< Previous30 C EO M I D D L E E A S T SEPTEMBER 202 1 COVER STORY | EMIRATI WOMEN says: “I feel a sense of achievement with every boat that leaves our factory. I enjoy watching the boats come to life. It’s the type of environment where you see progress happening every day, which is so exciting to be around. “There’s a sense of belonging watch- ing the process from beginning to end and there’s camaraderie in the journey. It takes a team to build these creatures, from designers to engineers, to carpen- ters to salesmen. It really is amazing.” Sharing her hopes for the future, she says: “In the next 50 years, I hope to see even more women, with a genuine passion like mine, working in the indus- try they love – even if preconceptions dictate it’s a male-dominated sector.” Financial sector Dr Saeeda Jaffar is the group country manager and senior vice president for Visa’s operations across the Gulf region. Jaffar joined Visa after five years of serving as managing director for the Mid- dle East at Alvarez & Marsal, while previ- ously holding leadership positions in the Middle East for both Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company, working with private and public sector clients. “In the last 10 years especially, there’s been a lot of focus on women being represented and visible in the workplace. That’s now largely behind us and the conversation has shifted with so many women in leading positions in the workforce,” says Jaffar. “The focus now and moving forward is about going one level higher. How do we reflect the best of the women in the workforce – their increasing ambi- tion and how this can inspire everyone regardless of gender?” Sharing her most valued accom- plishments, Jaffar says: “I believe strongly in making an impact in the communities we serve. I’ve been fortu- nate to have mentored many young men and women and helped them in their careers in consulting and payments. So, I suppose what I’m most proud of is the multiplier effect of our collective impact through the network and talent I have helped to build and influence.” Jaffar also believes that the UAE is setting an example in the region, where women in both the public and private sectors are driving a greater appreciation for how team diversity is essential in bringing forth different Driving the future. The UAE has been putting tremendous efforts towards educating women; making them a vital contributor to nation building 25% The rise in female workforce Etihad Airways has pledged in 2025 SEPTEMBER 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 31 EMIRATI WOMEN viewpoints and experiences. “Women are helping businesses in today’s more complex environment to address challenges in a holistic manner and manage blind spots more efficient- ly,” she comments. Shedding light on the adversities that women are still facing today, Jaffar says: “There is room for growth. In par- ticular, today I think about the numer- ous women who have left the workforce since the pandemic began. “Re-entering the workforce now, after an extended absence is often a difficult path, and the longer these women are out, the harder it can be to get back in, so we need to think about that as well. From a business perspec- tive, this is an opportunity for us at Visa to put our corporate purpose into action and see how these communities can be supported while we continue to be the trusted engine of commerce for our partners and connect and uplift everyone, everywhere.” Aviation sector As the aviation sector came to a halt last year, Nadia Bastaki’s role as Etihad Airways’ vice president of medical ser- vices and corporate social responsibil- ity became more crucial than ever. For as long as she could remember, Bastaki has been fighting to break down gender stereotypes, all of which has enabled her to become the first Emirati woman to be registered as a specialist in aviation medicine, cementing her po- sition in the aviation sector. “THERE WILL BE SO MUCH MORE BEING DONE TO SUPPORT WOMEN, IN TERMS OF POLICY AND LAW REGULATIONS, TO HELP THEM CONTINUE THEIR GROWTH” Reflecting on her professional jour- ney, Bastaki shares: “I think there are so many achievements – being the first Emirati female in aviation medicine was definitely one of my biggest. Also, joining the aviation sector at an airlines level and becoming the first vice presi- dent, chosen amongst a hundred other male candidates, is another accom- plishment on its own.” Playing a key role in safeguarding the future of the UAE’s aviation indus- try, its workforce and passengers, at the onset of a global pandemic, Bastaki was recognised as a ‘superhero’ by the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince’s Court’s Frontline Heroes initiative. “During the pandemic, I worked not only at the airline level, but also at a country-level, in terms of aviation medi- cine. I was organising the logistics for return flights, placing policy procedures, ensuring the well-being and safety of passengers, as well as coordinating with the General Civil Aviation Authority.” Referring to the significant role that the UAE’s leadership is playing in advancing women’s rights, Bastaki says: “In the past 50 years, our