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SAMTECH
Corporate partners
KIMOHA
Attracting Investors
How to build your equity story Pg 68
MEPCO GULF
SME Achievers
A journey towards excellence Pg 33
Issue 7 April 2012 - May 2012 Price: AED10
Gives your business an unfair advantage
The No.1 Platform of Business Leaders
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ANNIVERSARY ISSUE
PARAMOUNT
The Art of Focus
It’s all in the details Pg 72

11 Rare & Fabulous
Success is a destination. Have you arrived?
16 ‘Passion is essential for success’
Sultan Mahmood, CEO of So-Safe Water Technologies,
explains how a niche product guarantees success to an
entrepreneur.
18 Announcements
Important updates you might have missed.
22 Lower your payment risk
Western Union’s cross border solution for SMEs.
23 A winning business idea
Du’s new reality show, aims to seed UAE entrepreneurs.
Contents
84
33
26
APRIL - MAY- 2012
26 Knowledge is power
How does executive education affect the productivity
and efficiency of an organisation?
30 EMBA – Investing in your growth
Executive education, an investment for those who want
to climb the corporate ladder quickly.
33 SME Achievers
The top 100 SME companies are a privileged crowd.
64 Reaching out to the SME sector
Dubai SME has started preparing the Dubai SME 100
companies for better growth prospects in the future.
68 How to build your equity story
The needs and expectations of equity investors looking
to invest in SMEs.
70 Concepts for a lifetime of business
Zed Ayesh highlights some ways of managing resources
efficiently.
72 What is the art of focus?
Businesses must focus on what matters. John Lincoln
highlights why averages are a fallacy.
74 Driving enterprise performance
Strategic planning and enterprise performance will drive
sustainability of SMEs in the long run.

88
80
76 A simple SME productivity booster
Process documentation serves in efficiently managing
company operations.
78 Better safe than sorry
A safe work culture and care for environment leads to a
brighter future.
80 Safeguard your wealth
If you have spent years making money, it is logical that you
must pass on your assets to inheritors of your choice.
82 ‘Regulations key to investor confidence’
Farah Zafar comments on the real estate scenario in the
UAE and the GCC.
84 Managing stress
Managing workplace stress is neither complicated nor
expensive.
88 Connecting business and relationships
Close deals faster with good quality referrals.
91 Setting goals for success
Setting and achieving goals helps lead a better
professional and personal life.
92 Are you a diehard optimist?
Anesh Jagtiani makes a case for diehard optimists
on the road to success.
98 Let’s get social
112 Events calendar
114 Summing up
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Chief Executive Officer
& Publisher
Shantanu A.P
Account Director
Vijay G.
Editor
Sandhya Divakaran
Consulting Editor
Utpal Bhattacharya
Expert Contributors
John Lincoln
Phil Bedford
Anesh Jagtiani
Farrukh Naeem
Zed Ayesh
Dr.Sameer Kumar
Nita Maru
Corrina Cross
Carole Spiers
Amal Noureldin
Dr. Edward Roderick
Ehsan Razavizadeh
V. Ramkumar
Vinayak Doddihal
Shraddha Barot Amariei
Art Director
Aneesh Varghese
Web Designer
Hoze M
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Editor’s Note
This issue is a milestone for The Intelligent SME
team. We started this magazine last year in April,
with a motto: to enable, enlighten and engage
SMEs. Working towards this cause has given us many
insights into the workings of the SME sector, and we are
thankful for the many inputs given by various quarters
of the industry pool.
One year later, here we are, enriched with experience, and more than
ready to take on new challenges and rise to new heights: the ultimate
objective is to be able to create a perfect channel for information sharing
for the SME community in the country. We have always sought to bring
to the fore the spirit of entrepreneurship in our publication, as the one
common thread that binds all the different verticals of the sector.
As a publication, we take pride in being part of the changes that the Dubai
SME is bringing to the sector in the emirate, especially the Dubai SME
100 rankings, which has celebrated entrepreneurs in Dubai. In terms of
visibility and exposure, these companies have received a lot of attention,
which is a sign of confidence with their clientele. We have sincerely
tried to get to know this group of fast growing companies in this edition,
and believe that they are special in the way they have overcome various
challenges, turning these into opportunities and achieving phenomenal
growth.
These are defining times for the region’s SME sector, as stakeholder and
partners, including governments and financial institutions, among others,
are coming together to help the SME sector to boost their performance.
We hope to cover these developments in more details going forward. As
always, we welcome your feedback. Write to us at editor@spiholding,
and let’s communicate!
Sandhya Divakaran
Disclaimer: SPI Publishing has endeavoured to bring out a publication that is reliable and
informative. This is true to the best of our knowledge. The opinions presented are those
of individual writers and not necessarily endorsed by SPI Publishing. The content in this
magazine is protected by copyright law and is copyright to SPI Publishing unless credited
otherwise, and may not be copied, reproduced or republished for any commercial purpose
or financial gain.

