Category: Article

How would you describe your journey? Brief us on the inception story of your career. 

My journey has been quite evolutionary, being born and raised in Dubai at the time when Dubai was propelling to the pinnacle it is at today. I knew I didn’t want to be married off at a young age like my sisters. Coming from an industrialist family, in our culture it is the men that always lead the family business. 

During my time at the university I had read a book by Robert Kiyosaki “Rich dad , poor dad” This was the book that changed my mindset about money, the university doesn’t teach you how to be smart about financial markets, and obtain passive income using debt. I was fascinated to discover such tools, It felt like I had discovered fire. I knew that if I am ever to be successful in this world I will have to gain experience at an institution that knows how to utilise such opportunities.

It was not easy for me to convince my father to allow me to work outside the family business. I believe that was the first stepping stone for me in my professional career as a negotiator. I convinced my father to allow me to intern as a private banker in one of the top banks in the UAE.

Enlighten us about your role in the organisation you are leading / associated with? 

I love my role at Falcon Global Capital ( FGC for short) it is an establishment that consists of  seasoned and aspiring professionals who strive for excellence in being amongst the best in the industry. As the CEO and Executive board member, it is important to maintain balance and a sense of worth for every individual that is part of the team. Team work is synchronized like you would see in a Formula one race. Where a driver brings in the race car and the team has less than 2 minutes to change the  tires. This skill, which only lasts for less than two minutes but it has taken many years to master this and to be able to perform in such a way.  The same goes for FGC. 

We work hard with a combined vision as a whole.

• Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to work harder?
  I find inspiration in futuristic market trends, you may call me a futurist lol, with that in mind, it is enough to motivate myself and my team to innovate our products/services and instead of disrupting we believe in constructing a sustainable future.
• Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person.
  In the finance industry it is a valuable asset to be accredited and qualified by a reputable institution. I was fortunate enough to complete an Executive MBA at the Said Business School University of Oxford and achieve a distinction in FinTech.
• What is the one thing you wish you had known about women in your line of work before you started working?
  I wish I had known what it would be like to balance work life, family life and personal development ambitions.

Do you believe it is compulsory for a woman to manage a household alongside her work? 

It is not compulsory for a woman to manage a household, I believe that is a cultural thing. There are many professional women out there who like to be number one in their career as well as their home and then there are some who would rather focus on one. It truly depends on the household, sometimes there are single parents that do not have a choice and in some cases there are men who would rather have their wife in charge of the household while they are the bread winner of the family. 

As a woman, what has been the highlight of you career? What are the changes you wish to make for the better in your professional life post-pandemic? 

The highlight of my career was when FGC was granted the regulatory license by the DFSA, it took us a year and half during the pandemic to pursue this.  

I would like to establish a corporate eco system that is self sustainable, so should anything happen, another pandemic, war or catastrophe we are able to sustain that storm, and that applies to internal personnel as well. i.e. everyone that is part of the FGC team can function and move forward. 

Brief us on the changes the pandemic brought to your sector and your market. Has the work-culture altered? 

The impact of the pandemic has heightened market risk aversion in ways not seen since the global financial crisis.  Collectively as a team we have enough experience to understand market trends, volatility patterns and signs of early recessions. This has however prepared us to do scenario planning, that allows us to know what we have to do should we face such a challenge. By the way this subject is now being taught in many universities.  

What words of wisdom/ inspiration/ advice would you offer to the next generation of female leaders? 

My sincere advice is to find your niche, find what you are passionate about and make your self so good at what you do that you are irreplicable. In any career ladder reputation, trust and integrity play a big role, so keep your standards high and live your life according to those standards that people believe that you are a person of high calibre.

How would you describe your journey? Brief us on the inception story of your career. 

