Tag Archives: development
Design District Phase I to be completed by Jan 2015
Design District Phase I to be completed by Jan 2015 Staff Report / 10 June 2013 Phase one of the newly announced ‘Dubai Design District’ worth Dh4 billion will be completed by January 2015. It was revealed on Sunday by Tecom Investments that expanded it’s creative communities base in the emirate after the announcement of new business district. Construction of ten buildings is already under way, Tecom said in a statement. It is expected to be the most connected fashion district in the world, with Dubai being only eight hours flight time from 90 per cent of the countries in the world. The business district will be home to some of the world’s leading brands and talent, as well as showcasing Dubai as an international design, fashion and luxury destination that can compete with the more established global centres. World-renowned luxury brands and educational institutions are already operating in some of Tecom’s nine free zones. Tecom is also providing licensing facility during the construction period of the first phase of the new district. Under Tecom’s existing offering, the legal and commercial framework for licensing specific design-related activities is already available, according to the statement. “The UAE’s resilient and growing retail and tourism sectors, its strong infrastructure and logistic network, and the potential of the Menasa region, have already attracted several of the world’s top design and luxury brands to set up their regional headquarters in Dubai,” commented Ahmad bin Byat, chief executive officer, Dubai Holding. “Dubai Design District will be a dedicated home to the growing and increasingly popular local designer community who are emerging onto the global stage. We are confident that the district will play an integral role in diversifying Dubai’s economy once developed,” Bin Byat said. Dr Amina Al Rustamani, group chief executive officer at Tecom Investments, added: “Extensive market research into the design, fashion and luxury industries, coupled with our track record in creating, operating and growing successful, industry-focused business parks in Dubai has led us to create this new district.” “In the same way that we have supported IT companies in Dubai Internet City — the region’s first knowledge cluster — and media companies in Dubai Media City, we want to give design and luxury goods companies a platform for growth and an appropriate base for their operations in Dubai,” Al Rustamani said. Tecom’s pioneering and industry-focused business parks have helped play a key part in the development of Dubai’s knowledge economy and in growing employment levels across the UAE, she added. — abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
UAE is a dynamic place
UAE is a dynamic place Amanda Fisher (amanda@khaleejtimes.com) / 10 June 2013 In the first in a series of fortnightly interviews with ambassadors from around the world stationed in the UAE, Khaleej Times speaks with Australian Ambassador Pablo Kang about the challenges of office, the Qantas-Emirates tie-up and the struggle to learn Arabic What is your background? I did a combined arts and law degree at the University of Sydney. In my second to last year I realised I wasn’t cut out to be a lawyer — the only area I did find interesting was public international law. My lecturer had a lot to do with our foreign service and he came to the lecture one day and said the foreign office was interviewing for its graduate programme. I didn’t really know what it was, so I thought I’d give it a go and I got in. In which other countries and in what capacity have you previously worked? I worked for a couple of years in Australia and then I got assigned to London on my first overseas post, where I spent a few years. I came back and worked in Canberra in the Prime Minister’s office, advising in the International Division, before taking up the Deputy Ambassador role in Manila and then being promoted to High Commissioner in Vanuatu. I went back to Canberra for one year before I took up this post. How long have you been in the UAE? For a year and a half. It’s completely different to my other postings. The Philippines was a very big developing country and Vanuatu was a very small developing country and the UAE, I don’t think qualifies as a developing country. In the entire country of Vanuatu there is no traffic lights or shopping malls. Are you here with your family? If so, tell us about them. I’m living here with my wife and five-year-old son. My son is used to moving, when we moved here he was three-years-old and this is the fourth country he has lived in. My wife is very busy. She used to be in event management, but now her time is taken up running the house. What do you think are the successes of the UAE in its relationship with Australia? The UAE is a very dynamic place and one that’s changing all the time. What I really like about it is the drive to diversify the country and not rely on oil, but new industries like tourism and aviation. There are real areas for cooperation, for example with the four-year-old Etihad Rail Project, in terms of how both countries are developing rail in very hot, arid countries. There have been a lot of