TRAVELLING IS NOT JUST GOING FROM
ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER.
Each moment spent in a Meliá Hotel evokes a sense of our unique brand of
hospitality built around you.
The journey is in every sensation, in every detail that surprises you, in every
person that shows you something new. Because traveling is a feeling, we ask
that you savour every moment and allow it to linger for a lifetime. It’s not our job,
it is our passion. Welcome to Meliá.
The Meliá experience coming soon to Dubai.

S U C C E S S I S A D E S T I N AT I O N
H AV E YO U A R R I V E D ?
WATCHES YACHTS DESIGNER JEWELLERY BOUTIQUE REAL ESTATE GADGETS EXOTIC DESTINATIONS FINE DINING

Rare & Fabulous
A work of art
I nnovative in form and function, RIM and Porsche’s new product the Porsche Design P’9981 Smartphone is a work of art.
Attitude is the name of the game here, with a stainless steel frame, a majestic QWERTY keyboard and 2.8 inch touch
screen, 5 MP camera, HD video recording (720p) capability, 4X digital zoom, flash, face detection and image stabilisation and
geo-tagging along with a whole bag of other features. The smartphone also boasts a 1.2GHz processor, HD video recording
capabilities, 8GB of onboard memory, Liquid Graphics technology, a microSD expansion slot, an inbuilt NFC module and
BlackBerry OS 7.
12 The Intelligent SME

Intimate, serene Viceroy Maldives
Viceroy Hotel Group has launched the Viceroy
Maldives, an intimate 61-villa island resort, set on the
archipelago’s pristine Vagaru Island.
Each of the resort’s luxury beachfront or water villas
are nestled on the white sand beachfront or set directly on
the turquoise sea. Private plunge pools, ensuite baths and
generous outdoor areas in each villa allow for optimal privacy
and superior comfort in an awe-inspiring setting.
Viceroy Maldives feature some of the most spacious
accommodations in the Maldives, ranging from 1,300 sq feet
to 3,000 sq feet.
The resort’s fine dining options offer everything from
casual beachside cuisine to fine dining Italian fare.
Those looking to relax and rejuvenate can enjoy
indulgent spa treatments at the resort’s over-water spa
villas, which will include seven treatment suites for
individuals as well as couples.
Natural elements such as the sun, sea and
Maldivian culture will be infused into holistic
treatments, allowing guests to achieve an ultimate
sense of well-being and healing. Ayurvedic treatment
experiences and yoga classes will all be offered as part
of the programme at The Spa at Viceroy Maldives. Visit
www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/maldives
Rare & Fabulous
The Intelligent SME
13