founders have had a vision in terms of women becom- ing something big, educating them very early on and giving them a platform for growth.” “Today, they’re seeing the results of that commitment, and in the next 50 years, I think there will be so much more being done to support women, in terms of policy and law regulations, to help them continue their growth in dif- ferent fields.” Bastaki also shares her outlook on the promising advances taking place in the UAE’s professional landscape, saying that: “The UAE is working on changing the dynamics of the work- force, and Etihad is taking part in this initiative, where they pledged to increase the female workforce by 25 percent in 2025, and we are already at around 35 percent in terms of women representation in the workplace.” Financial expert. Dr Saeeda Jaffar is the group country manager and senior vice president for Visa’s operations across the Gulf region Role model. Nadia Bastaki, Etihad vice president of medical services and corporate social responsibility 32 C EO M I D D L E E A S T SEPTEMBER 202 1 DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN Richard McKeon, founder and editor of Beauty Business Journal, believes brands need to fi nd ways to interact with consumers that don’t look or feel like advertising WHY BRANDS SHOULD BUILD A DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN e all know that the pandemic threw physical supply chains into flux. But it also threw brands and consumers firmly into the digital realm — which means it’s increas- ingly important to have a strong (yet flex- ible) digital supply chain, too. The links in a digital supply chain need to serve the purpose of producing effective, high- value, and constantly evolving digital assets for the business, including content, community, and first-party data. In the current climate, brands can create stability and opportunity for growth within their online resources by diversifying the digital supply chain and ensuring that the structures they have for creating and managing their online imprint include a range of generators. Understanding the value of digital supply chains As a marketer and founder and editor of Beauty Business Journal, I’ve spent a lot of time sourcing and reviewing media partners for beauty brands. In the Middle East in particular, I noticed that only a small number of companies embraced the content marketing model pre-pandemic, and the region is still slow on the uptake when compared with other global markets. No surprises here but social me- dia users in MEA and Latin America spend the most time on social networks compared with other populations only increasing since the pandemic, and yet my interactions with beauty brands show me that although content marketing is alive and well in the region, there’s still a void when it comes to understanding the importance of building those content and data structures that don’t just rely on a small number of creators being infinitely creative, and constantly available. A well-built and well cared for digital supply chain provides compa- nies with an ongoing, reliable stream of good quality content, and the means to connect directly with consumers (for example, through a managed private WSEPTEMBER 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 33 DIGITAL SUPPLY CHAIN community) and deploy effective digital marketing strategy based on data that is collected and organised with that specific brand in mind. To do this, international brands are beginning to think more like media com- panies and less like straight-up retailers. In doing so, they position themselves to capture and hold consumer attention in a landscape where attention is becom- ing a currency all of its own. American software developer HubSpot announced earlier this year that it had acquired The Hustle, a media company known for inspiring entrepreneurs and innovators. HubSpot pointed to its history of creat- ing ‘remarkable content’ for its custom- ers but suggested that it had reached its limit on its own and needed to level up, by embedding a media company within its operations. HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah tweeted: “Modern media companies have a software company embedded inside. Next-gen software companies will have a media company embedded inside.” Why should retail brands act like media companies? There are two key reasons at play here. Firstly, high quality media content cre- ates interest and demand for products — so brands that own their own media outlets or have enough content reach on external platforms to influence a broad audience, have a lot of scope to direct trends. Secondly, brands that have access to the customer data generated by the consumption and/or reaction to their digital content can leverage that data to shape the direction of their own product strategy. Take fashion media company Hype- beast, which operates the e-commerce platform HBX. By being a media company first, Hypebeast can publish content about products they predict will be popular, capture the data generated by that content, analyse that informa- tion and then decide whether or not to invest in those products. It’s a clean line from content to