BIG March 2017

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BUSINESS VOLUME-11 NO.03 Bahrain:BD 2 - Qatar:Riyal 30.00 - Oman:Riyal 3.00 - UAE:Dirhams 30.00 - Kuwait:KD 3 - Saudi Arabia:Riyal 30.00

BUS ESS a Gulf Business magazine for today’s entrepreneurS

IN Gulf

Bahrain’s Youngest Medical entrepreneur

march 2017 / Vol-11 No:03

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Hospitalia By Yara Salman

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JANUARY 2017

ers ravellers

March

BUSINESS Contents Gulf

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all yOu Can EaT

abdulla al-radhi Closes The gap between Caterers and Customers

26 bahrain’s yOungEsT mEDiCal EnTrEprEnEur Our Exclusive with yara Jameel salman smarTEr hEalTh how medical informatics has Changed The medical industry For The better

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march 2017

mighTiEr Than ThE sWOrD

20-year-Old author mohammed alQassimi Talks about his Debut novel

64 Omar FahOum

Capital Talk With The CEO Of Deloitte middle East

March

BUSINESS Contents Gulf

at a glance

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CoVer STorY 44

Bahrain’s Youngest Medical entrepreneur Yara Jameel Salman Talks About Her Latest Business Venture

enTrepreneur 22

sTylish & spOrTy Dana & hala Zubari Talk To big about Their leading activewear brand

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aBdulla al-radhi Closing The Gap Between Caterers And Customers

ConTrIBuTorS 32

fateMa eBrahiM Why Finding The right Mentor Is essential To Your Success

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khalid al Qoud How To Manage Change In Your Business

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dr. clare Beckett-McinroY understanding The Ladder of Inference

reGuLArS

sTylE FilE

The Classiest Fashion pieces

gaDgETs

The Coolest lifestyle items

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fashion Bold statements

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gadgets The latest in electronics

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hotel listings All they have to offer

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Quoted What the VIps said

BIG Words

Success can be achieved at any age. Harland Sanders founded the second-largest restaurant franchise in the world, Kentucky Fried Chicken, at the age of 62. Worldrenowned folk artist Grandma Moses began painting at age 78. In this issue, we feature one of Bahrain’s leading medical entrepreneurs – and she’s 22. Gracing our cover this month is the young and ambitious Yara Jameel Salman. After her first successful business venture, Yara Beauty Lounge, she is set to make her mark in the world of healthcare with Hospitalia By Yara. Located in Budaiya, the five-star medical Parth Vaya centre offers some of the most cutting-edge medical Deputy Editor treatments in the world. We also interview entrepreneurs 6

march 2017

such as Dana and Hala Zubari, founders of Tru Active, Bahrain’s leading activewear brand. For a change of pace, we also have a chat with 20-year-old author Mohammed AlQassimi about the launch of his debut novel, Letters From The Lost. As part of a new series, every month BIG will have the opportunity to interview a member of Bahrain’s leading business club – The Capital Club. This month, we had the pleasure of speaking to Omar Fahoum, CEO of Deloitte Middle East, about the introduction of VAT in the GCC next year. Lastly, our regular contributors share some valuable insights into their respective fields.

Have a good read!

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NewsFlash

The latest headlines from around the globe

FAsHIoN TV To esTABlIsH Gcc pReseNce BAHRAIN: FAsHIoNTV (FTV) INTeRNATIoNAl, THe FIRsT FAsHIoN ANd lIFesTyle TV cHANNel IN THe woRld, ANNouNced THe expANsIoN oF ITs New dIVIsIoN IN THe MIddle eAsT, FTV Gcc, exclusIVely RepReseNTING All oF THe FRANce-BAsed BRoAdcAsTING sTATIoN’s lIFesTyle dIVIsIoNs. THe BRANd wIll esTABlIsH A RepReseNTING oFFIce IN BAHRAIN ANd FTV INTeRNATIoNAl’s VIce pResIdeNT FoR MIddle eAsT, RoMAIN sAINT GIlles, wIll dedIcATe THe FIRsT quARTeR oF HIs TeNuRe deVelopING ANd lAuNcHING THe BRANd IN THe KINGdoM.

YAhoo delAYS SAle of core bUSineSS To Verizon

Etihad Airways CEO John Hogan

Etihad Airways chief to step down

UAE: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways recently announced that its chief executive officer James Hogan will step down in the second half of 2017 after leading the fast-growing Gulf carrier for more than 10 years. The governmentowned carrier said the move is part of a “transition process” initiated by its board and Hogan last year. Australian Hogan became head of Etihad in 2006.

USA: Yahoo recently said that its $4.8 billion deal to sell its core internet assets to US telecom titan Verizon has been delayed several months. The news came in an earnings release showing Yahoo swung to a profit of $162 million in the final three months of last year.

The deal with Verizon, which would end Yahoo’s run of more than 20 years as an independent company, has been thrown into doubt following disclosures of two huge data breaches.

us$

482.13 bn

US retail giant Walmart’s gross revenue in 2016

Bahrain signs agreement with Us to implement FatCa

Bahrain: an agreement was signed between the government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the government of the United states of america to improve international tax compliance and implement the Foreign account tax Compliance act (FatCa). the signing aims to ensure the compliance of Bahrain financial institutions with FATCA, and reflects the keenness of the government to provide all necessary requirements in this respect. the agreement applies to Us citizens only and will be submitted to the legislative authority for approval according to standard procedures.

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March 2017 october 2016

U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain William Roebuck and Minister of Finance, H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa

Vodafone confirms merger talks with india’s idea

INDIA: British mobile phone giant Vodafone recently announced that it was in talks to merge its Indian unit with Idea Cellular in a move that would create India’s largest telecoms company. The confirmation ended months of speculation that the two operators were exploring a deal to help fend off Reliance Jio whose recent arrival shook up India’s ultracompetitive mobile network market.

Johnson & Johnson to BUy aCtelion For $30 Bn switZerlanD: US pharmaceuticals giant Johnson

indiA SAYS cASh bAn hiTS growTh

indiA: india’s government recently acknowledged that its controversial decision to withdraw high-value bank notes from circulation has had an “adverse impact” on the economy as it lowered its growth forecast. in an annual survey published on the eve of the budget, the government said “the adverse impact of demonetisation on gdP (gross domestic product) growth will be transitional” while finance Minister Arun Jaitley said it would have significant implications for gdP.

& Johnson recently announced it was buying Europe’s biggest bio-pharmaceutical firm, Switzerland’s Actelion, for $30 billion in a deal that creates a new spin-off company. The deal between the world’s biggest producer of healthcare goods and Actelion, a leader in medicines treating high blood pressure, will create a new Swiss-listed firm called R&D NewCo focusing on the research and development of new drugs.

83,654,250 Passenger traffic at Dubai International Airport during 2016

USA: Bank of America Corp has opened three completely automated branches over the past month, where customers can use ATMs and have video conferences with employees at other branches, according to spokeswoman Anne Pace.

Like many U.S. banks in recent years, Bank of America has been reducing its overall branch count to cut costs even as it opens new branches in select markets.

Britain to exit EU’s single market UK: Prime Minister Theresa May recently said Britain will leave the EU’s single market in order to restrict immigration in a clean break from the bloc, but lawmakers can vote on the final deal. She added that Britain would seek a trade deal giving “the greatest possible access” to the market on its departure.

Britain has two years to negotiate a break-up deal once May triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, officially declaring the country’s intention to quit, or face leaving with no agreement.

Saudi’S aCWa PoWer to develoP neW Solar Plant

Jordan: Jordan has awarded Saudi arabia’s aCWa Power a contract to develop a 61.3 megawatt peak (MWP) photovoltaic project, which will generate enough electricity for 12,000 households. the project in risha, eastern Jordan, will be completed in the first quarter of 2019. ACWA, a water and power plant developer, will also finance, build, own and operate the project, which will be the eighth power plant built by the company in Jordan.

Bank of America opens branches without employees

British Prime Minister Theresa May

Ford to invest $1 billion in autonomous vehicle tech Firm

Usa: Ford Motor Co plans to invest $1 billion over the next five years in tech startup Argo AI to help the Detroit automaker reach its goal of producing a self-driving vehicle for commercial ride sharing fleets by 2021. The investment in Pittsburg-based Argo AI, founded by former executives on self-driving teams at Google and Uber, will make Ford the company’s largest shareholder.

March JUly 2017 2016

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Saudi

Kuwait

bahrain

Saudi Arabia approves measures ahead of VAT launch

Shell sells Thailand gas field stake to Kuwait’s Kufpec

KSA: Saudi Arabia’s cabinet recently approved the GCC agreement for imposing a value added tax (VAT) from next year. Under the plans, a five percent levy will apply to certain goods following an agreement signed by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council last June. The move is in line with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) recommendation for Gulf states to introduce further revenue-raising measures to help adjust to low oil prices that have hampered their economic growth.

KUWAIT: Royal Dutch Shell recently announced that it will sell its stake in Thailand’s Bongkot gas field to Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company for $900 million.

The move is the latest stage of the Anglo-Dutch company’s push to reduce debt after buying smaller rival BG Group for $70 billion, bringing its total divestments since April 2015 to 8.7 billion. The transaction will include Shell’s 22.2-percent equity stake in the Bongkot field and adjoining acreage off the coast of Thailand consisting of Blocks 15, 16 and 17 and Block G12/48.

Bahrain proposes adding mall, theme park to $1.1bn airport plan BAHRAIN: Bahrain’s $1.1 billion airport redevelopment may include a shopping complex, cinema and a theme park. Muharraq Municipal Council has approved the proposal to include the leisure facilities and will present its ideas to the Transportation and Telecommunication Ministry in the near future. Expansion will see the airport’s annual passenger capacity increase from nine million to around 16 million.

$313bn

“The term influencer is self-evidently descriptive, and brands from start-ups to globally recognised products are utilising new, emerging mediums alongside traditional forms of media to fully engage with their existing consumers and to reach out to a new generation of consumers.”

ITP Media Group CEO, Ali Akawi

Worth of active construction projects in Dubai.

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BAHRAIN: Nogaholding, the investment and business development arm of Bahrain’s National Oil and Gas Authority (NOGA), has announced the financial close of its LNG terminal project.

A total of $741 million has been secured over 20 years from a syndicate of nine international and regional banks. The LNG terminal will comprise a floating storage unit, an offshore LNG receiving jetty and breakwater, a regasification platform, a subsea gas pipeline from the platform to shore, an onshore gas pipeline and gas receiving facility, and an onshore nitrogen production facility.

Dubai to roll out electronic meDical recorDs system uae: Dubai Health authority (DHa) has announced that its electronic medical record system, salama, will officially be launched this year and rolled out in three phases. the project aims to provide patients access to their medical record through a patient portal and ensure that the electronic patient medical record is available across the DHa health facilities. so far 1.4 million DHa patient medical records and 112 million transactions have been transferred to the salama system and 11,000 DHa staff will be trained on how to use the system in 2017.

“Our relationship with the United States is historic and strategic, any attempts to undermine that will falter”.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef

KSA: Saudi Telecom Co (STC) recently announced that it had completed procedures for the purchase of the remaining stake in Sale Advanced Co it does not already own for $106.7 million.

STC claimed that it will finance its bid for the 40 percent stake with the company’s own resources adding that the acquisition will have no substantial impact on its financial results. STC already owns 60 percent of Riyadh-based SaleCo, which offers sales services through all distribution channel networks located in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states.

1,444,765

No. of pilgrims that have visited Saudi Arabia since the start of the Umrah season in November last year.

qatar

uae

oman

Qatar Petroleum to help develop Pakistan LNG project

UAE’s Lulu Group Plans for major Saudi expansion

Ooredoo Oman appoints new CEO

QATAR: State-owned energy company Qatar Petroleum (QP) has joined an international consortium of major US, European and Japanese energy companies to develop a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import project in Pakistan. The consortium, which includes US ExxonMobil, France’s Total, Japan’s Mitsubishi, and Norway’s Hoegh, will develop a project that includes a floating storage and regasification Unit, a jetty and a pipeline to shore to provide natural gas supply to Pakistan.

UAE: UAE-based retail major Lulu Group has announced plans to add 20 more hypermarkets in the Saudi market, nearly tripling its presence in the Gulf kingdom by 2020. The details of the expansion plans, which will build on the retailer’s existing eight hypermarkets in the country, were revealed during the launch its 133rd hypermarket in the city of Hail, north-western province of Saudi Arabia.

OMAN: Telecommunications firm Ooredoo Oman recently announced that its Chief Commercial Officer Ian Dench had been appointed Chief Executive Officer.

Dench, who joined majority shareholder Qatar ’s Ooredoo in 2006, replaces Greg Young who resigned last year.

march 2017

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news

Louvre Abu Dhabi set to announce opening date UAE: The much-awaited opening date for Louvre Abu Dhabi is likely to be made public soon as construction work enters the final stage, according to the museum. The museum, located in Saadiyat Cultural District, was announced in 2007. Construction of Louvre Abu Dhabi was awarded to an Arabtec-led joint venture with Construction San Jose SA and Oger Abu Dhabi in 2013. Designed by architect Jean Nouvel, the museums dome is supposed to offer visitors an enchanting “rain of light� effect. The Cultural District will house branches of the Guggenheim museum and the Zayed National Museum.

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march 2017

news

Uber on the verge of getting kneecapped in East Asia TAIWAN: Uber’s pullout from China in August 2016 marked the ride-hailing company’s biggest concession to date.

But the rest of East Asia has proven challenging too, as it faces strict laws and unfavorable market conditions that could effectively handicap its business there. Its most recent hurdle comes in Taiwan where, after a months-long battle with the government, the company has finally suspended its operations on the island. In both South Korea and Japan, a number of factors have prevented Uber from achieving the popularity it has earned in the US, Europe, and elsewhere. After Uber’s exit from Taiwan, only Hong Kong and the casino hub of Macau remain as its last hopes for East Asia.

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news

Construction to start on Meydan One UAE: Meydan Group has signed a strategic deal with Azizi Developments to build 180 residential and retail units as part of its Meydan One scheme in Dubai. Meydan One is to comprise the new Meydan One shopping mall, the world’s largest ‘dancing fountains’, a four kilometre canal and marina, the longest indoor ski slope and a sports facility complete with outdoor cycling and jogging tracks and a 300-metre-long ‘beach’, according to the developer. The mall has a 150 metres x by 80 metre retractable roof, to create an alfresco shopping and dining experience for visitors. Under the partnership with Azizi Developments, 180 plots will be developed with new residential and retail units yet to be designed.

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EvEnt

TalenT DevelopmenT Takes CenTre sTage Tamkeen signs mOU TO develOp lOcal WOrkfOrce

L

Tamkeen and Fives teams at the signing

ast month, Tamkeen signed a memorandum of understanding with Fives a global engineering industrial group to discuss aspects of cooperation to train and specialise Bahrainis in the industrial sector. It is aimed at bridging existing skills gap in this sector and will benefit both graduates and non-graduates. As part of the MOU, Fives will provide foreign internship opportunities within its worldwide network of companies for up to 15 young Bahraini engineering graduates per year.

reTail exTravaganza B

ahrain’s biggest consumer products show, the Autumn Fair 2017, took place last month at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. The nine-day event featured over 750 exhibitors from 18 countries and covered 15, 400 square metres of space. Now in its 28th year, the Autumn Fair is the most widely attended exhibition in Bahrain.

Over 200,000 visitors from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries attended the event.

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MARCH 2017

recOrd crOWd aT aUTUmn fair 2017

T

he Demo Day, the last phase of the TURN8 Pre-Accelerator Program, recently took place at the CH9 Business Incubator in Amwaj Lagoon. A total of nine technology startups pitched to a panel of investors for an investment opportunity that can start from $35,000 to $80,000 and up to $500,000 for teams with more traction, and a room of a 130 members of the startup and business community. The program is being powered by the Bahrain Economic Development Board, in partnership with Tamkeen Bahrain, Zain Bahrain, Bahrain Development Bank, Rowad, Autumn Fair 2017 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre and CH9.

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All You CAn EAt abdulla al-radhi closes The Gap Between caterers and customers 22

March 2017 february 2017

EntrEprEnEur ith the support of numerous organisations in the country such as Tamkeen and Bahrain Development Bank, tech businesses are slowly gaining traction in the country. One such business is Akalati, an app that serves as an online platform bringing caterers and customers together.

We interview founder and former oil industry professional, Abdulla Al-Radhi to find out more.

Could you give us a brief overview of your educational and career background before starting Akalati app?