Rare & Fabulous
14 The Intelligent SME
Alfie’s by
dunhill
A lfie’s, the contemporary and
elegant British bar, lounge and
restaurant by dunhill is the latest
addition to the Boulevard at Jumeirah
Emirates Towers. Situated alongside
the dunhill store, Alfie’s Dubai is
the third restaurant joining Alfie’s
Shanghai and Alfie’s Hong Kong.
Reflecting dunhill’s appreciation
of the finest lifestyle experiences, the
classic London interior style reflects
a masculine and elegant design. The
signature surroundings are defined by
comfort coupled with a contemporary
feel that entices people to spend time,
whether for business or pleasure.
Taking up his new challenge in
Dubai, Christopher Driver, Chef de
Cuisine at Alfies, is passionate about
British cuisine and brings a wealth of
cooking and leadership experience to
his role.
A menu of British classics
epitomised by the finest quality
ingredients, dining takes on a new
meaning at Alfie’s. A place to dine,
socialise and network, the tempting
menu has been designed with a fresh
interpretation of British fare to offer
breakfast, lunch and dinner in a
welcoming atmosphere.
Timings: 12.00 noon to 1.00am.
For enquiries contact Restaurant
Reservations at Jumeirah Emirates
Towers, 04 3198088.

Blue Marlin Ibiza celebrates its UAE
opening in style
A weekend of beach, sun, celebrities and international entertainment
The UAE saw the opening of one
more internationally acclaimed
beach club- the award winning Blue
Marlin Ibiza, at the Golden Tulip Al
Jazira Hotel and resort on Ghantoot
Island. The opening was dotted by
the who’s who of the international jet
setting crowd and the UAE glitterati
at the two-day extravaganza.
An architectural haven
surrounded by white canopies and
contrasting clear turquoise waters,
the club spreads over two floors, with
relaxed beach vibe entertainment.
Together with a pristine beach for
sunbathing and relaxation, guests can
also chose from large circular beds,
VIP areas around the DJ booth, and
a sea of plush cushions, whether on
the terrace or hidden near shades of
rustling trees, to truly chill out.
Throughout the day VIPs and
celebrities alike could choose from
a selection of dining areas and menu
options, those who chose to chill
out by the pool can enjoy a selection
of snacks, salads and large array of
mains and sandwiches, including
wagyu, tuna and seafood. Blue Marlin
Ibiza UAE is an ideal weekend escape
for all generations- a hideaway that
takes you from day to night at an
all-day lifestyle destination. The
beach club offers its members an
experience of different advantages,
by also being the first private location
in the UAE to provide additional
access by yacht, through its private
marina, and by helicopter.
Contact +971 561133400
or e-mail reservation@
bluemarlinibiza-uae.com
Rare & Fabulous
The Intelligent SME
15

