WOMAN LEADER 20 EQUITY
WOMAN LEADER in Jumeirah. “Thank God, my kids are at that age where they understand they need to get dressed on time, and do things by themselves,” she tells us. But it hasn’t always been a rosy path for Omaira, even though the Emirati-native – who grew up in California – is the poster child. She went through a divorce when her little ones were below the age of two, nonetheless, refused to be a victim of society. “People need to realise divorce isn’t taboo, and shouldn’t be shunned upon. The best thing to do is say you failed, and move on. We always beat ourselves down, thinking we spoiled our family's name, and the worst part is that children see that you are upset and then they reflect this and make the wrong choices too. It’s terrible,” she says. Instead of living in despair, Omaira invested all her savings in a home in Jumeirah Beach Residence, choosing an apartment on the Upper Plaza Level as she was afraid of heights – she was that determined to break society norms and make it – but ready to pave her own path. “I didn’t want to be a burden to my parents and move back home. I was blessed to be able to get my own place,” says Omaira. As fate would have it, she found love – her second husband – in her building elevator, giving this story the silver lining it deserves. It dawned on me, as we spoke, that Omaira was responsible for three girls (twins and a younger baby) below the age of two, at the time of divorce. That must have been a mission? I questioned. “You know, I firmly believe in asking for help when you need it. I hired night-service nannies, so that I could get great sleep and in turn, function properly at work,” she says. “I tell my students this all the time. It’s okay to ask for help, and to say you don’t know something and can’t do it anymore,” says Omaira, referring to her current role. When Omaira relocated to UAE, in 2001, she dove straight into the world of criminology. Pursuing her career for a few years, before joining the Criminal Frauds section at Dubai Holding and Nakheel. While at the job, she We used to work in the same building as HH Sheikh Mohammed, and I remember him talking to us about how UAE nationals are lucky they are given jobs because they are citizens. It’s true. Nowhere else in the world we get this opportunity, yet we take it for granted realised that the UAE nationals were always bored out of their mind at training sessions. “We had these amazing tutors from England, the States, India, and they were extremely skilled, but somehow the nationals weren’t interested,” she tells me. Omaira soon found out that it was due to a lack of a connection, and that these tutors didn’t understand the nationals or their character. “My peers said I understood them better because of my Western upbringing. The fact that I was used to their culture.” In 2011, Omaira took matters into her hands, knowing that UAE nationals had great potential and could succeed in the workplace, with a bit of guidance. “I went to the Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders with my idea of opening a training company. I saw the niche and what was needed for UAE nationals to achieve things and become confident in their work,” says Omaira. Currently, she works with 2,000 students a year, training them to understand work ethics, change their mindset, the importance of work culture, responsibility and accountability – things they can’t learn in a textbook. The programs depend on the capacity of the national, however banks usually hire her for a period of time. United Arab Bank did so for one year, to train 15 nationals – from junior level positions to managerial – to grow from Point A to B. She has also worked with CitiBank, Emirates NBD – to train 200 nationals – Emirates Islamic Bank, and DEWA, to name a few organizations. While the focus is primarily on nationals, Omaira’s team work with expats too. “They have great work ethics. However, they sometimes think their job is on the line and that they can lose it to a national. We make them understand that if they are great at what they do and bring value to the company, they won’t. Likewise, if they offer guidance to these UAE nationals, they will move up a tier, while the nationals replace them. It’s a win-win situation for both,” she says. 21 EQUITY