I studied at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman (SQU), where I obtained a bachelor’s degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering. After graduating from SQU, I started my career with Baker Hughes Inc., the third largest oil service company in the world. I worked for BHI for almost eight years in multiple countries which taught me to adapt to different environments and circumstances smoothly and efficiently. During these years I was trained in many technical and soft skills that helped me hone my craft and widen my knowledge of business requirements and processes.

What inspired you to start the app?

I saw a huge gap in the catering market that wasn’t filled, and was further encouraged by the success stories of Talabat, Souq.com and Careem. These companies established a solid base for tech startups by creating a huge amount of awareness and acceptance for such businesses in the region.

The Akalati app logo

How exactly does it work? How does it help the user?

Akalati is meant to close the gap between customers and caterers through an e-commerce platform.

Customers can use the app to select the right caterer and customise their requirements and needs ahead of time for their events. At the same time, it creates an efficient marketing platform for caterers whereby they are given extra market reach and an advantage over their competitors.

The Akalati app solution simply takes away all the efforts and time-consuming processes from event planning associated with catering services, and simplifies it in a way never done before.

How do you make a profit? What is your business model?

There are multiple avenues through which we can generate revenue, but for the time being, we chose to simplify things for our business-to-business customers and only charge a fixed rate of commission based on sales.

How many people do you have working for the company?

We are a team of three currently, and we have a contract with an IT company that we are developing the app with.

From where did you receive the funding and mentorship to start your enterprise?

I funded Akalati myself, and have received some financial support from Tamkeen. As for mentorship, I attended Unido training at the beginning and have been in BDB’s Rowad mentoring program since November 2016. I’m currently being mentored

by Rowad co-founder, Areije Alshakar and occasionally by ex-CEO of Talabat, Mohamed Jaffar.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when setting up your business?

We faced and are still facing a long list of challenges and obstacles, but the main challenges are funding, marketing and educating people about the Akalati solution.

How do you market the app to attract new users?

Marketing a mobile app, attracting users to use the app and keeping them hooked are three main phases in the app’s path to success.

Each of these phases has its own challenges and requires different techniques and

“Start planning and acting accordingly today in order to get to where you want to be tomorrow.”

methods. We started marketing the app through social media influencers, and are attracting users through educating them about the app’s benefits and value to them, then keep them hooked to it through frequent updates and providing more options and varieties that serves them in all their catering and event’s needs.

Outside of work, what are some of your biggest hobbies and interests?

I would consider any and all activities that give me an adrenaline rush to be a hobby!

What advice do you have for any aspiring entrepreneurs out there hoping to start their own business?

Time passes too quickly, don’t wait for anyone’s encouragement or support.

Start planning and acting accordingly today in order to get to where you want to be tomorrow, and stay dedicated to your goals.

What are your future plans for your app?

The plan from day one was to create a solution that can be implemented in the GCC region and hopefully globally one day.

Bahrain is the ideal location to test the market’s acceptance and perfect the solution before expanding abroad.

To find out more about Akalati, visit their website, www.akalati.com or follow them on Instagram @akalatiapp.

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Dana (left) and Hala Zubari

StyliSh And Sporty Dana and hala Zubari Talk about Their Leading activewear Brand 24

March 2017 february 2017

EntrEprEnEur

fter returning to Bahrain from the London College of Fashion in 2014, Hala Zubari sought to put her fashion design skills to good use.

Combining her extensive background in fashion with Dana’s passion for sport and business savvy gained through her career in banking, the two sisters teamed up to create their own line of activewear, Tru Active.

What inspired the two of you to start Tru Active?

Hala: When I moved back to Bahrain I was struggling to find work that I could apply my skill set to, and found myself always designing sportswear and showing my sister Dana. I was really fortunate that my sister took a leap of faith and decided to invest in my vision that has now become Tru Active.

Dana: I always encouraged my sister to pursue sportswear design; even before we were officially a company she used to design customised sportswear for my competitions, as well as the sport teams she was a part of at university. My love of sports and Hala’s passion for design are what transitioned us into designing sportswear. I test out all the garments before we manufacture and sell to our customers. Learning from my experiences and races I know what athletes are looking for and we do our best to apply that to our range.

What types of clothing do you sell? Are they exclusively for women?

Hala: We are an activewear company – our ranges vary from gym wear to swimwear and even matching kids wear. We

like to design things that are not generic, and focus more on special touches. We sell mostly for women; we’ve dabbled with menswear in our first collection, but as we are still a small startup, we’re choosing to perfect our women’s collection and overall image before jumping into other fields.

Where are your products actually manufactured/ imported from?

Hala: All of our products are designed and developed in-house in Bahrain, and our manufacturing is outsourced.

Our fabrics are unique per garment, and tailored to each factory’s specification. We work with a few factories to get the best quality of garments for our customers. Our garments are not mass produced and all of our prints are 100% authentic. We pride ourselves on the individuality of each of our products and the stories behind them. We’re currently stocked at two female Bahrainiowned establishments, Meemo Space in Seef Mall, and Milk Concept in Riyadat Mall.

Who is responsible for the design of the clothing? Could you take us through the designing process for a new item?

Hala: I handle all the designs, technical development and sourcing, and my father Khalid Zubari provides me the Arabic calligraphy artwork to complete my vision. Dana is the decision maker of the collection. As I am the designer, it’s hard to choose from your own personal favourites and most of times getting an outsiders approval is best. I completely trust Dana’s choice of garments as she has an eye for what women want. I always start with what is inspiring me. I love to research the topic of interest as sometimes it leads me to something completely different. I create a concept, and brainstorm with my father on the different strokes he can use with his words. Once I have all these pieces I start my sampling process which leads me to the final product.

“Think of your vision thoroughly, play devil’s advocate and think of all the things that could go wrong, and then start thinking of solutions.”

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced when setting up the business?

Dana: Obtaining a CR was one of the biggest challenges.

Everything is done online now, so it was really difficult to talk to someone to find out what exactly we needed. It felt like we were receiving a lot of outdated information, since the system was constantly updating itself.

Luckily we had the means of hiring a lawyer and were able to obtain a CR in the end.

From where did you obtain funding and mentorship to start your enterprise?

Hala: My sister Dana is the whole financier of Tru Active.

I’ve been very fortunate to have the experience of working with startups in London. This taught me how to rationalise and know what works, what’s risky, and what simply will not. Having said that, I am aware that we don’t follow the standard mould of how to start up a company, but we have found a process that works for us, and we work harder every day to learn more and improve ourselves.

Dana: My sister is an extremely talented and I’m a banker and I know a good investment when I see one. Being mathematical by nature helps us to be realistic with our goals and targets. I truly believe in my sister Hala’s vision.

She does everything from our branding, social media, videos, and even our website. I love that we can have our father Khalid Zubari’s Arabic calligraphy in all of our designs, and what better way to invest than in your own family.

What advice do you have for any aspiring young entrepreneurs out there?

Hala: Ideas are great, but you want to really challenge yourself. Think of your vision thoroughly, play devil’s advocate and think of all the things that could go wrong, and then start thinking of solutions.

When the tough gets going you need to know if you’ll be capable to get yourself through to the other side.

Dana: My advice is if you are passionate about the business you are setting up then you will be successful. I believe that passion is everything because when you are passionate you will go through great lengths to see your business succeed. If one door closes you will push another door down to get your ideas and business across.

What are your future plans for Tru Active?

Hala: We are looking to expand to other countries around the gulf and internationally. It’s hard to pin point what our future plans are because we’re just so full of ideas. But for now, our main aim is to bring women and children together to embrace a healthier and happier version of themselves, and if being in some Tru Active gear makes that happen, then that’s all we can ask for.

To find out more about Tru Active visit their website www.truactive.me or follow them on Instagram @truactivebh.

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“The main reason I managed to juggle my writing with a busy workload is that I truly enjoy writing.

Passion is key in any successful endeavour.�

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MIghTIer Than

The Sword

Budding novelist mohammed alQassimi tells us aBout his new Book While the majority of young people we interview in BIG are aspiring entrepreneurs, this month we decided to interview someone with a different set of talents. We have a chat with the popular blogger, 20-year-old Mohammed AlQassimi about his debut novel, Letters From The Lost.

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I began my formal education in a government school, which meant that my English wasn’t very good initially. In the sixth grade, I moved to a private school – Bahrain Bayan School. It was there that I started reading and speaking in English regularly, expanding my knowledge of the language immensely. I graduated from there in 2014 and am now studying towards a degree in economics and finance at the University of Leeds.

How did you start writing?

I discovered my love for writing when I was around 14, after a particular school writing assignment. I started writing regularly and kept my work to myself usually, save for a few close friends and my siblings. My sister eventually suggested that I start posting my short stories online. I followed the advice and started a blog, which I posted on my personal Twitter account so that people could see my work. Unfortunately, I got very little feedback from that. One day, I got a bad grade on an English assignment, which made me seriously doubt my abilities as a writer, causing me to stop for a period of around six months. One day, I had the idea for a story that I felt the need to write down. So I wrote it and this time started an anonymous blog, “khaleejiblogger”, which received a lot more positive feedback. I posted about three or four long stories on that blog and a few short stories, until I decided to turn the first story I wrote into a book.

Could you briefly summarise what the book is about?

How did you come up with the idea for it?

The story is basically about a man learning to deal with the loss of his wife, and trying

to atone for his past sins. The book details the emotional whirlwind that he experiences from having lost someone very dear to him, while at the same time trying to take of his family without her. The idea for the book actually came to me while I was watching a movie.

How long did it take you to actually write the book?

How many hours a day would you spend working on it and how did you manage to juggle that with your schoolwork?

The original blog post was about 30, 000 words and took me approximately four months to write. The book itself took me almost two years to complete, although I worked on it intermittently. Every chapter in the book was about 1000 words, and depending on my mood, each chapter could take anywhere between 1-3 hours. The main reason I managed to juggle my writing with a busy workload is that I truly enjoy writing. Passion is key in any successful endeavour. Moreover, I have to give credit to the people who regularly read my blog, who kept pushing me to complete it.

How did you go about publishing the novel? Did you go about approaching different publishers or did you try to self-publish it?

That was actually quite difficult to be honest. At first I didn’t have a single clue how to go about publishing it. I started asking around and went to several printing houses until I finally found one that offered to print copies of the book at a decent price.

A friend of my sister’s who has already had a book published also helped me out tremendously by finding me an editor and designing the layout of the book.

In your opinion, what does the publishing industry in Bahrain need to do provide local authors with better exposure?

For starters, I don’t think I’ve ever seeing a single ad for a publishing company, which makes things difficult for aspiring authors searching for someone to publish their book. More importantly, I think authors in the country are simply not given enough encouragement. If it wasn’t for my sister’s friend that I had mentioned earlier, I wouldn’t have thoughpublishing a book in Bahrain would have even been possible.

Apart from writing, what are some of your other hobbies and interests?

I really enjoy exercise, particularly weightlifting. It helps me clear my mind, to make way for new ideas. Apart from that, I enjoy watching documentaries from time to time. This might come as a bit of a surprise, but I’m actually not a huge fan of reading. I much prefer to write than to read.

Can we expect a new book from you soon?

I do have an idea in mind for my next one, but I don’t want to reveal too much just yet.

All I can say is that it’s completely different from the first one. Otherwise, you’re going to have a wait till it comes out!

To find out more about Mohammed AlQassimi’s work, follow his blog: 5aleejiblogger.blogspot.com or his Instagram page: @khaleejiblogger.

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27

Playing The Trump Card

What EvEry BusinEss Can LEarn From DonaLD trump

By Ramon Ray,

Publisher of Smart Hustle Magazine 28

march 2017

Many entrepreneurs are wondering

how the Trump presidency will affect the small business landscape over the next four years. At this point, there’s nothing more than speculation for us to go on. That being said, let’s look at what Donald Trump can teach us that will help small businesses, no matter what the economic climate turns out to be.

A Little Showmanship Can Go a Long Way

Trump is nothing if not a little dazzling when it comes to his spot centre stage. I think this is something more small businesses could do with: Having a little sizzle!

That doesn’t mean your business necessarily needs to be as polarising (and sometimes offensive) as Trump. But it does mean you shouldn’t be afraid to put the spotlight on your brand once in a while.

Toot your own horn! Celebrate your wins and tell your online network about them!

How to Implement This:

If you’re not comfortable being in the limelight, try out these options to become more accustomed to it:  Publish a press release about big news (securing a major client, winning an award).  Look for opportunities to be interviewed in the media as an expert in your field.  Become a guest blogger on high-profile sites.

Know Your Strengths

Trump quickly boiled down and labelled his opponents during the election, focusing on their weaknesses. While this may seem like an underhanded strategy to use in your business, you can instead focus on your strengths and celebrate them.

What makes your business better than the competition? Where are there gaps in the market that you fill? Why do customers come to you again and again?

Knowing your strengths gives you fodder for your marketing message and sales pitch. It helps you zero in on exactly how you can attract and serve your target market.

How to Implement This:

Not sure what makes your company the best? Talk to your customers. Ask them what they like about you. You can do this one-on-one or by emailing a survey to them.  Pay attention to your areas of weakness and work on developing them into strengths.  Make those strengths the centre of your marketing campaigns.  Continually work to keep those strengths strong, as well as to develop new ones.

Look for Opportunity Everywhere

Nowhere do we have a better example of a man intent on world domination than we do in Trump. Being a successful businessman wasn’t enough for him; now he’s going to be President!

Use his single-minded approach to expanding his empire to inspire you to find more opportunities to grow your business.

Are there other products or services you can sell? People you could partner with?

Keep your eyes open, because opportunities appear when you least expect them.

How to Implement This:

Never decide what you’re doing is sufficient. Constantly seek ways to improve what you’re already doing as well as find new avenues to develop.  Invest in business networking to connect with people who could help you expand your business.  Look at competitors as potential business partners.  Constantly ask yourself: What next?

Work to Make America (Or Your Niche) Great Again

Trump’s slogan may have been played to death, but there’s something lovely about the concept of making something great that formerly was. Consider what’s “broken” in your industry. Maybe the fact that most of your competitors require their customers to go through a complex customer service phone tree to get a question answered is something you can make great again by streamlining customer service chat.

Or maybe the quality of products in your industry have declined. Rather than competing on price, you could focus on delivering high-quality products to stand out.

How to Implement This:

“TrumP is noThing if noT a liTTle dazzling when iT Comes To his sPoT CenTre sTage. i Think This is someThing more small businesses Could do wiTh: having a liTTle sizzle!”

Just like the average American can tell you how America is less wonderful than it was in years past, your customers can probably fill you in on what’s missing in your business or industry.  Read online reviews carefully and consider how you could address common concerns.  Make greatness part of your overall company mission.  Constantly assess results. Are you succeeding in creating greatness?

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’but i had a MeetINg scheduled with mY boss.’

So what? Call your boss and tell her “A client just emailed asking for info. Can we reschedule our meeting so I can call them immediately and make a monster sale?”

“But Mike, I was working on a very important Excel spreadsheet and PowerPoint presentation for a standard monthly update meeting where we talk about how we’re going to make up our sales shortfall for the year.”

Um… I have made it an absolute habit of IMMEDIATELY calling a client or prospect when I get their inquiry about our firm or services. Why? First, I know they’re not really busy if they’re emailing me so they’re probably free at that very moment. Second, I know they’re by their computer or phone. Third, they’re THINKING ABOUT ME AND WHAT THEY WANT TO BUY FROM ME. The response is always fantastic. “Oh my gosh!

I was just thinking about you.

Oh. You knew that because I just sent you an email. And yes, I’ve got time to talk and would love to talk about buying tons of stuff from you.” Seriously. That’s almost a verbatim response. I spoke with a prospect today as soon as I received her email. She’s a sales professional herself.

Her comment was “Wow. I love how responsive you are.

It makes me feel important as a customer and shows you’re on top of things. I like working with people who are on top of things.” She and I discussed this dynamic and she lamented the lack of responsiveness people show. She pointed out that in a fast paced world of texts, instant messages, and easy communication, it’s a huge mistake to be unresponsive.

Stop playINg harD to get. it’s not attraCtIve.

One fear we talked about was the mistaken belief that if you call someone back immediately then you’re not that busy therefore your business or product isn’t very good therefore it’s not attractive to work with you.

This is the old “hard to get” or “scarcity” mindset. That may have worked 10-15 years ago.

That mindset is dead now.

If you’re in it, break out of it. So if you want to increase your prospect to sale ratio, start a new habit of CALLING people (not emailing them) IMMEDIATELY upon receiving their message. You might be pleasantly shocked by the results. By the way,

“So if you want to increase your prospect to sale ratio, start a new habit of CALLING people (not emailing them) IMMEDIATELY upon receiving their message.” this doesn’t only apply to sales. It works with recruiting, partnerships, etc. One caveat – there is a group of people who should NOT use this technique because it won’t work for you. If you sell training services that compete with the services my firm provides, you shouldn’t call prospects back immediately. Give them a few weeks before reaching out so they have time to evaluate competitive offerings before you pitch them why your programs are better. You’ll be much more successful with that approach.