Meet the CEO
‘Passion is essential
for success’
JD: How did So-Safe Water
Technologies come into being?
SM: It was 1988. At the time water
filters were not popular, yet I realised
that there was a lot of demand for
such filters. It boiled down to the
fact that people never used filters
for drinking, cooking, or even
laundry. More primitive methods
like boiling or filtering with a cloth
were common practices in those
days. However, scientific research
proved that such methods were
ineffective and did not guarantee
adequate removal of germs and
microorganisms.
So-Safe Water Technologies was
then launched to fill this niche, and we
began importing water filters from the
US. Today, while our head office is in
the UAE, our products are distributed
in more than 60 countries. Our global
workforce is nearly 500 employees.
JD: What were the challenges you
faced in those days, and how did you
overcome them?
SM: The biggest challenge at that
time was the lack of awareness
16 The Intelligent SME
Successful entrepreneurs always offer a
niche product with local demand. Jan
D’Sa spoke with one such business owner,
Sultan Mahmood, CEO of So-Safe Water
Technologies.
amongst consumers, and gaining
trust. We started focusing on
educating our clients through
frequent meetings and product
demonstrations, which then helped
them understand the benefits of
purifying water.
Another major challenge was
installation, which was not only
labour-intensive (we needed a
dedicated team of plumbers to install
these units) but also time consuming.
Later on, we introduced DIY kits
that enabled clients to install these
systems. This proved to be successful
and helped us gain volume orders.
JD: What aspect of water
technologies do you specialise in?
SM: We began by introducing simple
dirt and sediment removal filters. We
became the first to introduce multistage
purifiers that could also remove
chlorine and organic chemicals
as well as improve the taste of the
water. To treat bacteria and viruses,
we introduced Ultraviolet sterilisers
that remove 99.99 per cent disease
causing pathogens from water.
As water consumption has risen
globally, the quality of water has
also deteriorated. Hardness and TDS
(total dissolved salts) levels have
increased posing a lot of health as
well as lifestyle problems. People do
not only suffer from kidney stones,
dehydration and other problems, but
also spend more heating their water
due to scaling problems caused by
hard chemicals. Reverse osmosis and
softening systems help solve these
problems and provide water that is
light and great tasting.
Recently, we introduced
Santéo, a mineral water purifier
that incorporates the latest in water
treatment technologies, giving
healthy and pure mineral water in
homes and offices. What makes it
unique is the flexibility to alter the
taste or mineral content of the water
to suit an individual’s dietary needs or
taste buds, while keeping the essential
minerals intact. It incorporates all
the necessary safety measures in its
compact, accessible, and attractive
design.
Santéo is an outcome of six
years of our research, developed in
partnership with vendors from the
US, Europe, Korea and Taiwan.

JD: What is it about Dubai that has
always attracted you? Do you think
that it will remain the business hub of
the Middle East?
SM: The UAE is a developed
market with very well established
infrastructure and a multicultural
outlook. Being in Dubai over the
years has helped us gain access to
numerous new markets around the
world. However, while Dubai is still
growing, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are
becoming relatively more attractive
for manufacturing companies due
to lower costs and government
incentives.
JD: There seems to be lot more
contenders in the market with water
technologies nowadays. How do you
keep ahead of the game?
SM: I have firmly believed that
quality stands out, and we will
always have its niche amongst quality
conscious consumers. Low quality
products are available everywhere,
but they are not safe to use and they
don’t last long due to substandard raw
materials and poor quality. Because
water purifiers directly affect people’s
health and lifestyle, we have never
compromised on the quality of our
raw materials or components in our
purifiers. This ensures better retention
and establishes an invaluable trust
and loyalty towards our brand.
JD: Where does So-Safe technology
currently stand amongst the sea of
companies promoting green products
and technologies?
SM: Even though the trend of “going
green” or “eco-friendly” has recently
started gaining momentum, saving
the environment has been at the core
of our business from the beginning.
Most people do not realise
that bottled water has an enormous
carbon footprint, and purifiers are
the ideal alternatives from both
health and environmental point of
view. Purifiers help reduce waste by
saving power used in manufacturing
of plastic bottles, save water wasted
during production, reduce fossil fuel
emissions from transportation and
distribution, and protect our deserts
and oceans from ever increasing
pollution. From our research, we
found that a small plastic bottle takes
up to 1,000 years to biodegrade, yet
an average UAE resident indirectly
disposes up to 500 of these bottles in
our landfills every year.
At So-Safe, we focus on
educating our consumers about the
health and environmental hazards
related to water, and have
recently launched more
eco-friendly alternatives that could
save electricity.
JD: So-Safe is a family business.
Comment.
SM: While So-Safe is a family owned
business, we have a decentralised
structure, which is run like a
professional organisation. As owners,
we help define strategic goals and
vision for our business, and have a
talented team of professionals who
put our plans to action.
JD: Where do you see So-Safe in five
years time?
SM: We want to continue expanding
in this region and maintain our market
leadership by offering innovative
drinking water purifiers as well as
point of entry solutions.
There is an incredible potential
for centralised whole house purifiers
in this region and we are at the
forefront of tapping this market. Our
recently launched Apollo
water purification system, targeting
villas and apartments, offers great
benefits to local residents, at a
very affordable cost. People often
complain of hair loss or hard, dirty
water from their taps, and they use
the same unfiltered water to brush
their teeth every day. Apollo gives
crystal clear pure water in every tap.
It transforms their shower experience
by removing impurities and harsh
chemicals from the water, and
protects their skin and hair. It also
keeps the clothes soft during laundry,
keeps the fixtures, crockery and floor
tiles shiny, and avoids scratches on
the car surface while washing.
JD: Tell us more about the Turn to
Tap campaign.
SM: The Turn to Tap campaign is an
awareness initiative from
So-Safe targeting schools, hospitals,
government and private organisations
by offering switch solutions to filtered
tap water. This will not only help
them save money every month, but
will also give fresh, purified water
24/7 all year round. We are planning
to conduct seminars, and participate
in local awareness campaigns to help
spread knowledge about the growing
water problems of our region.
JD: If there is one thing you can
share with budding entrepreneurs and
SMEs about business, what would
that be?
SM: All businesses can be profitable.
However, my advice to entrepreneurs
would be, to never compromise
on quality, avoid short cuts to hard
work, and look for gradual progress.
They should also remember to select
products or business ideas that have
local demand and international
potential. Above all, it is important
to be passionate from the heart about
their business.
Meet the CEO
The Intelligent SME
17