audience-driven retail, and the model helped HBX generate an estimated revenue of $40m in 2020. In the beauty industry, Glossier is perhaps the best-known example of the efficacy of a sophisticated digital sup- ply chain — although in the beginning, it seemed to happen by accident. The cosmetics brand launched off the back of a successful beauty blog, Into The Gloss, created by Emily Weiss in 2010. The blog was already pulling over 1.5 mil- lion unique visits per month by the time Weiss started selling products through Glossier; and the brand was valued at $1.2bn in 2019. Glossier has stayed close to its digital content roots, and the relationship between the retail brand and the blog (along with a growing toolbox of other digital tools, including an active and engaged online community) is the driving force behind its success. Other brands have taken advantage of celebrity founders or collaborators to capitalise on the audiences of those individuals. Jessica Alba’s natural baby and beauty brand The Honest Company benefitted from celebrity status to get its extensive product line noticed, and made $10m in revenue in its first year of trading. Kylie Jenner was already a media brand in her own right before she launched her beauty company, Kylie Cos- metics — and her own face became the ultimate tool for marketing the brand’s products, along with her 254 million- strong Instagram following. But the power of a supply chain is that it makes celebrity unnecessary. Having a big name ambassador is a nice bonus, but it’s not a must-have. When a retail brand takes on the market as a media-minded entity, its reach and impact grows exponentially — and that’s even more true in 2021 than it was before the pandemic, because as highlighted in a new report by Deloitte, the public is now more reliant on digital media as a source of entertainment, information, and connection. Of course, more people consuming content online also means the competition for readers/viewers/listeners is higher, so brands have to be at the top of their game in terms of the type of con- tent they produce, the attractiveness of said content, and the impact that it has on audiences in a short space of time. It goes without saying that market- ing teams still need to have their finger on the pulse of all aspects of their overall strategy, and core tactics like consumer journey and lead generation remain cru- cial. But there’s a paradigm shift at play in the way consumers engage with com- panies. Marketing has always been about relationships, but we’re hitting a pivotal moment in how those relationships work; and brands must be willing to understand their customers, communicate with them, educate them, and entertain them. A brand of the future can ensure its survival and bolster its success by think- ing like a media company — because high-value media creates long-term, high-value relationships. “A BRAND OF THE FUTURE CAN ENSURE ITS SURVIVAL BY THINKING LIKE A MEDIA COMPANY” “HAVING A BIG NAME AMBASSADOR IS A NICE BONUS, BUT IT’S NOT A MUST-HAVE”34 C EO M I D D L E E A S T SEPTEMBER 202 1 HOSPITALITY Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to further fuel the recovery of the sector, with onsite sales of F&B products projected to rake in $545m during the six-month period MAKING A COMEBACK: THE UAE’S BRICK AND MORTAR F&B SECTOR BY JAMES MATHEWSEPTEMBER 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 35 HOSPITALITY fine-dine players need to upgrade their digital capabilities due to the increased industry challenges brought in as a result of the pandemic. “We have also seen the emergence of many food aggregators and cloud kitch- ens,” she says. Mahendra says the UAE was becom- ing a major hub for F&B trade in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with over 20,000 restaurants, and according to the UAE National Food Security Strategy 2051, the country has set a target of getting into the top 10 of the Global Food Security Index, achiev- ing economic returns of up to AED22bn in the food sector by this year. Mahendra, however, cautions that it may take another two years for the pandemic-battered brick and mortar F&B sector to regain its pre-pandemic prime position in the UAE. “While the occupancy rates for hotels [in the UAE] indicate that tourism is increasing, we may not see a real return to normal [for the F&B sector] for the next two years.” Mahendra says though the pandemic has hit the industry very badly, the play- ers who reacted with creativity and clever marketing could come out relatively unscathed. “[At Atelier] we worked on creat- ing and adding that extra emotional touch through delivery – whether it was handwritten notes, creative packaging or assurance of quality and handling. We wanted our clients to still be able to take an essence of in-dining in their home,” Mahendra says. But she warns that there is still no formula or sure shot action plan for the industry to beat another disruption like the pandemic, though restaurateurs were initially finding support in shar- ing ideas in open platforms to face the early Covid chaos. “There isn’t much you can prepare for except to maintain deep pockets for an emergency. You really just