(And I guarantee one person reading this is missing the sarcasm in that last suggestion)

Mike Figliuolo is the founder and managing director of thoughtLEADERS, LLC, a professional services training firm specializing in leadership development. He is a nationally recognized speaker and blogger on the topics of leadership, communications, decision-making, problem solving, and other critical business skills.

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Are You A Mentee Yet? Why Finding The Right Mentor Is Essential To Your Success

By Fatema Ebrahim

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In everything we do, whether it’s starting a business, taking a course or even when it comes to personal matters – we look for some sort of guide; an expert or a mentor. The title can be claimed by any thirdparty person that gives you a different insight, outlook or direction on what you are working on and planning. A more personal common term used is “Mentor”. Several startups, SME’s and even senior level executives are larger companies refer to their mentor. Note that it’s always better to get a mentor from the beginning and go through the journey from scratch.

So what iS a mentor? and why Should you chooSe the right mentor?

Based on experience, this is the definition that seemed to fit: “A mentor is an experienced individual that offers his knowledge, glimpse of his past experiences, and a hint of motivation to guide less experienced individuals on their upcoming ventures.”

Oh, and we should mention what a mentee is. A mentee is the lucky recipient absorbing all the mentor’s knowledge and experiences.

Yes, it’s a bit flowery but these three elements are important: knowledge, experience and motivation. Having the right mentor can make a huge difference, most people don’t value the idea of having a mentor because some don’t understand how it works, or some just haven’t found the right individual to mentor them.

we know what a mentor iS, but why doeS thiS matter?

You share your fears with someone

This may sound sentimental but we have always thought it was easier to do things alone, not ask for help and read motivational articles to get us every time we needed a boost. However, having a conversation with someone who has conquered his/her fears in the same industry?

For the same cause? Or on the same path? That’s a different story. You lift the burden, you learn directly from a source you can relate to and you don’t feel small anymore. Suddenly you’re on the same platform!

It grows your confidence

Setting up meetings with your mentor allows you to talk about yourself, your business, come up with problems, come back with solutions and the list is endless. You have opened a door to let someone view what you’re doing and then it is all experimental from there. You will keep coming back to share the advancements and watch yourself transform. It’s like startup therapy.

A +1 on a lonely journey

As new a startup founder or someone that is doing something new, you are walking on a scary untouched path you feel you’ve made for yourself. Everyone gets entrepreneurship and the startup world but you need someone that gets YOU out of all the clutter. Having someone who values your idea, helps you improve and shares his expertise makes the journey seem a bit better.

Get a ‘real’ view of the startup world

Mentors who have been through the rough will inject a sense of realism into you and your outlook for the future.

This is the most important point in terms of experience.

Those who give your constructive criticism and teach you about the tough angles will help you more than the fluff and glitter.

Your blind spot

You will love everything about your product and we will have so much pride when we start our own thing, your mentor who has more experience than you will lessen the pride a bit and point out mistakes early on saving you from having to fail at several steps when it’s too late!

thoSe were the main reaSonS on why mentorS and mentorShip iS important, but how do you find one?

Research the top people within your industry -

Don’t be scared to reach out to several of them and see.

Several incubators offer mentorship with several mentors -

Set up meetings with those

“Mentors who have been through the rough will inject a sense of realism into you and your outlook for the future.”

in the same industry, or that doesn’t have to be the case, you can meet a couple and see which one feels right! Your gut is important in some cases.

Go to events and mingle -

Be a social butterfly and target the right events where you can find your potential mentor. You’re in a setting where everything else is filtered and just focused on your community.

Online is another route -

Send a personal email through their website/blog and ask them for a bit of their time over coffee. Shows you did your research and you reached out to them!

Note: be honest in your

meetings. Open up and say you need a mentor and would love someone to help you in your new journey. Mentors respect that and want transparency.

Hope this has helped you, and good luck in find the ‘right mentor’!

Fatema Ebrahim is the founder of Valopay, a payments app catered to the Instagram marketplace in Bahrain.

Fatema has been heavily involved in the Startup space in New York for several years and got her Master’s from New York University. She is also an independent PR consultant for Action Global Communications working with clients covering various industry sectors including: aviation, automotive, banking, telecommunications and government.

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33

The

Secret Sauce Warm Up YoUr restaUrant’s marketing strategY

By Eman Bu-Rashid

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New restaurants and cafes seem to pop up everywhere and competition is becoming fierce in this sector. Restaurants also are not immune to economic challenges and changing consumer behaviour. Just like other businesses, they have to adapt and grow to continue to bring in new business.

Customer service is the cornerstone of a successful restaurant. But what does good customer service mean? This is open to so much interpretation. What makes for a positive dining experience differs greatly by customer, however most would agree that customers look for an experience that leave them with a good taste.

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5. Make a list of important people

Make a list of people who have an influence locally. This includes journalists in local newspapers, food bloggers, photographers, social media influencers and PR agents. This list will be useful whenever you open new branches, launch new menus, and promote events or anything you wish.

6. Networking in the local community

This is a great way to raise awareness of your restaurant in your local community. Meeting business owners may lead to hosting a corporate dinner at your place.

Restaurants have to make us want to go there, whether for a quick lunch, dinner with friends or a special occasion meal.

But what makes one better than the other?

Do you follow the recommendations from friends or ads and promotions? Personally, I go for recommendations from friends and colleagues. I also generally choose a place that’s busy, always a good sign that the food is freshly prepared and will taste good.

I’m also encouraged by their social media activities and their ads. In other words, restaurants need to explore an array of offline and online channels to get people flocking to their restaurants. Before you attempt to market your restaurant, you need to meet two basic components: great food and excellent customer service. These two principles are not optional, they are compulsory.

Here are some key tips, tactics and activities you need to consider to keep your restaurant at the top of people’s minds: 1. Overall Ambience

People will first judge your restaurant by the exterior and interior looks before tasting your food or experiencing your customer service.

This includes everything from the paintwork, the signage, the images, pictures on the wall, plants, the spacing between the tables, to laying the tables out neatly before customers arrive.

7. Invite groups to network at your restaurant

2. Build a Website

Most restaurant owners in the region make the mistake of focusing on one or two social media platforms and leave out the essential base of their online presence.

Having a website is at the core of all your online presence and needs to be maintained in the same way you maintain the general ambience of your restaurant.

3. Produce Content

Have some professional pictures or videos taken of your restaurants. This includes your signature dishes, the chefs at work, indoor décor and outside of your restaurant. You will be able to use these pictures across a wide range of other activities suggested in this article.

4. Make your customer feel safe

One bad hygiene rating can destroy your restaurant. Have someone in-house in charge of hygiene or preferably hire an external hygiene specialist to independently review your restaurant regularly. Your hygiene rating should be no less than the top score. When you achieve this, be proud and promote your rating to make your customer feel safe.

There are lots of societies and clubs who organise events for their members every once in a while. Offer special packages for these non-profit organisations. Some of these members may become regular customers as a result of this event.

8. Contact your local newspapers

Local newspapers are looking for worthy news. Get some free coverage for your special events in the newspaper to reach thousands of people. This also provides great content to share on your social media channels.

9. Advertise in your local newspaper

The cost of advertising in the local paper can vary. The main point is to get people in your doors so you can retain them, so make this clear in your advertising. You want them to take action and choose you for their meal out this weekend. Be sure to include your booking number, address and links to your website to view your fantastic menu and pictures of your food.

10. Leaflet with every delivery

Leaflets or menu flyers is a great way to get people to order again. As we are now turning into an eat-out or order-for-delivery community, these leaflets are a great way to retain customers who are too busy or too lazy to cook or drive to your place.

11. Create a loyalty program

“Having a website is at the core of all your online presence and needs to be maintained in the same way you maintain the general ambience of your restaurant.”

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You can create a simple printed card with your restaurant branding to be stamped every time a customer eats at your place.

This earns them a free meal after a certain amount of visits. Handing these cards out could encourage people to come to your restaurant more regularly. There are also apps to help you create your own app loyalty program.

18. Set up social media accounts

Adding social media to your marketing mix can hugely increase awareness about your restaurant, generate motivated engagement with your food, and get you more customers in your door. Create accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google Plus, Snapchat, etc.

Even if you’re not planning on using them, it stops others taking your account names should you decide to use them in the future.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram also provide the opportunity to place cost-effective ads to build brand awareness and promote special events at your restaurant.

19. Refresh your menu

Even the most popular menus can seem a bit dull with time. You may need to constantly update your menu to keep customers interested in trying something new. Although this can be a successful practice it must be done with care. The last thing you want is to lose customers by removing dishes they love.

20. Dealing with ordering and payment quickly 12. Mark your calendar for festivals

15. After service survey

13. Sponsorship

16. Get your free business listing on Google

Food festivals flourish during holidays and summer breaks. Getting out from your restaurant and going to the streets is not only a great way to show your face and network across the community, but gives you the chance to showcase your food to different areas geographically. Depending on your budget, you can either buy catering equipment and have this as part of your long term strategy or rent out the equipment you need for the day.

The great thing about sponsorships is that it can drive customer trust and loyalty, and enhance brand awareness. It’s a great way to humanise your brand. Depending on your target market, you can sponsor sports teams, charitable entities or special events within your community. Approach organisations that have access to your target market in order to engage with the right type of customers for you.

14. Building a personal relationship

Personalisation is key to building customer loyalty. Using first or surnames as often as possible is the very best and easiest way to create a personalised experience. Gaining your customer’s name should be done as quickly as possible and then retained somewhere for reference. Train your staff to take this part of the service seriously. Your customer is not the one sitting at table X. Your customer is a person with a name.

Find out your strengths and weaknesses while the customer experience is still warm. Customers can provide you with great insight on how to improve based on their experience with other restaurants.

It also makes them feel that you have genuine interest in their opinion and leaves them with a great impression about your continued effort to improve your services.

Visibility is key in today’s restaurant industry. If people don’t know you exist, you’ll have a hard time getting them through the door. The growth of mobile and the continued popularity of dining sites/apps offer more opportunity than ever for customers to find you. Get your free business listing on Google My Business. This will build your visibility on Google Maps and Google Search in your local community.

17. Create or take ownership of your page on TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is one of the most popular websites for people searching where to eat so it’s important to be found and presented well on it. You can add your own professional photos to it to enhance your restaurant image. Encourage your customers to review your restaurant if you feel they like their meal.

Some of the biggest inconveniences about sit-down restaurants is all the wait times associated with them. This includes waiting for the food to be served or for the receipt and time needed for credit card processing.

Restaurants need to find ways to reduce wait times. Making pre-ordering or pre-paying more accessible is one way to cut waiting time. This allows the restaurant to serve the food on your time and have it ready for you when you arrive. This is particularly important for employees who find that so much of their lunch breaks get wasted due to the time required to order and pay bills.

Closing note

Marketing your restaurant needs to be an ongoing event. Focus on a handful of priorities or objectives at any given time.

Focus on identifying your top three tactics where your best customers come from today.

Measure your results and add two or more activities to explore new opportunities.

Based on your continuous surveys, identify new ways to improve your services and what you can do better.

Eman Bu-Rashid is a marketing strategist. She is a Duct Tape Marketing™ Certified Consultant based in Bahrain, the only certified consultant of this network in the region, and the founder of Keynotes Consultants and OnePointSix. She has a passion for helping entrepreneurs and SMEs, specializing in creating simple, effective marketing and business growth strategies. To get more tips and advice on marketing, send her an email eman@keynotesbh.com or visit her website: www.keynotesbh.com

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Strategic Transformations How to Manage Change in Your Business

By Khalid Al Qoud

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Change can be threatening and disruptive. It can also be very hard work because it usually involves adapting to a new environment, working practices or personal circumstances. There are some changes that most of us have been through – such as starting a new job, being retrained or moving to a new workplace. This shared experience of change is an ideal starting point for understanding how change can affect you and your employees – on both a personal and organisational level.

What is Change?

Major change can include mergers, redundancies, re-structuring or new working practices, while minor change can mean anything from the introduction of new training courses or company policies to new canteen facilities or travel arrangements. Change often alters our routine, challenges our perceptions and makes us reflect on how things are done. Change is usually characterised by a desire to improve things – whether it’s cash flow, products or processes.

Although every situation is unique, and every organisation is different, there are common elements to managing most change. } Plan for change – although some change comes out of the blue, it is better to have to review your plans than to have no plans at all. } Provide leadership – this is particularly important during times of uncertainty when employees will need reassurance.

} Keep up-to-date with the law – there is a great deal of legislation covering such things as handling redundancies.

 More opportunities for enrichment as professional marketers through training and education both inside and outside their companies.

How to adapt changes in business?

Five key questions are helpful in determining the likelihood that a major change will succeed or fail:

In order to be successful, organisations must be able to adapt to change. Even small changes experienced within an organisation can have a significant impact, so it is important to carefully consider various issues and act in a manner that best suits the organisation.

In broad terms, it may be helpful to think of the change process in four simple stages: } Identify and acknowledge the imminent change(s) } Assess the organisation’s current status and ability to make the change(s) } Prepare for the change(s) } Implement the change(s)

What are the key traits of businesses that adapt to change successfully?

While there are no distinct sets that can be discussed without making the mistake of stereotyping, there are distinct differences between companies that succeed in the face of change and those that don’t:  Higher satisfaction by the employees in the areas of rapport with their bosses and recognition at work.  A focus by companies during recruiting on specific skills related to the position, as well as an interest in bringing in an outside perspective.  Offering options like job sharing or part time roles as well as a greater variety of retention programs.  A particular emphasis on teamwork and diversity as factors driving advancement.

 How is the vision different, better and more compelling?  Are the leaders personally committed to the change?  Does the organisation have the capacity to make the change?  How ingrained is the current culture?  Will the change actually deliver the identified outcomes?

What Are Positive Impacts of Change in Business?

Staying Current Change can help a business stay current with industry trends, which can make it more attractive to potential customers as well as help maintain current customers. new OppOrtunitieS The ability to embrace change can help employees in a business by creating new opportunities. A worker who enthusiastically applies herself to learning the new office computer system can also train others who are more hesitant.

By assuming this leadership role, the employee may position herself as someone who is capable of assuming additional responsibilities, making her a possible candidate for future promotion. enCOurage innOvatiOn Businesses that are adept at handling or even embracing change can foster an environment that encourages innovation. Employees who feel that a manager will consider their ideas or may be more willing to think creatively, which can help a business grow. One good product or marketing idea can make a big difference in the success of a small business.

inCreaSed effiCienCy Change can increase the efficiency of work processes, which can make for more satisfied customers as well as employees. A new delivery process can increase the speed in which a customer receives merchandise.

Switching to a computerised payroll process may mean that a salesperson is paid his commissions sooner. imprOved attitudeS A philosophical or personnel change in an organisation can have a positive effect on employee attitudes and morale. Employees may welcome a change in human resources philosophy that allows for a more relaxed work environment, such as implementing a casual dress code. When a close-minded manager is replaced with one who is open to new ideas, employees may feel that they have more input regarding their job functions. managing ChangeS To manage change effectively you need to:

Communicate and Consult } Develop an internal communications strategy to put across your key messages } Talk to your internal and external customers directly through targeted communications } Involve everyone in making decisions through effective and timely consultation

Know your legal duties } Contracts of employment } Redundancies } Lay-offs } Flexible working

Demonstrate strong leadership } Creating a vision for the future } Linking individual and teams goals to organisational targets } Setting an example } Walking the floor and being seen } Creating an organisational culture based on openness and trust

Engage with employees } Get the best out of them in terms of performance } Cement their commitment to the organisation } Help line managers trigger positive discretionary behaviour

Use problem-solving techniques } Force field analysis } SWOT analysis } Cause and effect analysis } Brainstorming } Teambuilding Khalid Al Qoud is the founder and Chairman of Al Qoud Consultancy and Prince Events Management.

He is well trained in fostering professional relationships with various individuals at a local and international level, and has a deep understanding on how to approach them.

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Smarter

40

march 2017

Health

Medical Informatics:

A story to be told

By Professor Mukhtar AL-Hashimi

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complexity of medical delivery, medical error and enhanced the medical decision support. This has been done through structure information, business intelligence, or automated clinical alert and protocol aimed to enhance the clinical outcome while reducing the cost of healthcare.

implementation

oday information and telecommunication technologies have tremendously impacted every discipline of our daily lives. Reflecting on the state of healthcare over the last two decades, one can infer that the medical and healthcare sectors has been under pressure to meet their customer demand in an efficient and effective manner.