Announcements
Updates you might have missed
Young entrepreneurs rewarded AED200,000
Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum with Sami Al Qamzi, director general,
Dubai Department of Economic Development and Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Dubai SME at a
ceremony to honour the best projects in the Young Entrepreneur Competition 2012.
Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
honoured the top 100 projects and the
best 10 participating in the Young
Entrepreneur Competition 2012
organised by Dubai SME, the agency
of the Department of Economic
Development mandated to develop
the SME sector.
18 The Intelligent SME
Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman
of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority
has announced AED200, 000 in
financial rewards to the best 10
projects in the competition, selected
based on a set of criteria ranging
from their commitment to rules of
the competition and regulations,
120 days hassle-free licence by end of 2012
Mohammed Shael, CEO, Business
Registration and Licensing Division, DED.
The Department of Economic
Development (DED) will
implement the ‘120 days hasslefree
license’ initiative, aimed to
give businesses in Dubai a head
start and promote the emirate’s
competitiveness, by the end of 2012.
The initiative, being implemented
under the directives of H.H Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
UAE Vice President and Prime
Minister and Ruler of Dubai, will
simplify procedures and facilitate
business in Dubai.
“Dubai being a hub, various
categories of businesses
choose to set up in the emirate for
faster growth and market access. The
120-days licence is part of DED’s
efforts to enable businesses to make
full use of the advantages of Dubai
and improve the emirate’s ranking
in the Doing Business Report of
the World Bank,” said Mohammed
Shael, chief executive officer of the
Business Registration and Licensing
Division at DED.
The new initiative will allow
investors to have their licences issued
immediately from DED, depending
on the risk factors of the intended
business activity. Business activities
in Dubai have been categorised
as no-risk, low-risk and high-risk
marketing, customer service,
operations, and other factors such as
innovations and sustainability.
Earlier, Sheikh Hamdan Bin
Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Crown Prince of Dubai, had
announced AED2 million in financial
rewards to the top 100 projects in
YEC 2012, wherein each project will
receive AED20,000.
The Young Entrepreneur
Competition was launched by Dubai
SME as part of its commitment to the
vision of H.H Sheikh Mohammed
Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice
President and Prime Minister and
Ruler of Dubai, to sow the seeds of
entrepreneurship among the younger
generations at a very early age.
Nurturing business skills among
the youth also aligns with Dubai
SME’s mandate to develop the
SME sector.
for the sake of evaluating the risk
component.
“The categorisation depends
on four main risk factors, evaluated
on the basis of whether the business
activity is harmful to human
beings, animal life, plants, or the
environment. When a businessman
approaches DED for a licence, a
120-day licence is issued
immediately, on completion of the
necessary procedures, if the specific
business activity falls under the norisk
or low-risk categories,” explained
Shael. The 120 days licence allows
the businessman to start his business
immediately and complete the rest
of the licensing requirements, such
as approvals from other government
authorities concerned, within the next
120-days. Government authorities
are entitled to ensure full compliance
of the licence holder to the licence
criteria on day 121.