have to react,” she says. As for the importance of the forth- coming Dubai Expo, Mahendra says: “This event will offer large opportuni- ties in the F&B sector as the Expo is expected to host 25 million visits, with the estimated onsite sales of F&B products expected pegged at $545m during the six-month period.” “THERE IS SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT THE IN-RESTAURANT DINING EXPERIENCE THAT CAN NEVER BE REPRODUCED” THROUGH DELIVERY” he brick and mortar food and beverage (F&B) sector in the UAE is set for a strong come- back post-pandemic, with traditional formats getting replaced by newer and innovative concepts and entry of more experienced competitors, a sector expert predicted. The soon-to-be opened Expo 2020 Dubai is expected to further fuel the recovery of the sector, with onsite sales of F&B products projected to rake in $545m during the six-month period, which is estimated to see around 85,000 meals served per hour during the event. “There is something unique about the in-restaurant dining experience that can never be reproduced through delivery, though the ‘convenience’ factor will help the online players to continue to take a portion of the market share, as we are seeing glob- ally,” Panchali Mahendra, Dubai-based managing director of Atelier House, a hospitality advisory, development and operations management firm, tells CEO Middle East. “F&B has always been recognised as a highly competitive industry – it is for this reason that the UAE brick and mortar concepts may be replaced by newer, better [ones] or more experienced competitors – but will always have the opportunity to thrive,” adds Mahendra, who is the first woman in F&B and the hospitality industry to receive the UAE Golden Visa. However, Mahendra, who played a pivotal role in Atelier bringing the inter- nationally acclaimed Michelin star res- taurant Marea to Dubai, and launching an ethnic Indian brand Mohalla, says the T Global event. The Expo 2020 will offer large opportunities in the F&B sector Insight. Panchali Mahendra, managing director of Atelier House36 C EO M I D D L E E A S T SEPTEMBER 202 1 TIME | ROLEX s a senior leader with experience across a range of multinational and regional technology firms, what aspects of the future excite you most from a business application standpoint? Millennials lack patience and love spontaneous and fast interactive re- sponses. And as the largest generation in MENA, businesses today need to adopt technologies to assist them in promoting products and solutions more efficiently to exceed millennials’ expectations. 1. Digitising businesses through online communication: In theory, digitalisation leads to a more integrated, customer- centric approach across the board. As components of the business proposition change, digital transforma- tion provides new imperatives for communications leaders. 2. Interactive communication via preferred channels: Businesses should aim to integrate omnichannel technol- ogy (social media messaging apps, WhatsApp, voice, SMS, etc.) into their customer engagement — not only to improve communication with customers but also to enable employee-to-employ- ee networking and collaboration. 3. Automated marketing and engage- ment: Businesses should invest in a customer engagement hub for managing customer marketing campaigns and tai- loring communication for each customer to deliver that 1-on-1 personalised effect. What are some of the biggest – and most common – misconceptions you see about data? There’s a famous saying that ‘data is the new oil’. One of the most common misconceptions about data is that it is a ‘defined thing’. In my opinion, big data is extremely massive datasets that may be analysed computationally to uncover pat- terns, trends and connections, particu- larly in the context of human behaviour and relationships. With the right amount of data col- lected, you can personalise products and solutions as per the customers’ intent ‘AGILITY AND RESILIENCE ARE THE NAME OF THE GAME’ Hussein Malhas, VP of Revenue for MENA, Turkey and Pakistan at Infobip, discusses digital transformation strategy, data misconceptions and the next frontier for cloud growth BY RIAZ NAQVI A TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTSEPTEMBER 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 37 and desire – while, of course, taking into consideration all security measures and privacy policies in order to ethically utilise what is being collected. Thanks to the pandemic, companies big and small across MENA (and the world) were forced to accelerate digital transfor- mation programmes from last year. How did you handle this process at Infobip, both internally and through helping clients? Agility and resilience are the name of the game. The pandemic hit all sectors and businesses hard, but it definitely accelerated digital transformation (DT), mainly in the customer engagement domain. This situation pushed Infobip to diversify its portfolio of solutions and products. We managed to introduce perfect solutions to help businesses and customers thrive during and after the pandemic. For example, we introduced a full stack of SaaS solutions built around AI