decisions and meetings about rail, particularly relating to training, with Australians likely to come and train workers here. The whole aviation story here has been such a successful one, and you can see that in the partnership between our airlines, with the Qantas and Emirates tie-up and Etihad owning 10 per cent of Virgin Australia. I think that’s a recognition of the success of Emirates and Etihad in a very short period of time. The dynamics of global aviation are changing and the Gulf carriers are certainly rising. We want to get more investment from the country and the Gulf region into Australia, which we think is an attractive destination. What do you think are the challenges faced by the UAE? Certainly the challenges for the region are obvious in terms of the arc of instability that surrounds the Gulf. The major challenge at the moment is what will happen in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria, as the number of people being killed continue to rise, with so many different groups now fighting. I think there’s a real issue with the role of particular parties, with the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood as a real political force. There’s quite a bit concern about this development and what it means for the Gulf states. Egypt is a major world power so how that political process is handled is important, and of course Iran is an ongoing concern with its nuclear programme and what that means for the balance of power in the Middle East. The UAE and Qatar are havens and we are seeing an increase in the number of people from Saudi who are coming here, whereas in the past they may have travelled to other countries such as Egypt or Syria. Do you think the unrest in the Middle East will damage the way most Australians view this country? The facts don’t show that at the moment. I think people do differentiate the UAE from Syria and we have one of the highest per capita intakes of refugees, second only behind the United States. We have 20,000 refugees enter our shores each year, and Syria refugees are some of a number that we’d look to let in. Arabic is the fifth most widely spoken language in Australia and we have 400,000 Muslims in the country, which is the second fastest growing religion. What is the stance on visa requirements for Emiratis? Every foreign national needs a visa to go to Australia. Every now and then we get approached by some country saying ‘Can we get visa-free status’, but the answer is ‘No, sorry, it’s enshrined in legislation’. In most cases, Emiratis can apply online for a visa which they receive in about eight hours. There are discussions from time to time to further streamline the system. What is your favourite pastime in the UAE? If I’m not working, I’m playing with my son — which can be relaxing or testing. I’m also learning Arabic but my problem is I don’t do it on a regular enough basis. I have studied Mandarin and Japanese and Korean, but this is much harder. The Australian Foreign service actually ranks languages by how hard they are for native English speakers, and the five hardest are Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean and Arabic – they give two years’ full time learning these languages to get to a working level proficiency, whereas the main language of Vanuatu, Bislama, took me six weeks. My son’s learning Arabic and he possibly speaks more than me. Where is your favourite destination in the UAE? My favourite place is the Qasr Al Sarab resort in Liwa, which is just 30 kilometres from the Saudi border. It sits in the middle of these amazing sand dunes and it’s a fantastic place. Interview in abridged form Continue reading
Mompreneurs fill the gaps in Dubai markets
Moms mean business Sarah Young / 7 June 2013 The Internet, and power in numbers, are helping a new generation of mompreneurs fill the gaps in the Dubai market, as organisers of a local collective try to get more Emirati women involved. Founder of Mom Souq, an online classified for baby and children’s products, and the ‘Mompreneur’ community, Mona Tavassoli, said the community now had more than 300 UAE members, since launching last September. “The majority are English-speaking expats. One of our objectives is to change that and have more Emiratis (connecting) with our expats.” Work is now being done with the Dubai Women Business council to help this happen, she said. Thankfully for mothers, who can only receive 40 days maternity leave, “Dubai was the land of opportunity for business,” which reflected in the large number of businesses being started. “A lot of people are not willing to go back to work when their baby is less than two months old.” Members’ businesses were diverse, with both start-ups and more established companies ranging from wedding planners, to companies which delivered recipes and ingredients weekly to time-poor mothers, and offering adjustable size shoes for young children. Many had seen gaps in the market for services or products readily available back in their home countries, but did not have the budget for marketing or promotion. Being able to work together under one umbrella meant businesses could get a lot more publicity, she said. “It’s difficult because officially the UAE is a very competitive market, so