found out the reason, it made me realize the issues of not having a proper system to handle my accounts. I had to learn it the hard way. We had to invest more to get all the systems right and I fired all the employees and started hiring again. It was a big decision, but I knew I had to start right. I have got a couple of both personal and professional influences in business. My family and friends are my personal consultants and there are
other professionals in the same field who have helped me a lot.
Lalabella is not a commercial wedding planning company. We work to have personal relationships with our brides and all our corporate clients and create designs to their requirements. Before I take up any project, I want them to trust us. Once they do, I make sure that they get the value of the money they are investing in. That is why we affirm that this event planning company is all about passion and providing a memorable experience.
I started a business with no business plan or without studying the market or the business. But looking back, I can say It was one of the most amazing decisions I have ever taken. Those three months of depression turned out to be a new beginning for me. I think that is the beauty of being a risk-taker - it brings out your real personality and since then, I have been my own boss!
Ms. Esmahan Bokhowa, Managing Director of Saar Mall and Financial Director of Bokhowa Group, advices to face your challenges with perseverance and resilience.
She says... I started my career in 1994 as an Accounts Executive in Bokhowa Group WLL. This early experience helped me learn a lot along the way. Today I manage dual positions in business - as the Finance Director at Bokhowa Group WLL and the General Manager of Saar Mall. The valuable skills and experiences I have gained from my previous role have helped me throughout my professional development.
The biggest influence in my life is and will always be my father. He has been running a construction business
for over 40 years. When I was a child he would take me to visit our construction sites and I truly believe these visits have contributed a lot in building my passion, commitment, discipline, and dedication to work and life.
Talking about my business, Saar Mall is a stylish and contemporary mall which was opened in 2013 with the main aim of offering something for everyone. It has mid-market brands, restaurants, cafés, a Carrefour supermarket, banks, an indoor play area, Big Game Zone, and a Mini-Cinema for kids. While working, I have always been a multi-tasker and a
morning person. I normally start my day very early as I believe that the morning is the time when one’s energy levels are at their peak. So, I mostly prefer to have my meetings and tasks be completed in the first half of the day. As the General Manager for Saar Mall, we are constantly planning numerous social and cultural events for various occasions such as Labor Day, the Eid Festivals, Think Pink, National day, farmers market and many more.
Businesses go through many challenges. There are numerous incidents and minor crises that we have experienced on a regular basis. When that happens, me and my brothers, we sit together and calmly talk through the issue with our father. This is how we deal with any crisis we face. The unwavering support of my father and siblings is essential to me. For me, this open consultation and brainstorming with family and colleagues paves the way for solutions at my work.
When it comes to empowering women, I believe that women in Bahrain are really blessed to have opportunities on par with their male counterparts in both the private and public sectors. If I had anything to say to budding women professionals and entrepreneurs, it would be to strive for perseverance and resilience in the face of setbacks. Selfdiscipline, an undying passion for what you do and the self-confidence to sell your idea through persistent marketing will take you where you want to be. A lot of Bahraini businesses inspire me when it comes to this, and I am really impressed by the way they present, manage and market their products. The ones that inspire me the most are the start-ups that work so hard to establish and scale their businesses. Lastly, I’d say others to try and harness that competitive streak, to beat your opponents and win the game!
Ms. Susan Hunter CEO of APM Terminals, Bahrain, says that you don’t have to be perfect to get it right.
Istarted working when I was 12. My first job was stuffing shelves in the local grocery shop and it led to a sequence of part time jobs. I gradually took up work at a contact center where I quickly got into a role leading a team of of 12 people. Once I had my children, I took on a part-time job where a situation came up when an executive was on leave and the business really didn’t know what they were doing without him. I just couldn’t watch this happen and spoke to the leader, who eventually handed me the role itself. That was a big turning point in my career, and I’m grateful to her for recognizing my capability because I wouldn’t ever have applied for that job otherwise.
Work-life balance for me is a decision that I choose to make every day as there are new challenges at home and work. I always say, never under prioritize your life. I believe it is better to support your team to be healthy and holistic rather than allowing them to work until the breaking point. On the other hand, as a parent, I’ve had to learn to let go of guilt and accept that my kids don’t need me all the time. Quality time and connection with children is what matters – whether you’re a stay-at home parent or a working one.
As a leader all decisions you make impact people’s lives. Earlier, I used to find that tough but I’ve learned to be better by facing the truth of what my decision means – for my team, my employees or my shareholders. I believe that, at the end of the day, it comes down to making a conscious decision about what kind of leader you want to be.
My advice to young women would be - say yes to challenges and then work something out. We are constantly trying to make everything perfect – don’t do that. It might look impossible on paper, but the answers are almost always right there. Many young women know what they want and are ambitious but they’re embarrassed to say it. Say it out loud and start working towards it. She says...
Ms. Rebecca Arnold Deputy CEO of Dilmunia Mall, advices to explore and find out who you really are.
Iarrived in Dubai more than 20 years ago where I worked for the South Australian Government Office in Dubai assisting with business development between UAE and South Australia. It was in 2003 when I was approached by a shopping mall developer to work as the Marketing Manager for Mercato shopping mall and that is how I started my career in the field of shopping Mall Management. The skills that I learnt at university and my experience working in the field of Psychology in Australia helped me a lot as it provided me with good management experience and valuable transferable skills. Being part of the The Mercato Shopping Mall, the first themed shopping mall of its kind in the Middle East region is one of my biggest professional accomplishments till date. The dynamic, creative and challenging nature of business has also given me opportunities to teach others from my experience which is quite rewarding for me. My profession has taught me to remain humble and grounded, and grateful for the opportunities that are provided. It also made me realize that diligence, patience and perseverance is important and not all results can be achieved over night. For me, operating a large mall is more like steering a big ship, small shifts in direction can change the course in time. However, achieving work life balance has been a real challenge for me, particularly working on large projects with pressing time lines that may involve frequent travel. But I always make sure to maintain a balance by spending time with family and friends and through activities like sports and fitness, diet and nutrition.