This has been done by adopting standards, and optimal clinical outcome with minimum cost.

These challenges have facilitated the adoption of medical computing and acceptance of computer application in healthcare and medicine since the 1990’s, resulting in the formulation of a new discipline known as “medical informatics.”

WHat iS it?

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) defines medical informatics as “the interdisciplinary study of the design, development, adoption and application of IT-based innovations in healthcare services delivery, management and planning.” Today, medical informatics has revolutionised every aspect of the healthcare process, leading to changes in the healthcare model from administrative, clinical functionalities, diagnostics, treatment, logistical and strategic planning, across the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare bodies while extending the accessibility of patient information and resources across different innovative technologies such as clinical stations, handheld devices, and smart phones apps.

Without doubt the advancement of medical informatics has reduced the administrative bottleneck. It has also minimised the

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Since the early 1990s, healthcare leaders in Bahrain have envisioned the value of a patient care information system. Leaders planned to introduce a comprehensive patient care information system in a leading hospital in the country, with the emphasis on the lessons learned from previous international experiences and medical informatics. The comprehensive medical information system, named the AL-Care System, was successfully implemented. Accordingly, the vision for the AL-Care System was outlined around three dimensions of a patient centric system: 1) all design will centre on the patient care process, 2) efficiency in every process and human interaction and 3) effectiveness in utilising resources. Importantly, the system should be economically feasible, integrate creative and innovative concepts, ideas, and technology that are applicable and timely for the users. Thus, the system’s success will inspire healthcare executives to adopt and recognise the importance of medical informatics for their healthcare setting.

Today’s healthcare system should be designed and built around patient needs in terms of clinical, administrative and financial aspects. In other words, the system should cover the activities chain involved across the healthcare sector’s internal and external boundaries. Once these needs have been met it would be possible to achieve the strategic objective of MIS. Generally the modules of MIS can be classified into clinical and non-clinical modules. The clinical modules focus on the core patient diagnostics and treatment activities designed to collect, store and manipulate data for the purpose of clinical assessment.

“Without doubt the advancement of medical informatics has reduced the administrative bottleneck.”

As for the patient, administrative and support modules are aimed at automating these activities that support the healthcare provider with logistics and inventory.

Another major group of modules are the patient billing and cost monitoring modules, along with the quality control modules.

At this point it is worth elaborating on a few of the clinical and non-clinical modules developed for the AL-Care system in order to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the MIS modules.  Patient Registration Module: The main objectives of the module are to add registration details of patients, to query registration details and to see the bed census. The Patient Registration Module is based on a unique patient identification number, which is assigned to each patient.

Using the Registration module, the healthcare authorities can understand the distribution of their patients, categories, last admission and discharge dates along with other essential information such as admitting doctor, last chief complaint and discharge diagnosis, based on the International classification of diseases (ICD).  Clinic Appointment Module: This module comprises the appointments for the medical staff, private practice, and medical support facilities such as Laboratory, Physiotherapy and Radiology. Each appointment is linked to the actual attendance of the patient on the specific appointment date. This feature enables the decision maker to planning manpower needs on the basis of patient load at a given time and period.

four components: 1) Subjective – the patient presents complaint and history, 2) Objective – the examination and other objective data, 3) Assessment – diagnosis or differential diagnosis, and 4) Plan – investigation and treatment. Physicians can enter the data either by typing the text, or using common templates designed to treat certain diseases, in addition to selecting the diagnosis code, visit outcome, and number of leave days. The system provides an auditing and monitoring tool for quality improvements, as well as an educational and research tool, and understanding the distribution of diseases.  Surgical Module: The Surgical module is a clinical based system where information regarding surgeries done in the hospital is easily attained. The main features of the module are surgery requests, add procedures and add disposables. Each and every surgical procedure for every patient is entered into the system. The system enables viewers to see the number of operations performed by doctor, by procedure, by department, and by cost.  Laboratory Results: All lab results are now available in the MIS system. Lab results are divided into Microbiology results, Hematology results, Serology results, and Biochemistry and Histopathology results.

All the lab machines are interfaced to AL-Care system and they send the results directly to the system, eliminating a lot of paper work and saving time.  Pharmacy system: The pharmacy module was developed by incorporating desirable changes in the old system. The pharmacist can enter each prescription in the system by entering the patient number. After that he can enter the drugs as per prescription. He can also select common dosage from the list provided. After finishing the entry, a label is printed for each medicine which contains the details about the patient, drug name, and instructions for the patient in both English and Arabic. This eliminates all manual jobs in the pharmacy in issuing drugs.

 Clinical Profile Module: This module is designed to give the health-care provider a quick snap-shot of the patient’s clinical status. It contains the following components for a given patient: clinical base parameters, allergy details, blood transfusions, drugs prescribed from different sources, family history details, existing disabilities, existing chronic diseases, surgery details and vaccination details. The clinical profile is the central clinical store for the health care provider in assessing the patient and family clinical status. The information from the clinical profile could be downloaded and stored on electronic chips, such as a Smart Card.  Doctor Station Module: The Doctor Station is a specially designed module to facilitate the clinical capabilities of doctors.

Through this module, a doctor can see all diagnostic documents related to one patient without logging to different modules.

Doctors can press any button such as Drugs, Surgery, Radiology, Lab results, etcetera to view the related documents for that patient. This module is highly useful in a clinical environment.

 Doctor Order Module: The Doctor Order module is intended to eliminate paper work at the wards and to reduce prescription errors. It facilitates the doctors’ diagnoses and prescriptions for patients. By the implementation of this module, doctors are not required to write prescriptions on a piece of paper. They can enter the prescriptions through a computer. The doctors are provided with current pricing and stock levels of drugs, substitutes for unavailable medications, and possible interactions. The module results in quicker turnaround times for medications and better quality patient care. Voice messages can be sent to WhatsApp or SMS messages for medication reminders. Automatic refills are provided according to physicianspecified refill instructions.  Physician Chart Module: The main aim of this module is to create clinical work stations, where a doctor views previous patient encounters for all clinics, leading to elimination of patient files, saving money and retrieval time. It is based on international problem-oriented medical records, called SOAP. SOAP is divided into

On a practical level, when implementing a medical information system in a healthcare organisation, it is important to ensure that the system planning revolves around at least three strategic dimensions: cost leadership, efficient services and effective services. This must be aligned to the strategic objectives of the organisation while recognising the potential value of each module. It is important not to ignore the challenges that could arise from the implementation of a MIS, which could be lack of leadership support and end-users’ resistance to change.

Finally, healthcare organisations should develop strategy to plan and implement a medical information system to ensure return on investment.

Professor Mukhtar Al-Hashimi Ahlia University, Bahrain Email malhashimi@ahlia. edu.bh Instagram “Prof_Mukhtar” Mobile +973- 39664117

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ExclusivE intErviEw with

Yara JamEEl salman, foundEr of hospitalia

bY Yara

taking bah r ai n’ s h e alth c are

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Cover Story

in dus try by storm march 2017

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beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

However, the multibillion dollar beauty industry is one that will never go out of fashion.

While people have tried to enhance their physical appearance through some external means since the dawn of civilisation, the use of sophisticated modern technology has made their endeavour increasingly more successful. Capitalising on the ever-growing market for beauty enhancement, Yara Jameel Salman has recently opened Bahrain’s first five-star clinic, Hospitalia By Yara. We talk to the passionate young entrepreneur about her entrepreneurial achievements so far, and her aspirations for the future.

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“i believe that in a now modernised society, Tell us a little bit about your educational and work background prior to starting your first business, Yara Beauty Lounge.

I completed my primary school education in the UK and then finished high school at St. Christopher’s School here in Bahrain. I went on to major in Public Relations and Marketing at the University College of Bahrain. At an early age, my father started to train my brother and me by involving us in the operations of one of his restaurants.

We were stationed at the food preparation and customer service areas where we were allowed to observe the very basic preparation of the restaurant’s products and their delivery to the customers. It was a form of discipline that I later realised was very useful when I was eventually entrusted with full involvement in the management of our family business.

Growing up, I was always interested in the health and beauty industry – the field has since remained a passion of mine.

What inspired your first foray into entrepreneurship?

My strong and positive attitude with an ambitious goal of owning my own business at a very young age had driven me to open my own beauty lounge. I believe that in a now-modernised society, women in the GCC are ready to embrace a new way of enhancing their beauty. As a beauty enthusiast, I was committed to becoming one of their top ambassadors in bringing them the most advanced beauty technology and techniques available. This unending goal of mine pushed me to establish a beauty lounge under my own personalised label.

women in the gcc are ready to embrace a new way of enhancing their beauty.�

What businesses are your other family members involved with?

Our family businesses involve a diversified range of interests. My father, Jameel Ali Salman is the Chairman of the JAS Group. Assets under the JAS Group include Burgerland and La Marine Seafood restaurants, Safa Poultry Farm CO. W.L.L., compounds and investments in Reef Island, and Yara Beauty Lounge.

The latest businesses established by our family are: Hospitalia by Yara, Farmacia

by Yara and MJ’S Bowling Lounge. These businesses started their operations almost simultaneously in the third quarter of 2016. All of the above companies are sole properties of the family and are directly managed by us. My mother Dr. Hala

Alsayeed, is a well-known consultant in paediatric dentistry who operates and manages her own dental centre.

How did you come up with the idea for Hospitalia by Yara, and how long has it been operational?

Hospitalia by Yara was brought about by the idea of a deeper scientific intervention and more advanced health and beauty solutions for both female and male clientele. The planning of Hospitalia by Yara took two years due to its size and capacity and the large investment put into it. The clinic is still at its soft opening stages as we are opening the different departments one at a time. The reason why this takes a lot of time is because every detail is being studied and researched

before being implemented. My concept is to bring something innovative and different to the Bahrain market. I feel that my target audience, in addition to the people of Bahrain, includes new patients from KSA and other parts of the GCC.

Hospitalia by Yara is the first medical centre of its kind in the country. What are some of the novel treatments you offer your customers?

Hospitalia by Yara offers a variety of new, unique services to our clientele. We are proud to say that we are the first yet only medical centre in the region to offer cryotherapy. The many benefits of cryotherapy include losing up to 800 calories in just one session, muscle recovery, collagen stimulation and more. march 2017

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“Passion, self-belief, and a Positive attitude are some of the most imPortant characteristics for a Person trying to climb uP the ladder of success.�

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luxurY meets medicine We offer two types of Cryotherapy: Cryo Body, a procedure wherein you step into a chamber consisting of pure liquid nitrogen at -120 degrees Celsius, and Cryo Facial, a process that helps reduce pores, decreases wrinkles on your face and gives your skin an instant glow. We are also the first entity in the private sector to introduce hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This is an advanced medical treatment that uses pressurised oxygen to aid in treating specific medical conditions or illnesses. The patient is placed inside a comfortable, pressured chamber that circulates 100% pure oxygen at three times the rate of standard atmospheric pressure.

Benefits include post-surgery healing, sports injuries, and improvement to the immune system. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy also increases stem cell production in the body.

It also has lots of anti-ageing properties.

Dermatology/cosmetic dermatology plays a huge role in Hospitalia by Yara. We have our Italian specialist who administers procedures such as botox, fillers, PRP, threads and very new facial techniques such as the Italian Defined Jawline to help beautify facial features. In the upcoming months, we will also be introducing plastic surgery and dentistry services. For plastic surgery, we will be doing the latest and most advanced procedures such as fat transfer and the ‘Brazilian Bum Lift’ also known as ‘Bum fillers’. This will be performed under a local anaesthesia, and the patients will be back on their feet within a day.

What special licenses or approvals do you have to obtain for Hospitalia by Yara, before you are officially allowed to start treating patients?

Obviously before opening, we will ensure that we obtain all relevant permits from the government. To me this is very important, as this specific business model exclusively concerns human health. As a result the permits required are not easy to obtain and involve quite a lot of paper work.

Who designed the interiors of the clinic?

The interiors of Hospitalia were visualised by myself. I wanted the entire vibe or feeling to be that of walking into a five-star hotel. For the ceilings, we had people fly in from Germany to set it up. Our breathtaking architecture is done by Argentinean designer Felipe Yofre who worked with German consultants that specialise in the medical field – perfection meeting practicality! I travelled around Europe and attended a number of medical exhibitions and seminars in order to gain inspiration and ideas. The furniture has all been customised and flown in from Italy. It took approximately nine months. Complimentary beverages, valet parking and concierge services are just a few of the five-star qualities that you can expect to receive. Under the supervision of my father, the picture of my nature-inspired Hospitalia has been implemented.

A look at Yara’s business interests today

YARA BEAUTY LOUNGE Yara Beauty Lounge represents Yara’s first entrepreneurial venture.

HOSPITALIA BY YARA Bahrain’s first five-star medical centre makes quite the impression.

FARMACIA BY YARA The Middle East’s first robotic pharmacy, under the umbrella of Hospitalia By Yara.

How did you find and select appropriate staff for Hospitalia?

Recruitment has not been easy – this has probably been my most challenging task to date. All our doctors are highly qualified specialists with a vast medical background.

This is in keeping with our concept of hiring only the very best doctors in the world. Why settle for anything less? We aim to make Hospitalia one of the top medical centres not only in Bahrain but in the Middle East as well.

You also have a robotic pharmacy, Farmacia by Yara.

How exactly does it work?

The robotic pharmacy in Farmacia by Yara is the first of its kind in the Middle East.

This was manufactured in Germany and blends in with our influences from Europe.

This advancement in technology provides you with a futuristic service and makes that trip to the pharmacy all the more aesthetically pleasing, especially for your children visiting the robot!

What, in your opinion, are some of the most important traits of a successful entrepreneur?

Passion, self-belief, and a positive attitude are some of the most important characteristics for a person trying to climb up the ladder of success. I also believe that being truthful is an important trait to success. Honesty is a strong foundation in building trust in the business world as trust is how one gains reputation within the business community. These traits have been passed on to me by my father.

You currently run two enterprises simultaneously: Hospitalia by Yara and Yara Beauty Lounge.

How do you divide your time between the two operations?

Effective time management, coupled with the mentorship of my father, have been essential to managing both operations successfully. I am also supported by a strong and well-trained team that makes the operation of both businesses easier to handle and monitor. I am a very hands-on person and always see to it that everything comes into place, with work being implemented as planned. I strongly believe in team work. It may be challenging, but I always see to it that I am capable of managing both in a very responsible way.

What are the main methods of marketing you employ for your businesses?

Marketing our business is one of our top priorities, considering the strong competition in the industry. We have continuous marketing strategies in different venues that are managed by our own marketing department. I am very much involved in this part of the organisation as it’s not only the field that I have majored in but is something I’m very interested in. With Hospitalia by Yara, it’s all about luxury meeting medicine, with a touch of Western influences.

Outside of work, what are some of your main hobbies and interests?

I love dogs; in fact I have a ‘Chow Chow’ named Leo who is my loyal companion.

With my hectic schedule, I do my best to find a way to regularly visit the gym and spa to relax daily. I enjoy jogging by the beach and releasing all of my tension and stress that tend to build up during the day.

What advice would you give to any aspiring young entrepreneurs out there hoping to start a business of their own someday?

My advice would be to maintain a positive attitude, strong willpower and belief in yourself that you are capable of turning your dreams into reality. Having the interest without the right amount of willpower or type of attitude will not help. Taking responsibility and being ready to face the challenges along the process is also a crucial ingredient to success.

What are some of your future business plans?

At the moment I would like to concentrate on firmly establishing Hospitalia by Yara.

However, I do have some projects in mind for the future, which I will reveal as soon as the time is right!

To find out more about Hospitalia By Yara, visit their website www.hospitaliabyyara.com or follow on Instagram and Facebook @hospitaliabyyara

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How to Talk the Talk Tips for Effective Workplace Communication

By Mike OrlOv

Becoming a skilful communicator is rarely taught. Ask most people what the key is to a healthy relationship and their answer will almost certainly be ‘communication’. Nothing hurts a company more than the disconnect between seniors and their subordinates. From our earliest days we learn to focus on enunciation, vocabulary, presence, delivery, grammar, syntax – or at least we ought to be focused on these at school. But it is the more subtle elements of communication which are rarely taught in the classroom. And it is vital for all of us to spend time learning how to communicate with others.

1. Be AwAre of Your SurroundingS

Most of us spend the overwhelming majority of our time in some type of an interpersonal situation. We all know most organisational problems occur as a result of poor communications. It is precisely this paradox that underscores the need for us all, whether we are owners of an enterprise, a member of the C Suite, a director, senior manager, supervisor or a grunt, to focus on becoming much better at communicating. Effective communication is an essential component of professional success whether it is at the interpersonal, intra-group, inter-group, enterprise or external level.