promoting your product sometimes is very expensive. Amongst big brands, your brand doesn’t show as much. We’re larger as a collective.” Mona Tavassoli, founder of Mom Souq Many also found funding or angel investors one of the biggest challenges, with start-ups often requiring huge investment, she said. “They have good ideas but not the investment to set up. We have talked to the Chamber of Commerce. One of our goals is to have a special (Chamber of Commerce or government) service for Mompreneurs to get a licence at a lower fee or so they can work from home and be considered as a group that can get extra attention.” On the positive side, Dubai was like a ‘small community’, which made ‘word-of-mouth’ a powerful marketing tool here. Women were also getting more opportunities, Tavassoli said. “Last month I went to three events about empowering women. Dubai is an Arab city, and it’s really encouraging to see there are steps being taken to empower women. I think Dubai’s really taking the lead in this region.” Moms were also encouraged at an event held on Wednesday, the latest networking event, to delve into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) right from day one. “As a start-up or medium-size business it is something you can think about from day one and implement in your company no matter how big or small you are.” Du executive vice-president of brand and communications Hala Badri spoke to the 80 mompreneurs gathered on how sustainability and corporate responsibility should be the core focus of every organisation, implemented at every level. Businesses of all sizes were an integral part of a healthy community, and must come forward to be actively involved in developing the society they served, rather than confining themselves within the realms of profit creation, she said. “At du, we are dedicated to playing the role of a CSR activist, by empowering the UAE community in myriad ways. We don’t just invest in initiatives, but we create them, allowing us to better serve the community and its people, while contributing to the development of a knowledge-based economy.” Other speakers included Google Mena region associate product marketing manager Salma Mohamed, who spoke on the importance of online marketing; Nabbesh founder Loulou Khazen Baz, who explained how to work with freelancers to get the additional skills they needed, Life and Style Show UAE project manager Alex Sworder, and SMEInfo awards manager Jesse Vora. A new mompreneur website will be launched in September. – sarah@khaleejtimes.com An expat mother says it can be a difficult balancing act being a ‘mompreneur’, but the results and lifestyle are worth it. French woman Julie Leblan was one of the first Mompreneur members. She arrived in Dubai six-months pregnant, with a 16-month-old son, in late 2010, and launched her online gift registry company early last year. She and her husband had left successful careers in Paris for a change of lifestyle which they hoped would mean more time to spend with their children, she said. Previously a finance solicitor, she set up MyList.ue after struggling to find a way for her friends and family in Europe to send her baby shower gifts. “I saw the prices for shipping, and I just said no, don’t send me anything, it’s too expensive!” Remembering how she had also used a similar registry for wedding gifts back home, she could not find one here, and decided to give it a go for six months. Since then, the company has grown from partnering with five stores to 33, and the clientele base has changed from 75 per cent Westerners, to 40 per cent Westerners, 25 per cent Middle East and 25 per cent Asian. “It’s not only for expats, it’s really something any community is interested in, even young Emirati people … they don’t want to waste money, and they want to get something people will like.” The Mompreneur community was a way to not only get free advertising for her website, but to meet other partners she would later work with, and get help and advice. “It’s much easier to just be able to ask someone how to do something … and better than working on your own. It facilitates relationships, and you have the same concerns, values, and you’re not wasting your time. Any time you have is for your kids and husband … we don’t have much time so we get straight to the point.” However, it hadn’t always been easy, and she advised aspiring entrepreneurs they needed to give 100 per cent to both their children and their business, “which (could) be complicated”. “If you want your business to do well, you need to work a lot, but if you want your kids to be happy and well educated, you need to spend a lot of time with them … the focus is always on the balance between the two. First it’s the kids, then your company. “But it’s not part-time and part-time … it’s full-time for both. You don’t sleep a lot especially when your children are young.” Social life and other things generally needed to be put on the backburner — but it was a lot more feasible than trying to work full-time in a normal company setting, she said. And having the experience of being a mother made it a lot easier to understand, and be passionate about, the needs of other mothers who became your clients, she said. Continue reading