Updates you might have missed
Takaful Emarat launches capital protected fund
Caption (From L-R): Adel Ateeq, senior vice president and head of asset management, Riyad Capital;
Dr. Khalid Saqer Khalfan Al Marri, chairman of the board, Takaful Emarat Insurance; Ghassan
Marrouche, CEO, Takaful Emarat Insurance at a press conference held recently in Dubai.
Takaful Emarat has joined forces
with Saudi Arabia’s Riyad
Capital to launch a new
Shari’ah-compliant, capital-protected
global equity investment fund called
Takaful Emarat Capital
Protected Fund.
Ghassan Marrouche, CEO,
Takaful Emarat, said at a press event:
“With this new saving opportunity,
we are fulfilling our commitment
to the market. Joining with Riyad
Capital makes perfect sense as
it shares our values, and as the
RED to acquire stake in The Entertainer
Riyada Enterprise Development
(RED), Abraaj Capital’s high growth
small and mid-cap (SMC) investment
platform, announced its intent to
acquire a 50 per cent stake in The
Entertainer, a boutique consumer
services company offering discount
vouchers for a variety of quality
merchants, including top restaurants,
hotels, spas and entertainment outlets.
RED’s investment will enable
The Entertainer to strengthen its
operations in existing markets,
expand its footprint into new
geographies and execute a strategy
to enable customers to buy and use
the vouchers over digital mediums
and mobile networks. Commenting
on the transaction, Tom Speechley,
chief executive officer, Riyada
Enterprise Development said: “We
believe that this investment will
serve to accelerate The Entertainer’s
expansion, not only in the Middle
East and North Africa (MENA)
region, but also in Asia where there
are tremendous growth opportunities.
Today, the US discount voucher
market, serving a population of just
over 300 million, is estimated to be
worth US$4.5 billion annually. By
comparison, the MENA market, with
a nearly identical population size, is
currently in the very early stages of
its development.“
“This indicates to us the scale
of the opportunity for the sector and
particularly for The Entertainer,
which is the region’s market leader,”
he added.
investment arm of Riyad Bank, its
credentials speak for themselves. Our
product offerings are always based
on the market needs.High inflation,
uncertainty on investment returns and
risk on capital loss are the key areas
of concerns when it comes to saving
for individuals.”
The Fund is designed to be a
long-term saving venture with a high
degree of capital protection that may
be exercised at any valuation.
The new Capital Protected Fund
offers 90 per cent of the highest net
asset value protected at all time. It
is a global fund and is linked to the
performance of selected Shari’ahcompliant
stocks, chosen for their
high cash flow and low debt to
equity ratio.
Participation in the fund is
offered to Takaful Emarat’s new and
existing plan holders of Education,
Whole life and Wealth Plans.
Tom Speechley, chief executive officer, Riyada
Enterprise Development.
Announcements
The Intelligent SME
19