Successful communicators have a heightened sense of situational and contextual awareness. The best communicators are great listeners and astute in their observations; they are skilled at reading a situation, sensing the moods, dynamics, attitudes, values and concerns of those around them.

Not only do these people read their environment well, they also possess the ability to adapt their messaging to different environments, matching contextual factors to the situation, without missing a breath.

Effective communication is a key tool to achieving enterprise-success.

Communication between management and employees is the foundation of a positive, healthy and productive enterprise culture.

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Communicating the message is not only about the messenger; it has to do with the messenger but it is also much more about meeting the needs and the expectations of others. Meeting the needs and expectations of others means you need to ensure you: respect your people; are honest and exhibit integrity; and you listen well.

“So often poor communication in enterprises comes down to the wrong message being shared with the wrong people at the wrong time.”

2. don’T Be AfrAid To over-CommuniCATe

Often it is as simple as saying, ‘please’ or ‘excuse me’ and definitely ‘thank you’. Courtesy is as important as being consistent and believable.

Be clear about what you want to communicate and check-back ensuring others understand the message; communication with verification is vital. If you think you are ‘over-communicating’ – don’t worry because the harm of undercommunicating is usually much greater than the harm of over-communicating.

When preparing for any communication ensure you have accurate and complete information. Ensure you communicate in a timely matter; there’s nothing worse than people finding out bad news (or indeed good news) from social media, their coffee breaks or by the water-cooler rather than hearing it from you. And make sure you are communicating with all the right people. So often poor communication in enterprises comes down to the wrong message being shared with the wrong people at the wrong time.

You need to know what your employees are thinking and feeling in order to address their concerns. These people are closest to day-to-day operations and have much understanding and knowledge which will give you great insights for making decisions. So often we think we know what other people know.

But we assume things. The likelihood of knowing is actually pretty small.

The more perceptively and harder you listen, the more probing your questions will be and the higher the likelihood of solving issues.

In the first instance employees will almost certainly be hesitant to talk to you because they do not know if their conversation might get them in trouble or just be a waste of time – not triggering an effect-result. You need to act, address the situations discussed with your employees and reward your employees when they give you their much-needed input.

3. LeAve Your door open

Being able to talk to the boss sets the tone for feeling confident and secure in talking to fellow employees as well; the more team members who collaborate with each other ensures teams will become stronger. No matter what, always keep an open-door policy with your employees. Make them feel like they can come to you to discuss anything. This also opens the floor for them to be honest with you about things they are happy or excited about without you having to draw the information out of them.

Employees who are experiencing their issues being addressed, and their concerns being heard, will be much more likely to continue to be part of the fabric of the enterprise and will certainly put in extra work to turn negative situations around. They will also be more patient and accepting of constructive criticism.

Be a generative and reflective listener and try hard to communicate face to

face. Phone calls are more personal than emails if you are really pushed for time or distance is a problem. Emails are a great way to schedule a time to talk, and also easily keep a record of the issues at hand, as well as a timeline of when and how they are addressed. Most importantly, just keep listening and act on what you hear.

Mike Orlov Partner, SteppingStone Global Before joining ‘SteppingStone Global’, Mike has spent 35 years in industry, publishing magazines at Haymarket, Turret and Reed Elsevier, working in newspapers and on digital channels in the UK and the GCC, having been a director at Northern and Shell and on the board of the London Evening Standard. Launching media brands in Dubai for ENG, Mike was also Chief Performance Officer for News Group International, before taking the Chief Executive role at Primedia International, with offices across the GCC and headquartered in Bahrain. Mike has completed an executive MBA, achieving a distinction.

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REVIEW

Hospitalia BY

Yara Where Medical Meets luxury

Located in Budaiya, Hospitalia By Yara is young Yara Jameel Salman’s latest business venture. Following on from the success of her first effort, Yara Beauty Lounge, this five-star medical centre offers its customers a range of novel treatments. We take a closer look at the cutting-edge technology and design that make the clinic so unique. Hospitalia by Yara has some of the best doctors in the world treating its patients, bringing with them the professionalism and experience that so many of us seek elsewhere.

Interiors

As soon as you walk into the clinic you are blown away by the shiny, modern-looking architecture juxtaposed with the natural beauty of the plant life (flown in all the way from Italy!) that adorns the walls. The interiors were designed by Argentinean designer Felipe Yofre who worked in collaboration with German consultants that specialise in the medical field.

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 



 

1. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a well-established treatment for decompression of sickness. It involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber. Other conditions treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy include people with diabetes, autism, bubbles of air in blood vessels, TBI, sport injury, after plastic or any surgery for wound healing. It helps fight bacteria and stimulate the release of substances called growth factors and stem cells, which also promote healing.

2. Cryotherapy

Cryotherapy is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy. Hospitalia offers two types of the treatment: Cryo Body, a procedure wherein you step into a chamber consisting of pure liquid Nitrogen at -120 degrees Celsius, and Cryo Facial, a process that helps reduce pores, decreases wrinkles on your face.

Hospialia By Yara is the first and only medical centre to offer cryotherapy in the region.

dental equipment used is produced by German manufacturer and supplier KaVo, often considered to be the ‘Rolls Royce’ of dental product suppliers.

4. Dermatology

Under the expert supervision of their Italian specialist, patients can opt for procedures such as botox, fillers, PRP, threads, tattoo removals and very new facial techniques such as the Italian Defined Jawline to help beautify facial features. At Hospitalia, the entire department

is facilitated by their senior specialist in dermatology, the Italian Dr. Marco Morello.

5. Farmacia

Hospitalia by Yara also boasts the first robotic pharmacy in the Middle East - Farmacia by Yara.

The robot is manufactured in Germany and can easily select the correct prescription from a large stock at the simple push of a button.

Follow @hospitaliabyyara on Instagram for the latest updates

‘The IVY’ Restaurant

An adjoining restaurant ‘The IVY’; serves premium roasted Musetti Coffee and premium Tea Leaf blends, alongside an eclectic mix of modern day European food that just oozes perfection with every bite.

3. Dental

With world-class dentists and equipment, patients can achieve the picture perfect Hollywood smile they deserve. All of the march 2017

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Basic Principle

The Leadership Mindset Understanding the Ladder of Inference Dr. Clare BeCkett-MCInroy

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The Ladder of Inference was proposed as a tool for trying to ensure decisions are based on hard reality and facts rather than wrong conclusions or assumptions, its understanding can empower and enable leaders to reduce potentially very damaging business relationships.

This was back in the 1970s. The Ladder of Inference describes many moves through a series of mental steps, often very rapidly, to come to a conclusion, based on ‘data’ received.

This data can be visual, kinaesthetic, auditory or something you have read. If you’ve ever been accused of, or suspected anyone else of, putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5 – then applying the principles behind the Ladder of Inference will be beneficial to you.

It’s not always easy in the modern business environment to slow down and take the time to really think about the reasoning behind decisions.

However, the more that decisions can be made based on what’s real rather than what’s perceived, the easier it will be to ensure a business is operating at peak efficiency. Different points of view within a business can be healthy. Challenging reasoning can help move departments and businesses in new and sometimes unexpected directions, as long as those different points of view are not divisive and are based on the true facts and not prior assumptions. The former can, unfortunately, lead to conflict because of wrong conclusions being drawn.

On a more human level it can lead to hurt, blame and anger which in turn can mean a breakdown or deterioration in a relationship, which again can be damaging to a business.

This can be due to the person who is using assumptions to quickly draw the wrong conclusions that in turn can affect the person from whom the data was received, who is confused because nothing detrimental was ever intended.

They may not realise that only part of the data has been accessed, or the data has been misinterpreted – they only see the resultant action, and in turn, may make assumptions.

Prior beliefs and knowledge can very quickly feed the decision progress and speed up the drawing of conclusions rather than acting as a ‘check’ to stop and make you think whether other interpretations are possible.

Looking at the pictorial representation of this below you can see how easy it is to get trapped in a vicious circle. We can end up ignoring true facts completely. Our beliefs have a big effect on how we select from reality, and can lead us to ignore the true facts altogether. Soon we are literally jumping to conclusions – by missing facts and skipping steps in the reasoning process.

“If decisionmaking is not transparent can lead to collusion based on misinterpretation and prior assumptions.” ground can be found, energy injected and a way forward devised. Embedding this way of thinking into team practice will lead to healthier relationships.

Taking it to the other extreme, if decision-making is not transparent can lead to collusion based on misinterpretation and prior assumptions, which can be very energy-draining in a place of work.

Examples of Practical Uses Ladder of Inference

How to avoid, and help others to avoid, climbing the ladder

It is human nature to use inference based on past experiences, it’s how you learn!

The key here is to do it in a way in which you ensure you have all data available before you rationally apply prior knowledge and draw better conclusions. You can also use the ladder to challenge others’ conclusions in a non-threatening way, so avoiding unnecessary mistakes and conflict.  Become a more reflective

practitioner – be more aware of how you think and make decisions. Deep-seated beliefs need to be looked at as they can become so ingrained you see them as facts, and their veracity is never questioned. Slowing yourself down to fully consider the facts before making a decision is not a bad thing to do.

 Clarify your actions so that

others understand your thought processes without having to fill in the gaps in your reasoning, which can lead to the wrong information being used as filler.  If you perceive a lack of clarity in

data received, do not hesitate to ask questions which will explain what the reasoning was, and therefore allow you to make an appropriate response. Good questioning, which allows for the gathering of quality information, is a skill in itself.

A team leader who inherits the people they are responsible for may form assumptions very quickly based on the dynamics they can see. They may have been briefed by the previous team leader on the personnel in their team – this again may be based on limited data. Considering the Ladder of Inference could ensure these biases are not perpetuated and help build more positive relationships. Within the team, training could be given to make all members more self-aware and reduce bias.

Ask a question like “Do I know

this to be true?” – you may be surprised to find how many of your decisions are based on past experiences and beliefs rather than facts and data.

If you are a mentor within a department you may find it a useful tool to use with your mentee when looking at building stronger relationships and trying to set targets which are based on where they are actually at, rather than their perception of where they are at.

It is very common to make assumptions in our relationships with family and friend. The principles behind the Ladder of Inference apply just as much here. To conclude, how many times can you think of where you’ve come to the wrong conclusions and then acted hastily, when in fact if you’d slowed down, and taken steps to avoid climbing the ladder you could have avoided awkward and stressful situations?

Ensuring you have all the facts and asking pertinent questions (to yourself and your teams) to clarify where necessary, will lead to actions that are positive and appropriate.

Dr. Clare BeckettMcInroy is a Researcher on Arab Women, Education and Employability as well as HRD and Leadership globally. She is CEO of BMC, Author of ‘Networking Know How’ and other books as well as a Certified Master Executive, Team and Leadership Coach. Visit www.beckett-mcinroy. com for further details.

The key here is to start a dialogue before you find yourself jumping to conclusions. There is absolutely no need to say to your colleague, I think we are moving up ‘The Ladder of Inference’. You are not trying to blame anyone for jumping to wrong conclusions, you are aiming for complete transparency, where thinking processes are obvious, common

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1. Using the microbiome to prevent, diagnose and treat disease Microbes in our bodies – and the chemicals they emit – interfere with the way food is digested, medicine is deployed and even how a disease progresses. Biotech companies once focused on the genomic market are pivoting to the potential of the microbiome to develop new diagnostics, new therapies and “probiotic” products to prevent dangerous microbe imbalances. Experts believe 2017 is the year the microbiome becomes the healthcare industry’s most promising and lucrative frontier.

The FuTure oF Medicine Top 8 Medical Innovations for 2017 The more technological our world becomes, the more options we have when it comes to our health. Many of these breakthroughs we have today weren’t available 10, 5, or even two years ago. Scientists, researchers, and doctors are working every day to find new ways to treat different diseases and conditions. Some of the newest breakthroughs will improve your life, some will change your life, and there are some breakthroughs that will save your life. By the end of 2017, the face of medicine will have changed.

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2. Diabetes drugs that reduce cardiovascular disease and death

3. Cellular immunotherapy to treat leukemia and lymphomas

Half of patients with Type 2 diabetes will die from complications of cardiovascular disease.

On their 65th birthdays, the odds go up to 70 percent. In 2016, two new medications began reducing the mortality rates considerably.

Empagliflozin modifies the progression of heart disease by working with the kidney while liraglutide has a comprehensive effect on many organs. Given these positive results, experts predict 2017 will mark a complete shift in the lineup of medicines prescribed for diabetes patients – as well as a wave of research into new avenues targeting Type 2 diabetes and its comorbidities.

One of the first cellular immunotherapies for leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphomas is about to hit the market.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies are a type of immunotherapy where a patient’s immune system T-cells are removed and genetically reprogrammed to seek and destroy tumor cells.

Results have been impressive. Some studies focusing on acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have reported a remission rate of 90 percent. Cellular immunotherapy could one day replace chemotherapy and its lifetime of side effects.

favorable. Studies indicated that 70 percent of patients with treatment-resistant depression saw an improvement in symptoms within 24 hours of receiving ketamine. For the first time, there was a fast treatment for the severely depressed.

7. 3-D visualisation and augmented reality for surgery

4. Liquid biopsies to find circulating tumor DNA

5. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources

Tests known as “liquid biopsies” uncover signs of actual DNA, or cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), which is shed from a tumor into the bloodstream.

This ctDNA is more than 100 times more abundant in the blood than tumor cells.

While studies are still underway, annual sales of this revolutionary cancer test are forecast to be $10 billion. Several companies are developing testing kits to hit the market this year. Experts believe it’s only a matter of time before catching and treating cancer is as routine as an annual checkup.

It has become increasingly difficult to safely and efficiently share patient data between healthcare providers. In-house information technology (IT) systems have become so diverse, that it’s hard for them to communicate with each other. A new tool called FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), will act as an interpreter between two healthcare systems or offices. The first release will focus on clinical data, like images and medications, while the second will focus on administrative data, like billing and demographics.

FHIR blazes the way for a surge of life-saving health information technology.

6. Ketamine for treatmentresistant depression For one-third of U.S. patients with depression, standard medications aren’t enough. With nearly 43,000 suicides a year, the need for effective treatment looms large.

In 2013, ketamine, a drug commonly used for anesthesia, was studied for its ability to target and inhibit the action of N-methylD-aspartate (NMDA) receptors of nerve cells. The results were overwhelmingly

Surgeons rely on microscope oculars or other camera systems to operate. However, they typically depend on their own eyes and interpretations to execute the most precise tasks – with their heads down, peripheral vision limited, and back and neck muscles strained. This past year, two of the most intricate surgical fields, neurosurgery and retinal microsurgery, began experimenting with technology that keeps surgeons’ heads up while immersing them in a high-resolution, 3-D visual representation of their subject. These stereoscopic systems also use data to generate visual templates for surgeons to execute certain tasks. Those who have piloted the technology say the added comfort and visual information will allow surgeons to operate more efficiently and effectively. Several hospitals will be adopting these virtual reality tools in 2017.

8. Bioabsorbable stents Every year, 600,000 people have metal coronary stents put into their chests to treat coronary artery blockage. Most of the time, that stent stays there forever, long after its mission is complete. The stents can make some scans and future surgeries difficult and may cause other complications, like blood clots. But what if they could just disappear?

Last year, the first bioabsorbable stent was approved in the United States. Made of a naturally dissolving polymer, the stent widens the clogged artery for two years before it is absorbed into the body in a manner similar to dissolvable sutures. Experts believe the market potential of bioabsorbable stents will approach $2 billion within six years.

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Tired of Convention?

8 AlternAtive

therApies explAined Few people might think to call a balneotherapist when their face breaks out or a reflexologist when asthma flares.

But no matter how weird they might seem, alternative medical practices are gaining traction worldwide. So we’ve put together a guide to some of the most popular alternative physical therapies working their way into the mainstream.

2. Acupressure

Acupressure is similar in practice to acupuncture, only no needles are involved. Practitioners use their hands, elbows, or feet to apply pressure to specific points along the body’s “meridians.”

According to the theory behind acupressure, meridians are channels that carry life energy (qi or ch’i) throughout the body.

More research is needed, but pilot studies have found positive results: Acupressure might decrease nausea for chemotherapy patients and reduce anxiety in people scheduled to have surgery.

3. AromAtherApy

Aromatherapy uses essential oils (concentrated extracts from the roots, leaves, seeds, or blossoms of plants) to promote healing. The oils can be inhaled, massaged into the skin or (in rare cases) taken by mouth. Studies suggest aromatherapy might reduce pain, depression, and anxiety, but more research is needed to fully determine its uses and benefits.

1. Acupuncture

Though “acupuncture” may immediately bring needles to mind, the term actually describes an array of procedures that stimulate specific points on the body. The best-known variety consists of penetrating the skin with thin needles controlled by a practitioner or electrical stimulation, and it’s currently used by millions of Americans each year. Some studies find it helpful for chronic pain and depression, but evidence on all counts is mixed.