In life, it is important to stand up, be heard and to follow your dreams – be it creative, sporting or academic. You have to identify what you like to do and if you are not sure, you should at least try something. It will make more confident and you will learn more about yourself - your likes and dislikes, and strengths and abilities. I have seen many women who have turned their hobby into successful businesses because they simply made a decision to do something about it. She says...
Ms. Batool Dadabhai Founder of Affinity by Batool, believes that nothing should stop you when it comes to passion.
Fashion always remained my true passion. Even after I joined a corporate division of Dadabhai Group, you could find me designing and participating in fashion exhibitions. Working at Arabian Neon was more of a learning process for me. It made me understand the corporate side of business and that has helped a lot in managing Affinity by Batool.
If you ask me who is my greatest influence in business, I would say it’s my dad. He is the one who saw that my passion lied elsewhere from the corporate world and encouraged me to pursue it and believed in my abilities.
Three years ago, when I thought of starting Affinity by Batool, it wasn’t easy. The economy was declining and perhaps it was not the right time for anyone to start a new venture, but I knew it was NOW or NEVER. I had to take the leap and it all happened because of the enormous support I had from my dad and my family. With them at my sides, I knew that nothing could stop me!
That’s how Affinity by Batool became a reality. We are a Bahraini fashion house – a multi designer store and production unit all under one roof, focusing on being creative and unique. For me, teamwork is the most important criteria for any business because no one person has all the solutions. I always look for bringing in more creative minds to add value to my team.
My perspective in life is that making a mistake is not the end of the road; it is a beginning as a new lesson is learned. The growth of a woman in workplace depends on both the male and female factors around her. If they are supportive and open minded, then nothing can stop her from reaching her true potential.
To everyone who is looking forward to start a business, I would always advice you to first understand the positives and negatives before jumping into it. Its always better to be an employee before being an employer as it is a learning path that no one should deprive themselves from. She says...
Ms. Wafa AlObaidat, CEO of Obai and Hill and Founder of Women Power Summit, says to live the best life you can have and never settle for anything less.
She says... T he idea for Sketchbook was born out of a desire to build a platform to support emerging artists and designers. During the initial days, I had to spend a good 5-6 hours a day emailing illustrators, designers, and writers to get them to contribute their work to the magazine.
When I started out with Obai and Hill in Bahrain, as a creative person, I lacked discipline, mismanaged funds that I earned through services and even mixed them up with my personal accounts. Back then, I wish I had known that without any business or accounting experience, my first hire should have been an accountant!
One of the toughest decisions I had to take was prioritizing the company needs before my own and for the first couple of years, I did not pay myself. Business has taught me to become that person I wish had mentored me when I was younger. I have been turned down by people and I wouldn’t wish that for anyone else.
We are raised in a culture where people are always ready to tell you that your ideas are not realistic, but I think you NEED to be unrealistic to pursue what you want.
Sheikha Latifa Al Khalifa, Co-founder of CleverPlay, believes more visibility can empower women to achieve their dreams.
She says... T he inspiration behind Cleverplay goes to my nephews. We wanted to have a place where we could give them space to fail and try to do new things. Though it started with them, now after 2 years into it, we have served over 15,000 children.
I don’t have an education or business background. So at CleverPlay, there were lots that I had to catch up. But with a learning mindset, you will know that you can adapt and this way, the process was fun for me. I got to know myself better. Though I consider work as a part of my life, I do take mini-vacations every now and then to regain my momentum. While doing business, I’d say character is what we look for in our team and we need people who will go out of their way to make things happen.
My one piece of advice to women is to be brave enough to be imperfect. Embrace your uniqueness and start before you’re ready.
Yasmin Salahuddin, Founder of YAZI, focuses on being unique with her creativity and art.
She says... B ahraini women are the inspiration for YAZI for whom I wanted to create something different. It was a challenging opportunity for me while being one among the first Bahraini women to create both scarves and handbag designs.
Since I studied in London, I was influenced by the fashion that played an important role in everyday life and that’s one of the things that encouraged me to expose my fashion sense. But starting a business wasn’t easy, especially one in fashion. I had to struggle and go through obstacles to build YAZI as a global brand. My brand focuses on being unique and my products are completely a result of creativity and art. This is why I always define my collection as “modern, abstract and different.”
In business, I think leading with a clear vision and plan helps a lot. Love and passion are what drives me to become better and regardless of gender, I believe that if you are determined, focused and have passion for your work, you will surely be able to achieve prominent roles at your workplace – be it your business or an organization.
Noof Al Shekar, Founder of NS by Noof, encourages you to believe in yourself and follow your dreams till the end.
She says... M y grandfather was the inspiration for my interest in business. He opened the first suit tailoring house in Bahrain and seeing him being different, inspired me to follow my passion. This led me to be the first handbag designer on the island. My interest in fashion and architecture helped along the way as I could incorporate both fields in my designs.
One of the challenges I faced and still go through is juggling between roles as a businesswoman and a responsible mom of 4. Thankfully, I think I’m blessed to have a big and amazing family who are always there to support me.
Each handbag at NS by Noof is handmade with care. I personally chose the best materials for each collection. I can ensure that this brand has highest quality handbags with the most unique designs.
To women starting out their careers or business, don’t ever give up. There will be moments where you will want to quit, go home and do nothing but the more you rise gracefully after falling, the further you will reach.
