Equity Mag Feb_18 Book Folder

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.
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EQUITY