4. Ayurvedic medicine

Also known as Ayurveda, Ayurvedic medicine originated in India and has been around for thousands of years. Practitioners use a variety of techniques, including herbs, massage, and specialised diets, with the intent of balancing the body, mind, and spirit to promote overall wellness. Studies of Ayurveda are few and far between (perhaps because the practice includes such a wide variety of treatments), so it’s difficult to determine how effective it is as a treatment system.

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7. chiroprActic

Chiropractic is pretty widely accepted in the medical community, and thus qualifies more as a “complementary” medicine than an alternative one. The practice focuses on disorders of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, including pain in the back, neck, joints, arms, legs, and head.

The most common procedure performed by chiropractors is “spinal manipulation” (aka an “adjustment”), which involves applying controlled force (typically the chiropractor’s hands) to joints that have become “hypomobile.” Chiropractic adjustments of the affected area are intended to restore mobility and loosen the muscles, allowing the tissues to heal and the pain to resolve. Studies of chiropractic generally affirm its efficacy, with research suggesting the practice can decrease pain and improve physical functioning.

5. BAlneotherApy

Also known as hydrotherapy, balneotherapy involves the use of water for therapeutic purposes, and it dates as far back as 1700 B.C.E. It’s based on the idea that water benefits the skin and might treat a range of conditions from acne to pain, swelling, and anxiety; practitioners use mudpacks, douches, and wraps in attempts to reap agua’s rewards.

8. homeopAthy

Homeopathy functions in much the same way as a vaccine: It’s based on the principle of treating “like with like,” meaning a substance that causes adverse reactions when taken in large doses can be used to treat those same symptoms.

Homeopaths gather extensive background information on patients before prescribing a highly diluted substance, usually in liquid or tablet form, to jumpstart the body’s natural systems of healing. There’s some clinical evidence that homeopathy is more effective than placebos, though more research is needed to determine its efficacy.

6. BiofeedBAck

Biofeedback techniques allow people to control bodily processes that normally happen involuntarily – such as heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and skin temperature – in order to improve conditions including high blood pressure, headaches, and chronic pain. Patients work with a biofeedback therapist to learn these relaxation techniques and mental exercises. In initial sessions, electrodes are attached to the skin to measure bodily states, but eventually the techniques can be practiced without a therapist or equipment. Researchers still aren’t sure how or why biofeedback works – but a lot of research suggests it does work. march 2017

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Soft Skills, Hard Results

The Power of Emotional Intelligence In The Workplace

By Neil Fogarty

E

motional Intelligence is an interesting aspect of our makeup – our DNA can be fixed in certain areas but has the ability to flex and grow in others. Whilst it is accepted that emotional intelligence affects how we manage behaviour, navigate social complexities, and make personal decisions to achieve positive results, it is still intangible. As with any (relatively) new concept, it takes time to gather compelling information to introduce into any business – the theory and application of emotional intelligence is reaching a maturity that allows for this.

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Where EQ ‘fits’ in the Heads of Leaders

PQ (Personality Type & Trait) – an individual’s type is inborn and does not change whereas they can develop traits and habits that can differ or even directly contradict the description of their type. Type is fixed whilst Trait can change.

IQ (Intelligence Quotient) – your

IQ score may change not because of an improvement in your general intelligence but due to different tests measuring

“Emotional Intelligence isn’t just an individual competence: most organisations work in teams and the team dynamic can drive the success of the enterprise.”

Workplace Emotional Intelligence

Our Corporate Practice concentrates on applied psychology – using psychology methods and approaches to address issues facing organisations in times of change (whether this is growth or retrenchment).

At the end of it all, organisations are made up of people and, whilst leadership development can be done either on a closed, individual basis or in a small cohort, team emotional intelligence is a different matter. Emotional Intelligence isn’t just an individual competence: most organisations work in teams and the team dynamic can drive the success of the enterprise. Working with the emotional intelligence of the select (chosen) few e.g. the leadership / SLT is a great place to start but this should be just that: a start.

It’s generally accepted that successful teamwork makes for a successful organisation and there are some ‘hard’ skills deployed by management (people management, processes, systems) but the assumption that a good process drives a great team member is flawed. Yet how much is spent on business process improvement and collaborative IT systems when the key asset (people) is left unattended?

One Size Does NOT Fit All

different mixtures of abilities. This can vary but is broadly fixed.

TQ (Technical Knowledge) – sometimes reflects theoretical knowledge, if this knowledge directly informs technical skills.

This can refer to understanding the specific technicalities of a job function or industry sector. This can be developed.

EQ (Emotional Intelligence) – is the

capacity to be aware of, control, and express your emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

This can be continually developed.

Strong processes and integrated IT may be fit-for-purpose in 2017 but what about in 2020 when the workforce has churned, new people have joined and your market/ sector has shifted?

There are a number of factors that create a sense of cohesion: trust, identity and success – people want to work in a productive team that is recognised and without rancour.

If you are interested in developing your team emotional intelligence, consider the following:  Work with people who want to improve more than those you think should improve;  Allow time for Reflective Thinking so that your people can think through a situation/opportunity before acting;

 Encourage people to tell you what their strengths and weaknesses are rather than you tell them;  Be clear about what is on your mind – if you are anxious, worried, frustrated, excited… use the right labels so that everyone understands the situation;  Be (genuinely) interested in the people around you – care about the people around you;  Be open-minded and approachable as this opens up discussions and allows for honesty which helps to reduce stress, burnout, and even depression;  Give something spontaneously, without expecting anything in return – this creates powerful impressions;  Deal with negativity – don’t be ‘above it’;  Remember that leadership capabilities can positively influence the culture;  Don’t hold grudges;  Recognise your mistakes but accept that they are now in the past to be referred to but not dwelt upon; and  Don’t have ‘perfection’ as a target as, in such a fast-moving world, perfection today is imperfection tomorrow.

Leadership Capability and Team Cohesiveness are crucial elements in 2017, and this is a time to reflect on how ‘healthy’ your organisation is. If you are a leader committed to your organisation’s health, then consider using 360-degree assessments of individual and team emotional intelligence as a foundation to the next step in your enterprise’s journey.

Neil Fogarty is a business writer, international speaker and advisor with clients in Europe, GCC, Africa and The Americas. As Managing Director of business psychology company, The Warwickshire Partnership, he works with government and private sector leaders in organizational health, corporate entrepreneurship (intrapreneurs), leadership psychology and business excellence.

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You’ve

Got

Mail!

3 Fundamentals of a Cold Email That Work

By Avery King

There’s no one-size-fits-all template for a successful cold email. But, unless you’re a spammer, that’s no excuse for careless email writing. Simply adding a strong call to action isn’t always enough to elicit a response, either. If you want your email to stand out from the multitude of others that your prospective customers receive every week, you’ll need to master three fundamentals of a cold email that gets opened and responded to. Let’s start from the top and work our way down.

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First things First: Get Your email opened

Think of the subject line as 50% of the success of your entire email. If you can get your recipient to click through and start reading, you’re well on your way to getting a response.

To illustrate what makes a good subject line, let’s first take a look at some bad ones.

The following specimens were harvested from the bowels of my spam folder.

(A couple of these actually escaped the spam filter—and

then went straight to the trash unopened.)  Consultation  Top Search Rankings  Increase Sales This Year  Once in a life time offer  Hi  And my favourite …

“Why my Grandpa carries a gun.” (I couldn’t resist clicking on this one, to the spammer’s credit.)

These subject lines are clearly spam: They’re vague, they’re impersonal, and at least two of them contain spam trigger words.

To that end, there are three things you can do to make sure your emails get opened:

1. Add a personal touch.

Work in your prospect’s name or company, or a mutual connection; for example, “Lisa from XYZ Company suggested we talk.” You could also reference something they recently worked on, such as a podcast episode.

2. Be specific. A little bit of intrigue can encourage more clicks, but you don’t want to be so vague that your prospect has no inkling of the email’s purpose. A subject like “Hey, look at this …” might work for your email subscribers, but coming from a complete stranger it sounds kind of spammy.

Something like “Double XYZ Company’s traffic in a month” or even “We doubled [insert competitor]’s traffic in a month” is much more compelling.

3. Choose your words carefully.

While some spam trigger keywords seem innocuous enough, they’ll land your emails in the junk faster than you can say payday loans.

Make a Personal Connection

While a personalised subject line goes a long way in grabbing

your prospect’s attention, personalised body copy sends an even stronger signal that you’re genuinely interested in making a connection. The easiest way to do this is to address your recipient by name, but avoid doing it so many times that it feels unnatural, gimmicky, or downright weird.

If you’ve done your research beforehand, you should be able to find a stronger point of connection. With a bit of Googling, you can usually learn a lot about your prospective client before they even become aware of your existence. From there you could comment on a company press release or a blog post they recently worked on.

Sometimes, though, it’s a bit tougher to find a point of connection. In this case, it’s still possible to personalise your email by mentioning how you discovered your target client;

“Social proof is a powerful thing.

Nothing works better than some relevant data to make a prospective client sit up and take notice.”

for instance, “I came across your new podcast on Twitter.” This will be enough to reassure your recipient that the email is, in fact, a personal email and not just part of an email blast.

offer Proof

Social proof is a powerful thing.

Nothing works better than some relevant data to make a prospective client sit up and take notice. Examples of data:  Industry statistics  Sales volume  Analytics data  Client testimonials But what if you recently launched a new product or service and you don’t have enough quantitative data to go by? In this case, use concrete examples that highlight the relevancy of your product, service, or clientele.

As an example, I worked on a newsletter several months back where I wanted to offer subscribers exclusive deals on products they were interested in. To do this, I reached out via cold email to a number of manufacturers. The site was in its infancy and I didn’t have any numbers to brag about.

Instead, I highlighted the quality of my subscribers:

My subscriber base is highly interested in [company’s product name], since they subscribe to receive a free guide about [products the company is selling].”

This indicated to my prospects that the traffic I wanted to send them was likely to be very high quality, as opposed to generic leads.

Needless to say, it got their attention.

Perfecting Your Cold emails

If you include these core elements in your emails—a strong subject line, personalisation, and quantitative (or qualitative) data—then you’re well on your way to a successful cold email.

But don’t stop there. If you send a large volume of cold emails, you can greatly increase your conversions by testing different subject lines and body copy and then tracking your results.

Avery King is a freelance writer specialising in entrepreneurship and digital marketing strategies for small business. Her work for clients has been published on Forbes. com, Inc.com, Fox Business, The Chicago Tribune, The Globe and Mail, and The Huffington Post.

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Interview

Omar FahOum

Capital

Talk

With the CEO of Deloitte Middle East Welcome to our first in a neW series of intervieWs straight from the kingdom’s no. 1 business address — the capital club. every month, big Will be speaking to one of this exclusive club’s members and sharing their success story With our readers. this month We have a chat With omar fahoum, chief executive officer of deloitte middle east.

Could you give us a brief overview of your educational and work background?

I graduated in 1980 from the University of Texas at Austin and have worked in the professional services industry ever since. I began my career in the USA as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with what was then Arthur Andersen. Later moved back to the Middle East and ran my own practice until it was integrated with Deloitte in the late 1980s. In 2001, I was elected CEO of Deloitte’s Middle East operations, which covers 15 countries. I chose to live in Bahrain due to its overall conducive environment and close proximity to Saudi Arabia, which is one of our biggest markets, as well as its quality of life, which I consider to be one of the best in the region.

When you took over on the first day as CEO of Deloitte Middle East, did you set yourself a goal?

Taking up the role of CEO seemed quite a daunting task that I was quite apprehensive about initially. I set

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myself multiple goals, which all revolved around one over-arching objective of transforming the business into a truly regional player. Concurrently, I wanted to take the firm in a direction that was uniquely Deloitte and would define us as a truly client-oriented business.

Another major objective was to diversify the range of our services. A number of the services we offer today did not actually exist in 2001, such as our risk advisory and valuation services. This was a result of planning but also reacting to market expectations and requirements.

Deloitte is considered one of the ‘Big Four’ professional services firms in the world. What measures have you taken to distinguish Deloitte’s services from that of its competitors in the region?

Apart from the other members of the ‘Big Four’, we also face competition from a number of smaller firms who offer world-class services. In terms of knowledge depth and technical know-how, I would say that all of these firms are very evenly-matched.

In my opinion, the main distinguishing factor between Deloitte and the other firms can be summed up one word – culture. Our culture is the glue that connects our people and makes them stand out from the competition. It is one that we would like to be perceived by the market as uniquely Deloitte.

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“Our culture is the glue that cOnnects Our peOple and makes them stand Out FrOm the cOmpetitiOn. it is One that we wOuld like tO be perceived by the market as uniquely delOitte.”

With the pace at which computer technology is progressing, some people predict that many of the jobs in the accounting sector may be automated in the near future; auditing in particular.

How far do you believe this to be true?

A new law introducing VAT to the GCC in 2018 has recently been signed into action.

What will the introduction of VAT next year mean for the average consumer?

VAT is perceived to be one of the fairest forms of tax, as it is taxation on consumption rather than on income. What distinguishes VAT in the GCC is that the six GCC countries have been able to harmonise their approach to VAT, agreeing upon a unified timeframe and rate. This is not the case in the EU, where VAT does vary from one country to another, and may be as high as 20% in some. In the GCC, VAT will be charged at the significantly lower rate of 5%.

Another major mitigating factor is that certain basic commodities, such as food items will be VAT-exempt.

This tax will be not be levied on the basics of life but rather on disposable items, and certainly on luxury items. Additionally, it’s a very hassle-free process since the retailers collect the required amounts from the consumers and remits them to the treasury as opposed to personal income tax, where individuals need to deal directly with the tax authorities.

How has Deloitte ensured that their staff is trained to deal with the introduction of VAT next year, seeing that it’s a relatively new concept for the region?

We have a VAT specialist unit comprised of people brought in from other member firms who have been through a rollout of VAT. One of our directors, for example, was responsible for running the VAT program in Malaysia. The partner who leads our VAT business was the global VAT leader for the UK. We’re bringing in subject matter experts to lead the project firstly because it’s new and secondly because you need to do this once and you have to get it right. We are being engaged by governments as well as the private sector to prepare them in terms of VAT readiness. So far, we have conducted over 20 workshops on the subject all over the region for VAT, with quite impressive levels of participation.

With automation comes innovation and both have made a huge difference to the way we do business today as compared with a few decades ago. To clarify, not every innovation is necessarily technologyrelated. It’s the ability to do things differently and efficiently in ways that were not done before.

That being said, I believe that even with all the innovations, technology-related or not, people would still have jobs. However, they would be considerably different. These advancements would make auditing in particular a much more appealing profession than it is today as there are currently many tasks that considered are mundane, routine and repetitive.

So rather than replacing people’s jobs, I think the innovations would serve to make their jobs much more efficient, meaningful and enriching.

How has the Capital Club featured in your business life?

I’ve been a member of the club since inception and was in fact present at the launch of the first Capital Club in Dubai. I will admit that I’m not as regular a user and visitor as I should be, mainly because I travel most of the time due to the nature of my work.

I am, however, a very proud member of the club. I find the club to be elegant, warm and discreet. It is, without being pretentious, a place where I’m proud to have business meetings whenever I can, as evidenced by the fact that I have a meeting here right after this interview! In terms of most other ventures in Bahrain, I can honestly say that it is second to none.

What do you like best about the club?

First off, the location – it’s in the heart of the financial harbour and is very accessible. I also enjoy the ambiance and ethos of the club, the professionalism of the people and the diversified services they offer.

Moreover, the events organised by the club lately seem to be much more interesting!

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Fashion

Statement pieceS to make a laSting impreSSion Business people, be bold. BIG’s picks from global fashion powerhouses Gucci

GucciGhost bomber

Brooklyn-based artist Trouble Andrew was invited by Gucci’s Alessandro Michele to collaborate on the Fall Winter 2016 Fashion Show collection, by incorporating his art into Alessandro Michele’s designs. The final product is a mix of two cultures – a juxtaposition of the past and the present. This bomber was designed by Alessandro and customised by Trouble Andrew.

Gucci, Moda Mall BD 1037

HuGo Boss

‘salea’ scuba sweatshirt jacket

In a trendsetting construction, this BOSS jacket features Italian cotton and structured panel seams, for inimitable style.

Hugo Boss, City Centre BD 133

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Louis VuiTToN lockit haNDbaG

With its understated lines and style, the Lockit exudes feminine elegance. Full-grain Taurillon leather creates a discreet and refined bag, enables to carry everyday essentials.