Growing up in a small town where there were few opportunities to make my mark, I always had a sheer will in myself to do something out of the box. Having a regular desk job was not what my plan was. I was never intrigued by the idea of following, instead I was always an avid admirer of creation. Hence, the only way where I could channelize my own ideas and hard work was by investing my mind in creating something new. Thus, I was inclined toward the idea of Entrepreneurship from my early days. The path to becoming an Entrepreneur was not a bed of roses. It was a difficult road full of obstacles that I had to overcome in order to become a successful Entrepreneur. The journey after becoming what I had always wished for since my early days is no short of a roller-coaster ride. Post setting up of the business, the hardest thing is to keep the ball rolling. In order to do that, it is very important to connect with the right people and make the right decisions that would impact the business positively.  

Enlighten us about your role in the organisation you are leading / associated with? 

Apart from being the Director of Operations of the PR and Marketing Agency, Candid Communication, I am also the proud Director of the abroad education consultancy venture, EduGlobal, where our tagline is Abroad Education @Indian Cost. We don’t take any consultancy fees from students and provide free career consultancy. 

Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to work harder? 

My family has been supportive from Day 1 but like others, my parents have their share of suggestions too to avoid problems that might occur in the life of an entrepreneur. They have been a true inspiration to me and have not taught me to quit whatever may occur in life.

The initial period is almost always difficult but some entrepreneurs do learn to bring in a balance after achieving reasonable stability in their businesses. During the first 5-6 years I had to sacrifice my family life and friends, and focus on building a business. Over a period of time, I have learned to balance both my professional as well as personal time.

Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person. 

1. Featured under ‘India’s 40 under 40 Brightest Business Leaders’ (The Entrepreneurs of India) 
2. National  Award for Excellence in CSR as PR by IRPRA
3. Featured in The Entrepreneurs of India’s Womenpreneur edition.

What is the one thing you wish you had known about women in your line of work before you started working? 

I wish I had known to cope with the initial stress an entrepreneur faces in the initial days of work for her gender. It took some time for me to understand the situation and how to deal with certain people who have preconceived notions about a woman being able to handle work with élan.  

Do you believe it is compulsory for a woman to manage a household alongside her work? 

I believe the choice should be of the woman whether she would like to manage household work alongside professional work. Definitely, it should never be compulsory under any circumstances to manage household work. But the freedom of choice has to be there in order to have a balance in the life of a woman as a lot of things are expected by default from a woman because of her gender.  

As a woman, what has been the highlight of you career? What are the changes you wish to make for the better in your professional life post-pandemic? 

Coming from a small town and from a non-Entrepreneurial background, it was very difficult for me to achieve what I had wished for in my early days. Not having the required support and knowledge in the initial days, was a big challenge for me. However, I always had a strong will of doing something out of the box and on my own. Hence, from my early days, I started working towards my goals. With all the uncertainties and the unknown ahead of me, it was difficult, to come to a new city and try to create a mark here. It did take time, hard work, and courage to remain persistent and not lose focus. It was an uphill task. But I never lost my grit and determination to succeed in what I had set out for.

 I would like to take more care of my mental health since post-pandemic a lot of people have been affected by it due to certain situations. If your mind is calm and focused, you could provide more attention to your work and ideas seem to flow properly. Spending more time with family is on top of my mind nowadays as we all have probably understood after being isolated from the world the value of being with close ones.  

Brief us on the changes the pandemic brought to your sector and your market. Has the work-culture altered? 

The business environment has become more competitive than it was a decade ago. Innovation and smart work could be applied in every segment. A business that may be relevant Pre-Covid has started to lose its relevance very easily given the rapidly changing time we are living in. Innovation and keeping at par with ‘Time’ are important to stay relevant.  Similarly, PR and Event management, in fact, education business have gone through drastic changes. Things we could have never thought about have gone virtual and we have become used to it.  

What words of wisdom/ inspiration/ advice would you offer to the next generation of female leaders? 

Slowly and steadily things are changing, since more and more women are taking a forefoot in the business world. There are plenty of women entrepreneurs in the commercial sectors these days that are doing excellent work in their respective fields. These business-savvy females have become an inspiration for everyone out there many other ladies since entrepreneurship still is a male-oriented territory. However, these hurdles could be crossed by female entrepreneurs with determination, dedication, and by not giving up spirit whatever the situation may be.