sphere; intelligent and multilingual chatbots; a digital contact centre; and a customer engagement hub, all through a single-omnichannel interface with easy integration of different channels such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Twit- ter, Google Business Messages and email. TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHT “WITH THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF DATA COLLECTED, YOU CAN PERSONALISE PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS AS PER THE CUSTOMERS’ INTENT AND DESIRE” Seamless operation. Infobip operates more than 41 data centres from across the world 12BN The number of transactions Infobip handles in one month Go on social media and it’s easy to see consumer frustration with automated cus- tomer service facilities in the region, par- ticularly those offered by banks. As aspects of the CX become increasingly automated, what role does the human play? What are these companies getting wrong? There is a learning and adoption phase attached to any change, regardless if it is automated or not! People’s frustration comes with complicated solutions, as automation should ease out and improve customer experience, not the other way around. Unfortunately, some customers choose to carry out the complicated track of DT. This is mainly apparent when dif- ferent departments in an organisation do not align their internal objectives in order to achieve a common goal. A good exam- ple would be an IT department making decisions on behalf of other stakeholders such as commercial or financial depart- ments on product use enablement. In your view, what sector is currently be- hind when it comes to cloud applications? Cloud applications come hand in hand with DT and AI adoption. While scal- ability and security are prerequisites in using clould applications. Interestingly enough, we have witnessed almost all sectors being indulged in automating a lot of requests related to onboarding, ordering, reservations, communication, aftersales, and many more. I wouldn’t say that any sector today is not adopting DT; however, I could probably say the speed of adoption differs between sectors. With e-commerce, fintech, and digital natives being at the forefront and other sectors like education and health are a bit lagging behind, unfortunately. “CLOUD APPLICATIONS COME HAND IN HAND WITH DT AND AI ADOPTION”TIME | ROLEX 38 C EO M I D D L E E A S T SEPTEMBER 202 1 THE ART OF TIME The success of Geneva Watch Days 2020 has encouraged its founding and associated brands to organise the event again this year with a very similar format: phygital, global, decentralised, self-managed and open to the public. Scheduled from August 30th to September 3rd, it will bring together a group of some 20 brands representing the art of horology in the world’s watchmaking capital. Here are some of the highlights of the event BY EDWARD LIAMZON LEISURE | TIMEPIECES TIMEPIECES SEPTEMBER 202 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 39 Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges This year marks the 230th anniversary of Girard-Perregaux. As part of its cel- ebrations, the Manufacture is revisiting its iconic models and releasing a number of new creations, often infused with a dose of modernity. The Tourbillon with Three Bridges is endowed with three NEO Bridges formed of pink gold, the fist time all the three Neo bridges have been made from this noble metal. A notable characteristic of this timepiece is that it plays with three dimensional forms, positioning various dial elements at different heights, a characteristic shared in common with some of the world’s finest architectural structures. “WE WANTED TO CREATE A WATCH THAT PROVIDES A BRIDGE TO OUR PAST BUT ALSO DEMONSTRATES OUR VISION OF THE FUTURE” – PATRICK PRUNIAUX, CEO OF GIRARD-PERREGAUX $151,000 Complexity. Girard-Perregaux Tourbillon with Three Flying Bridges H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Calendar In 2005, H. Moser & Cie. marked its return to Haute Horlogerie by revolu- tionising the perpetual calendar with the Perpetual 1. Distinctly minimalist and understated, to the non-expert eye, this movement simply looks like a calibre with three hands plus the date. Simple in appearance and yet so ingenious, it immediately earned its place as one of the Manufacture’s flagship products. In 2021, H. Moser & Cie. is innovating and revisiting this famous movement with its instantaneous date change function as a version featuring four central hands and a resolutely contemporary look. The Streamliner Perpetual Calendar has per- fectly rounded curves, evoking the very first high-speed trains from the Twenties and Thirties whose name it adopts. This watch is equipped with a steel cushion case measuring 42.3 mm in diameter and is water-resistant to 12 ATM. $55,000 Minimalist. H. Moser & Cie Streamliner Perpetual Calendar URWERK Electrum The UR-100 Electrum is the new edi- tion of URWERK’s 100 collection. This 25-piece edition hasa case made of an organic gold and palladium alloy. In addition to its sunny yellow colour, it features a structured, pleated and undu- lating surface. $68,000 Precious metal. URWERK ElectrumNext >