Louis Vuitton, Moda Mall BD 1376

Louis VuiTToN sleNDer wallet

Slender by name, slender by nature. This wallet in sophisticated Epi leather is suitably compact and slim, and will carry all the essentials while easily fitting into a front or back pocket.

Louis Vuitton, Moda Mall BD 198

Gucci

leather bee broGue boot

This ankle boot with special brogue detailing represents whimsical swirled designs and one of Gucci’s most iconic motifs: the bee.

Gucci, Moda Mall BD 455

HuGo Boss

‘Lisana’ Silk Print Large Square Scarf A feminine feel, a bold pattern and an updated size offer an ideal accessory in this BOSS scarf.

Hugo Boss, City Centre BD 102

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LifestyLe

To add more power To a high-flying lifesTyle

BeoVision 14

Bang & Olufsen’s BeoVision 14 is a 4K Ultra HD LED TV featuring a world of connectivity options, integrated access to all your exciting apps and boasting a bigger and more immersive sound than most standalone speaker systems. It is much more than a TV. It is a focal point for all your entertainment.

Bang & Olufsen, Moda Mall BD 2525

Radioshack PoRtaBle Motion detectoR

This motion detector offers portable protection-just aim and switch it on! In chime mode, guests or customers are greeted with a pleasant electronic “ding-dong” tone.

Switch to alarm mode, and a piercing 90dB alarm deters intruders. Use it anywheremounting hardware included.

It’s battery-powered and compact, so it’s ideal for home, business or travel.

RadioShack, Seef Mall BD 9

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netgeaR aRlo WiReless secuRity caMeRa

You can never have too many of the amazing Arlo wireless security camera. Watch the kids in the other room, stay in visual contact with your beloved elderly, keep an eye on your vacation home, or monitor your business remotely. Arlo makes it easy to keep tabs on what’s happening. Setup is fast. And with the free Arlo mobile app, all it takes to tune in from wherever you are is a quick tap of the finger. With the Arlo app, you can also stream live HD views, or rewind your cloud recordings to see what you missed.

Virgin Megastore, City Centre BD 72

ncRediBle1 WiReless Bluetooth headPhones

These all new wireless Bluetooth headphones were created by Nick Cannon, exclusively for RadioShack. The headphones are compatible with any Bluetooth enabled smart phone (including iOS and Android), tablet, laptop or MP3 device. Integrated control allows you to answer/disconnect calls and play/pause your music. The built-in rechargeable battery recharges in less than 2 hours and provides up to 15 hours of listening time.

RadioShack, Seef Mall BD 51

skRoss uniVeRsal inPut and outPut WoRld adaPtoR

The World Adapter MUV Micro from SKROSS measures only 5 by 5 centimetres, making it the smallest two-pole adapter for travellers from and to over 150 countries. With the country slider system developed by SKROSS, the user can simply slide out the required plug for their travel destination.

The multinational socket layout on the input side allows travellers to use 2-pole plugs from just as many different countries.

Virgin Megastore, City Centre BD 11

FitBit Flex 2 silVeR sMall Bangle

The Fitbit Flex 2 made of stainless steel allows serves a dual function as a fitness tracker and beautiful jewellery accessory. This handpolished bangle is as fitting for work as it is for weddings.

Virgin Megastore, City Centre BD 48

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the BIG

hotel guide Your guide to the Kingdom’s hotel outlets

Sofitel Bahrain Zallaq thalaSSa Sea & Spa  Dining

Fiamma: Italian Restaurant

Designed with an indoor and an outdoor seating area, this outlet will serve authentic Italian food.

Opening Hours: Thursday - Saturday 12:30pm to 3:00 pm, Every night except, Sunday: 8:00pm to 11:00pm (Fiamma is closed on Sundays)

Saraya: All Day Dining / International

Exquisite buffets with flavors from across the world.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner available. Saturday lunch buffet (18 BD net including soft drinks).

Opening Times: Daily 6:30am to 10:30am, (11am on weekends) Lunch: 12:30pm to 3:30pm, Dinner: 7:00pm to 10:30pm

Wok: South East Asian Restaurant

The perfect combination of stones and wood in the décor to reflect an authentic Asian feel. Dinner buffet every Thursday (18 BD net excluding beverages).

Opening Hours: Wednesday to Monday: 7:00pm to 11:00pm (Wok is closed on Tuesdays)

Tapas: Restaurant

It services a wide range of exciting tapas, and the best cocktails on the island. Tapas bar has a truly vibrant and lively atmosphere with its Cuban band.

Opening Hours: Daily: 11:30am to Midnight

La Mer: Seafood Restaurant

Sheraton hotel Bahrain 

Shopping

Al Safir Restaurant

Opening Hours: Daily: 9am to 9pm

It is the signature restaurant of the hotel, guests will enjoy the freshest seafood and catch of the day. Saturday lunch buffet (18 BD net including soft beverages, 26 BD net including selected alcoholic beverages).

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 7:00pm to 11:00pm, Thursday to Saturday: 12:30pm to 3:00pm

For Information

Pashawat: lebanese Restaurant

Dining

Gastronomical buffets for breakfast lunch and dinner as well as superb á la carte options.

Opening Hours: Breakfast 6:30am - 10:30am Lunch 12:30pm – 3.30pm, Dinner 7:30pm – 11:30pm

Soie Chinese Restaurant

Alhilal Bookshop Alhilal Bookshop: +973 17 531 665

Spa & Salon

Image Spa & Leisure

Relax in the dramatic ambience with dark wood floors, oriental ornaments and lanterns.

Opening Hours: Daily: 6am to 10pm

Opening Hours: 7:00pm – 11:30pm (Closed on Saturdays)

Opening Hours: Daily: 7am to 10pm

Golestan Restaurant

Sheraton Health Club Sheraton Fitness

Discovery of traditional Iranian dishes with freshly oven-baked breads served at the table.

Opening Hours: Daily: 9am to 8:30pm

Opening Hours: Sunday to Thursday Lunch 12:30pm – 2:45pm, Dinner 7:30pm – 11:30pm Friday: Lunch 12:30pm – 3:45pm, Dinner 7:30pm – 11:30pm (Closed on Sundays)

Image Spa & Leisure: +973 17 524 570 Sheraton Fitness: +973 17 524 570 Sheraton Health Club: +973 17 533 533

For Information

It is open in the evenings and offers a delightful Lebanese cuisine. Special offer every Tuesday (40 BD net for 4 persons).

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 7:00pm to 1:30am (Closed on Saturdays and Sundays)

Spa & Salon

Thalassotherapy

(Call for Appointment) Summer offer BD175 per couple (120 mins)

nightlife

Amber Bar

Opening Hours: Daily: 6pm to 2am

Lagoon Pool Bar

nightlife

Opening Hours: Daily: 8am to 8pm

An Nada Lounge

Lobby Lounge Bar

Opening Hours: Daily: 7:00am – 10:00pm

Opening Hours: Happy Hour: 1:00pm to 7:00pm Daily 1:00pm – 1:00am

Opening Hours: Daily: 8am to Midnight

For Information & Reservations

For Information

Opening Hours: Daily: 11:30am to Midnight

Espressamente Illy

A perfect place to meet and enjoy a cup of espresso, refreshing beverages and light snacks.

Al Safir: +973 17533533 ext 259 Soie Chinese Restaurant: +973 17 533 533 ext. 497 Golestan Restaurant: +973 17 533 533 ext. 375 Espressamente Illy: +973 17 533 533 ext. 1790

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An Nada Lounge: +973 17 533 533 ext. 293

Tapas BAR For Information & Reservations

Hotel: +973 1763 6363 - Concierge: +973 39349659

the K hotel  Dining Kolors

Enjoy an assortment of culinary delights with their special Themed Nights everyday of the week.

Opening Hours: Daily: 7pm to 11pm

Friday Brunch

Discover The K difference in Friday Brunch!

IS YOUR HOTEL LISTED ON THIS PAGE?

Opening Hours: Friday, 12:30pm to 4:30pm

The K lounge

Some new dishes include the world famous Angus steaks and exceptional desserts with that extra K flavor.

Our ongoing promotions include: Daily Happy Hour from 5pm to 7pm, Coors Light & Burger Treats, Ladies Night from Saturday to Wednesday all cocktails free of charge for Ladies.

Opening Hours: Daily: 11am to 2am

Kenza Lounge

Outdoor seating and Arabesque interiors, experience the finest Lebanese dining.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 7pm to 2am

Be included in Business In Gulf’s hotel guide and benefit from the exposure the magazine offers.

nightlife The K lounge

Opening Hours: Daily: 11am to 2am

Champions Sports Lounge Opening Hours: Daily: 11am to 2am For Information & Reservations

K Hotel: (973) 1736 0000 Klouds: (973) 1736 0000 ext. 4019 K Pool: (973) 1736 0000 or email banquet@thekhotel.com

the ritZ-Carlton, Bahrain  Dining La Med

Casual dining in generous surroundings is brightened with natural sunshine and views of the turquoise blue waters of the Gulf.

Opening Hours: Daily: 6:30am to 11pm

Plums

The specialty being premium beef and fresh, top quality seafood, it provides guests with the ultimate in dining pleasure.

Opening Hours: Dinner: 7pm to 11:30pm

big@maxmediaco.com Tel: +973 17 402482 Fax: +973 17 402483

For Information & Reservations Hotel: +973 1758 0000

Spa & Salon

Shopping

Elie & Jean Beauty Center Gents Saloon

Chopard Boutique Opening hours: Daily: 7am to Midnight

Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday: 9:30am to 8pm, Friday: 10am to 7pm

Mohd Sharif Hatam & Sons

Sports Club & Spa (Membership only)

Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday 10am to 2pm – 4pm to 8pm For Information

Chopard Boutique: +973 17 580 667 Mohd Sharif Hatam & Sons: +973 17 580 889

Limited offer from June 1 to 30 ‘Touch of Aloha’ (BD 55 for 90 minutes). Daily, 9am to 9pm.

Opening hours: Daily: 5:00am to 10:30pm For Information

Elie & Jean Beauty Center - Gents Saloon: +973 17 580 798

Nirvana

Nirvana brings royal flavors to The Ritz-Carlton for a dining adventure rarely enjoyed outside of India.

Opening Hours: Lunch Noon to 3pm Dinner 7pm to 11:30pm

La Plage

Indulge in a new and enticing menu of ArabianMediterranean Fusion Cuisine. La Plage is the perfect venue for those seeking the vibrant outdoor scenery of the Arabian Gulf.

Opening Hours: Daily: 10am to 6pm

The Ritz Gourmet Lounge

Experience authentic chic ambience like in a Parisian along with homemade pastries and richly decorated desserts.

Opening Hours: Daily: 7am to Midnight

Cantina Kahlo

The new authentic Mexican restaurant offers a scrumptious menu created by Chef Cesar Daniel.

Featuring a wide range of delectable dishes and an impressive range of cocktails.

Opening Hours: Daily: 12pm-12am march 2017

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Gulf hotel  Dining Al Waha

Oceanic cuisine night with impressive selection of Australian & New Zealand seafood Opening Hours: Breakfast 6:00am – 10:30am Lunch 12:00pm – 3:30pm, Dinner 7:00pm – 11:00pm Friday Brunch: 12:30pm - 4:00pm

China Garden

A varied selection of food influenced by distinct Chinese regions creating Cantonese, Szechuan and Peking specialties.

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday Lunch 12:00pm to 3:00pm, Dinner 7:00pm to 11:00pm (Closed on Sunday)

Fusions

Fusions is a contemporary and stylish rooftop restaurant boasting unrivalled views over the hotel’s tropical gardens and Manama skyline.

Opening Hours: Sunday to Friday 6pm – 12am (Closed on Saturday)

La Pergola

Lavish Mediterranean seafood basket for BD 23++ at the incredible Italian restaurant Opening Hours: Lunch 12:00pm – 3:00pm Dinner 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Margarita Mexicana

Authentic Mexican food freshly prepared at guests’ tables to guarantee that the menu and fine dining experience are as authentic as possible.

Opening Hours: Sunday to Friday 6:00pm – 12:00am (Closed on Saturdays)

Royal Thai

rasoi by vineet

Renowned chef-restauranteur Vineet Bhatia, three times awarded a Michelin star, takes you on a delectable journey into the world of contemporary Indian cuisine.

Opening Hours: Daily Lunch: 12:00pm – 3:00pm, (Fridays 1:00pm - 4:00pm), Dinner: 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Takht Jamsheed

Taking inspiration from Persia’s royal palace of Takht Jamsheed, the Gulf Hotel’s chic restaurant offers a fine dining experience fit for a king.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday Lunch 12:00pm – 3:00pm, Dinner 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Zahle

The menu boasts an extensive selection of hot and cold mezze, grilled meat and regional Lebanese fare, such as beautifully presented shish kebab served in a golden box atop warm Arabic bread and burning coals.

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, Weekdays: 7:00pm – 1:00am, Weekends: 7:00pm – 2:00am Saturday Lunch 12:00pm -3:00pm Dinner 7:00pm – 2:00am

nightlife

Sherlock Holmes

This Thai restaurant provides scenic views overlooking the turquoise waters of the outdoor swimming pool. Situated in the gfrounds of the hotel’s tropical gardens.

Opening Hours: Tuesday to SundayLunch 12:00pm – 3:00pm, Dinner 7:00pm – 11:00pm(Closed on Mondays)

Typhoon Bar and Lounge

Sato

the oak lounge

Authentic Japanese food favoured by Japanese Embassy staff, said to enjoy its peaceful zen-like nature.

Opening Hours: Lunch 12:00pm – 3:00pm Dinner 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Opening Hours: Daily: 12:00pm – 2:00am

Opening Hours: Daily: 5:00pm – 1:00am Happy Hour: 5:00pm – 7:00pm

Opening Hours: Daily: 5:00pm – 1:00am For Reservations +973 1771 3000

the WeStin & le MeriDien, City Centre  Enjoy our inspired multi-cuisine buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Thursday Seafood night BD 20 net with soft beverages and 34 net with selected alcoholic beverages. Opening Hours: 6:30am - 11pm

Visit this poolside bar to relax and unwind. Weekends wind down with beverage packages and funky lounge music every Thursday and Friday from 6:30pm –11:30pm.

Bizzare Lounge

Rich purple hues and plush décor make this a chic lounge for after-hours. Newly installed TV’s and BeIn Sports package allows you to enjoy all the biggest sports events. Open Sunday to Thursday from 4pm – 2am, and Friday & Saturday from 12noon – 2am with all-day happy hour every Tuesday on selected beverages.

Boudoir

An art decor style bar with an intimate setting.

Opening Hours: 12pm – 2am

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A playful and vibrant venue crowning the top floor of The Domain Hotel and Spa. Ladies Night, SaturdayThursday; 4:00pm-1:00am, free drinks for ladies.

Opening hours: Daily 4:00pm – 2:00am

Imari

Cosmopolitan Japanese restaurant and lounge.

Business lunch daily, 12:00pm-3:00pm, BD 6++ Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 6:00pm – 12:00 am French Steakhouse, open grill kitchen. Unlimited Roasted Ribs, Every Wednesday, 6:30pm-10:30pm BD11++ Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 6:00pm – 12:00 am

Txoko

nightlife

Dining

Txoko

Le Sauvage

Dining

Nasmat

the DoMain Bahrain hotel 

Le Domain Mezzanine Lounge

A chic and cozy lounge with widescreen TVs and charming private pods. Opening Hours: 11am – 1am.

Fresh, light and passionate cuisine from the south of France.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 6:00pm – 12:00 am

Figs & Olives

Spa

A casual duet eatery of both classic Italian and Lebanese comfort foods.

Opening hours: Daily 6:30 am – 10:00 pm

Conveniently located on the third floor of The Westin Bahrain City Center, the Heavenly® Spa by Westin provides the perfect escape from the arduous of city life. 20% off all treatments from 9am - 1pm, Sun - Wed. Opening Hours: 10am – 10pm

The Cigar Lounge

For Information & Reservations

For Information & Reservations

Nasmat Heavenly Spa by Westin

Le Meridien: 17 171 1441, The Westin Bahrain City Centre, 17 171 122

Refined and masculine social space with walk in humidor.

Drink with Flame promotion, BD 25++. Happy Hour 15% discount on beverages.

Opening hours: Daily 6:00 pm – 12:00 am Hotel: +973 16000 400, 16000 200, 16000 222, 16000 333.

gym & Spa

Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club

Relax at one of our leisure facilities at Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club featuring a rooftop swimming pool, a gym equipped with latest machines and professional instructors. After your workout, unwind with a wide selection of massage treatments. *All price is subject to 10% service charge and 10% government levy.

For Reservations or more Information: +973 1311 9999 or email fb.downtown@rotana.com.

DoWntoWn rotana  Dining Teatro

Indulge in a special 4 course Italian set menu paired with sparkling bubbly and live entertainment for only BD 24*, 8 pm till 11 pm. Sushitini night very Tuesday from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. 1BD cocktail offer from 7pm-8pm daily. Enjoy 50% off the a la carte menu between 6pm-8pm.

Flavors on 2

Indulge in a lavish special buffet featuring a large display of salads and a variety of grills such as steaks, seafood and Kababs for only BD 12* including soft drinks and juices.

nightlife

Sundeck Pool Bar

Chill by the pool with your family and friends while enjoying our special Bucket Hour promotion, every day from 6 pm till 8 pm at Sundeck Pool Bar. Order a bucket of 6 Beers and get a free snack for only BD 18*.

Enjoy a Friday BBQ Brunch for only 15*.

al Safir hotel  Dining

Yalla Yalla

In place of Savoy Café, Yalla Yalla offers lunch and dinner bufftets as well as an ala carte menu.

Spa & Salon

Opening Hours: Daily: 6:30am - Midnight

Come in and relax to soothing music as our therapists provide the perfect treatment.

Bennigan’s

Enjoy tasty food and spirited conversation.

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday 6:00am - 1:00am

raMee GranD hotel & Spa 

Spa & Salon

Cucina Italiana

The place where Italian Food is served with style & passion.

Dining

Featuring a dynamic menu, the Lemon Tree is the place to enjoy our signature casual dining, delicious breakfasts, Friday family brunches, scrumptious dinners and those all-day quick nibbles. Breakfast Buffet BD10 net, Daily, 6:30am-10:30am. Business Lunch Buffet BD9 net, Saturdays-Thursdays, 12:00pm3:00pm. Friday Brunch BD15++, 12:00pm-4:00pm.

Seafood Night, Thursdays, 7:00pm-11:00pm, BD15++ Opening Hours: Breakfast: 6.30am – 10.30pm Lunch: 12.00 pm – 3.30pm, Dinner: 7.00pm – 11.30pm

Dining

La Perle

Enjoy a delicious range of culinary specialties with an extensive selection of appetizers, salads and desserts to complement your choices Seafood and fishes.

Opening hours: Daily: 7:00pm - 12:00am

Zytoun

Mediterranean Grill buffet restaurant serving a variety of Mediterranean and international foods.

Opening hours: Daily: 6:30am - 11:00pm

nightlife

Le Bellevue

A relaxed yet elegant bar offering one of the most stunning views of the sea and city skyline. Light live music in the evenings.

Opening hours: Daily: 4:00pm - 2:00am

Pool Bar

Pool bar is open on weekends during DecemberFebruary and every day from March 1 until November.

(Closed during Ramadan).

For Reservations

Lemon Tree: +973 17111999

Ruka

Ruka aims to present itself as the region’s most luxurious Japanese restaurant/lounge. With breathtaking views of the Bahrain from the 24th floor, the vast azure Arabic Gulf & the infinite cerulean skyline, Ruka’s connotation to its name certainly holds true to its very core. Unlimited sushi Monday’s for BD15++, 7:00pm onwards. Daily lunch menu BD8 net Buy one cocktail get one free 4:oopm - 7:00pm daily

Reborn

The Spa at the Ramee Grand Hotel & Spa is 5,000 square feet of pure serenity. Inspired by wellness techniques from around the globe, our spa features 13 treatment rooms with a unique selection of facials, massages & treatments designed specifically for women, men & couples.

Opening hours: 10.00am – 11.00pm 7 days a week Health Club: 6.00am - 11.00pm For Information Reborn: +973 17 111980

nightlife

Ibrida

Ramee Grand’s very own club and steak-house is the heart of Bahrain’s biggest nightlife entertainment and has steadily become the perfect venue for the after-work crowd to unwind or for weekend revelers to dance the night away. Ladies and couples free entrance from Tuesday-Friday.

Opening Hours: Club: 8.00pm – 2.00am Restaurant: 7.00pm - 11.30pm For Information

Ibrida: +973 17 111972

Opening Hours: Daily: 12:30pm – 3:00pm and 6.00pm -11:30pm For Reservations Ruka: +973 17111971

Rasoi

Rasoi takes you on a culinary journey with its extensive buffet display, open exhibition kitchen and live cooking areas. Soothing music from a live ghazal band while you dine creates the perfect atmosphere for our guests to relish the sophisticated blend of flavors, which celebrate the vibrancy, of Indian cuisine. Make a reservation for 2 adults or more during weekdays and get a free bottle of grape by our Sommelier

Opening hours: Daily: 9:00am -8:00pm

Opening Hours: Daily: 12.30p.m - 3.00p.m and 6.30p.m - 11.00p.m

For Reservations

For Reservations

Hotel: +973 1729 8008

For Information & Reservations Al Safir Hotel & Tower: +973 1782 7999 Email: alsafirh@batelco.com.bh Bennigan’s: +973 1781 3750 Website: bennigans.com.bh Cucina Italiana: +973 1700 1317 Website: cucinaitaliana.com.bh

Opening Hours: Daily: 6am - 2am

Lemon Tree

novotel al Dana reSort 

Ann Beauty Salon

Rasoi: +973 17111973

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iBiS Seef ManaMa 

MerCure GranD hotel Seef 

SEEF RESTAURANT

NEYRAN RESTAURANT

Dining

Enjoy a wide range of succulent dishes from around the globe in a casual and tranquil setting. The a la carte menu is available throughout the day and our chef’s special is freshly prepared daily. Whether you’re looking to grab a quick bite or to have a more relaxed sumptuous meal, the restaurant is the perfect choice to satisfy those yearnings.

Opening Hours: 4 AM to 11 PM daily, 7 days a week Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Breakfast timings: Intercontinental breakfast is from 4:30 AM – 6:30 AM Breakfast Buffet is from: 6:30 AM – 10:30 AM Intercontinental breakfast is from: 10:30 AM – 12 PM Lunch: 12 - 3:30 PM Dinner: 7 – 11 PM Come try out our special Combo offer for lunch & dinner! Revel in one of our culinary delights for your main course from the menu. Add BD 1 for a delicious salad and soft drink.

SEEF CAFÉ

The ideal place to meet with family and friends and enjoy a delightful array of cold and hot beverages, mocktails, light snacks, and sweets, while watching your favorite sports team play on our big screen TV. Opening Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week For information & reservations:

+973 17386020 or e-mail H6303-RE@accor.com

Dining

Specializing in flavors from Europe with hints of Asian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, Neyran’s menu presents a reflection of striking aromas and essences.

Opening hours: 06:30 - 23:00, every day

CASA BAR & TERRACE Shades of Oak and yellow surroundings, brightened with natural sunshine, Casa Bar provides that chic and stylish setting with stylish décor and the comfiest furnishings all in a Moroccan style. Don’t miss out on Casa Terrace, on the mezzanine level, where you can enjoy the finest open-air hospitality with a beautiful view of Manama and the Seef skyline. Unwind with live entertainment, a wide variety of shishas, light meals and sandwiches... with your favorite drink!

Opening hours: 14:00 - 02:00, every day.

SAMA POOL & BAR Marvel at the panoramic city and the sea views, the endless skyline framed against the beautiful sunsets from Bahrain’s highest roof top at Sama Pool Bar. The ‘sky’ high experience is completed as you dive into the clear blue water of the pool, with the open-air pool deck a refreshing relief from the city’s buzz throughout the day. The Sama Pool Bar is also a coveted venue for pool parties, family barbecues, corporate events, anniversaries or for that special event to celebrate with your friends and family.

Opening hours: 10:30 - 19:00, every day.

four SeaSonS Bahrain  Dining

Bahrain Bay Kitchen International

International buffet for breakfast and lunch. An open kitchen, active cooking stations and a sushi station add to the fun, market-like atmosphere during Friday and Saturday brunch. Opening Hours: Daily, 6:30am – 10:30am; 12:30pm – 3:30pm

CUT by Wolfgang Puck

Widely recognised as one of the top steak restaurants in the world, features the widest and best selection of beef available to shellfish and whole fresh fish.

Opening Hours: Lunch (12:00 noon – 3:00 pm), Dinner (7:00pm – 11:00pm). Closed only for lunch on Saturday and Sunday

re Asian Cuisine by Wolfgang Puck

Savour Asian-inspired specialties such as dim sum and authentic Robata-style grilled items, inspired by the legendary chef’s trips to the Far East.

Opening Hours: Dinner Only (7:00pm-11:00pm) except on Saturdays. Saturday brunch (12:30pm-3:30pm).

Closed on Mondays

Vento

Offers authentic Italian dishes for lunch and dinner with a children’s menu. An open kitchen and a wood-burning pizza oven add to the atmosphere.

Opening Hours: Daily, 11:00am – 11:00pm

Bay View Lounge

Savour light international fare or afternoon tea while enjoying live piano music and stunning views of the Manama skyline and the Bahrain Bay. Opening Hours: Daily, 9:00 am – 12:00 midnight

Blue Moon Lounge

Enjoy an inventive bar menu of Asian delights complemented by a wide-selection of customcrafted cocktails, liqueurs and wines at the sleek and stylish onyx bar.

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For Reservations

+973 17 58 44 00 H5685@accor.com/H5685-RE@accor.com

Opening Hours: Sunday and Tuesday 6:00 pm – 12:00 midnight; Wednesday and Thursday 6:00 pm – 2:00 am; Friday 4:30 pm – 2:00 am; Saturday 12:00 noon – 12:00 midnight. Closed on Mondays

Spa

The Spa

The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay encompasses four interconnected buildings woven together with pathways and gardens, reflecting modern Moroccan and Turkish influences.

Opening Hours: Saturday and Sunday 5:00 pm – 1:00 am; Monday and Tuesday 12:00 noon – 1:00 am; Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 12:00 noon – 2:00 am For Information and Reservations +973 17115000

SWiSS-Belhotel  Dining

SWISS-CAFÉ RESTAURANT

al areen palaCe & Spa  Dining

RIMAL RESTAURANT

Rimal offers all-day dining in a light and airy setting that provides a spectacular view of the resort. Catering to Middle Eastern and global tastes, guests can indulge in a sumptuous breakfast buffet or select from an extensive a la carte menu.

Opening hours: daily Breakfast served daily: 6:30am - 10:30 am Last Order: 11:00 pm

SAFFRON RESTAURANT

Resplendent in majestic shades of gold and maroon, with a beautiful high ceiling, traditional Middle Eastern accents and a spectacular view of the resort’s grand outdoor pool, this signature dining venue introduces a new menu inspired by modern Bahraini dishes, combining elements of enticing European and Khaleeji fusion.

Opening hours: daily For lunch: 11:30 am-3:00 pm For dinner: 6:30 pm - 11:00 pm

KEIZO RESTAURANT

Keizo offers guests surprising signature dishes from traditional Far East cuisines contemporarily prepared and elegantly presented. Highly experienced chef and multi-talented sushi chef all make up this exceptional dining venue.

Opening hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday For lunch: 11:30 am-3:00 pm Open daily for dinner: 6:30 pm - 11:00 pm Closed on Sunday

An all-day dining restaurant located on the 10th floor, with a panoramic terrace overlooking the city.

Opening hours: 6:30 AM - 11:30 PM, everyday Business Lunch Buffet: 12:30 PM - 3:00 PM, Saturday to Thursday (7 BD net per person including soft drinks and mineral water) International Dinner Buffet: 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM, Saturday to Thursday (8 BD net per person including soft drinks) Arabic Dinner Buffet: 7.00 PM - 11.00 PM, Thursday and Friday (8 BD net per person including soft drinks) Friday Seafood Lunch: 12.30 PM - 3.00 PM (Net BD 12 per person including soft drinks) Summer Lunch Buffet: 12:30 Pm - 3:00 PM, Saturday to Friday (BD7 net including soft drinks)

CAFECCINO

Lobby Café serving a variety of salads, sandwiches, pastries, hot and cold beverages in a casual ambience.

Opening hours: 24 hours, everyday

B28 bar lounge & Grill

This trendy bar is located on the 28th floor with a panoramic view. 30% off on selected beverages during happy hour on Wednesdays from 6:00 PM. Valentine’s dinner, 14th Feb, BD 12 net inclusive of soft drinks.

Opening hours: Saturday-Thursday 4:00pm - 2:00am & Friday 1:00am - 2:00am

Floor 27

The incomparable hall, overlooking the Seef area is the place to host any type of events. Located on the 27th floor with a panoramic 360 degree view of Bahrain, it’s the perfect venue for gatherings with family & friends.

Opening hours: 24 hours, everyday For Information and Reservations

+973 66310041 reservationsbse@swiss-belhotel.com

Indulge in delicious pastries, freshly baked cakes and our special selection of tea and coffee. Senses Lounge is the perfect place to relax and re-charge your senses.

Opening hours: From 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Asian Fusion cuisine Open from 6.00am to 10.30am for breakfast, from 12.30pm to 4.00pm for lunch, and from 7.00pm to 11.00pm for dinner.

Thursdays from 7.00pm to 11.00pm (Thursday Night Out)at BD27 net Mondays from 7.00pm to 11.00pm (Monday Seafood Night) at BD 27 net Friday from 12.30pm to 4.00pm (Award-Winning Friday Brunch) at BD31 net

The Gallery

French brasserie Open from 7.00am to midnight.

Rimal Spa Open daily from 10.00am to 10.00pm 12 luxurious treatment rooms

Spices Indian Restaurant ensures the best Indian food available, as well as the highest quality possible service. Mother’s Day Celebration, 15th-21st March. noon-11pm, 20% off for all mothers, at Spices & Waves Seafood Restaurant. Flavours of Bollywood buffet (Holi Theme), 4th March.

Opening hours: 12:00pm to 11:00pm

LA MOSAIQUE

A must for seafood lovers, who can choose from our extensive a la carte menu or our market place selection of fresh fish which is delivered daily from local Bahraini fisherman.

Opening hours: daily for lunch and dinner

+973 17 84 50 00/+973 17 84 50 01 alareen@alareenpalace.com

Silk’s restaurant

SPICES

WAVES SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

For Reservations

Dining

Dining

The spacious, elegant and classic La Mosaique Restaurant is open 24 hours a day, serving a choice of international buffets and a la carte menus. St. Patrick’s themed brunch, 17th March at La Mosaique and Harvester’s Pub, 35 BD net, half price for kids 7-12 years.

Opening hours: 6:00am to 11:00pm

SENSES LOUNGE

MövenpiCK hotel Bahrain 

CroWne plaZa Bahrain 

The Gym & Wellness Open daily from 6.00am to 10.00pm Tennis Court Infinity pool Cybex equipment

Flamingo Bar & Lounge Weekdays open from 2.00pm to 2.00am Weekends open from 12.00pm to 2.00am Daily happy hour from 2.00pm to 9.00pm Live band performance daily except Saturdays from 8.45pm 12.30am For Reservations

Silk’s Restaurant: +973 17460017

THE HARVESTERS PUB AND TERRACE

Serves the best pub grub in town and is the perfect place to meet up after work with friends or colleagues.

St. Patrick’s Day Guiness Promotion, 16th March, 7pm-12pm. Casino Royale Party 27th March.

Opening hours: 11:00am to 2:00am

CAPPUCCINO CAFÉ

Located in the lobby area, Cappuccino serves freshly brewed tea, coffee and pastries throughout the day.

Opening hours: 12.00 to 23.00

TRACKS SPORTS BAR

A great place to socialize with friends and colleagues and watch all the world’s best sporting events everyday on big screen. Come and enjoy Tracks’ relaxed and friendly atmosphere, play pool or darts, listen to great music while having a drink and a fabulous snack from our menu.

Opening hours: daily from 3:00pm to 1:00am For Reservations

+973 17531122 cp@cp-bahrain.com

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BUSINESS Market Place Gulf

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BUSINESS Market Place Gulf

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march 2017

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Quoted “I’m sure he will realise in the long run that the Gulf countries are contributing hugely to the economy of the United States.”

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker speaking about US President Donald Trump

“Producing motors is capital intensive, so rather than just manufacturing them for our own purposes, we would like to produce in large volumes with the possibility of supplying a variety of customers.”

”Without a vision to guide our path, and without ambition that knows no limits, we can never build a bright future for generations to come.”

Dubai Ruler His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

“The rise in digital use in the Middle East shouldn’t surprise anyone, but I think most people would be surprised at just how sharply it’s rising and the figures on mobile use in the GCC are quite incredible.”

Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo

Managing Director of Turret Media Chris Fountain

“Brexit must mean control of the number of people coming from Europe, and that is what we will deliver. What I am proposing cannot mean membership of the single market.”

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Britain’s exit from EU’s single market 80 80 88

may february march 20162017 2012