Announcements
Updates you might have missed
DIB’s award-winning service
Musabbah Al Qaizi, head of Electronic Banking Services, DIB,
receives the award for ‘Best Structured Product’ at a ceremony
held recently in Dubai.
French survey indicates optimism in UAE
Yolande Pineda, FBC director
According to the results of a 2012
survey, there are grounds for
strongly growing optimism amongst
20 The Intelligent SME
Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) won two awards at the recently held
Banker Middle East Product Awards 2012 in Dubai. The bank
won the awards for the ‘Best Distance Banking Service’ and ‘Best
Structured Product’ categories.
DIB was recognised in the ‘Best Distance Banking Service’ for
its electronic banking services, which is available through a range
of platforms such as the new Al Islami Online Banking and the Al
Islami Mobile service.
The Bank also received the award for ‘Best Structured Product’
for its Islamic certificate linked to the Deutsche Bank Liquid
Commodities Apex Index. The Shari’ah-compliant certificate offers
investors an opportunity to invest in commodity markets while
benefiting from diversification across investment strategies.
the French business community in
the UAE. Strong trading performance
is driving business confidence and
stimulating further investment
and recruitment in response to an
anticipated acceleration in business
growth in the region over the next
three years.
The French business community
in the UAE, represented by the
French Business Council Dubai
and Northern Emirates and French
Business Group Abu Dhabi, has
announced the results of its survey
on business confidence amongst its
combined membership. The growing
levels of confidence are based on
Dubai Exports targets GCC, Africa and Europe
Dubai Exports, the export promotion agency of the
Dubai Department of Economic Development, will
attend major international exhibitions in 2012 as part
of its strategic objective of focusing on key sectors and
potential markets.
The anchor events were identified through extensive
research into the capabilities of the emirate and
interactions with Dubai Exports’ members. The events
will largely focus on the food and beverages, plastic paper
packaging, and constructions and construction materials
strong sales performance in the GCC
- and especially the UAE and Saudi
Arabia - during 2011.
FBC director, Yolande
Pineda, said: “These very positive
survey findings and practical
recommendations are especially
welcome as we prepare to celebrate
25 years of the FBC in 2012.
Despite all the regional and global
uncertainty, French business has a
solid belief in the UAE and is looking
to build long-term commitments
through investment, and this is a great
testament to the government and
its work to help attract and support
French companies.”
sectors, and enable local exports to target fast-growing
markets in Europe, Africa, the CIS and the GCC.
“Dubai Exports closes in on the best and most
needed exposure for local exporters based on inputs from
our Export Market Intelligence and Exporter Services
Department. The focus is on enabling local exporters
to be present in strategic markets and be among the
first to establish contacts with potential customers,”
said Mohammed Al Kamali, director of Export Market
Development at Dubai Exports.

Business updates
Cross-border payment
solution for UAE SMEs
Western Union Business Solution is a new service that
facilitates payments in 140 currencies, while minimising and
lowering payment risks. A TIS report.
Western Union has
announced the launch
of a service that gives
SMEs in the UAE a
new way to make fast and reliable
cross-border payments in
more than 140 currencies. The
service allows SMEs to make fast
account-to-account payments while
improving their cash flow, managing
currency fluctuation risk and
receiving competitive exchange rates.
Western Union
Business Solutions,
a subsidiary of
Western Union, will
offer the service
through Emirates
International
Exchange.
Jonathan Knaus,
vice president,
agent sales and
implementation,
Western Union
Business Solutions,
said: “The growth and sustainability
of SMEs is a critical component of the
UAE’s dynamic economic expansion.
But when it comes to cross-border
payments, SMEs have generally
been underserved. Western Union
Business Solutions understands this
market and SMEs’ needs for
cross-border regulatory and
compliance expertise, multiple
currency settlement options and
broad availability, which we are
able to offer through Emirates
International Exchange.”
Traditionally known for its
consumer-to-consumer payment
22 The Intelligent SME
services, Western Union entered the
SME cross-border payment space
with the 2009 acquisition of Custom
House and the subsequent acquisition
of Travelex Global Business
Payments in 2011. Speaking at the
launch event, Prrasad Katta, regional
director- MEA, Western Union
Business Solutions, said: “According
to The World Bank’s Doing Business
Report 2012, the UAE has been
the leading country in the MENA
region for enabling cross-border
trade for three consecutive years.
This is a direct result of the sustained
efforts and investments by the UAE
government to create an environment
that encourages entrepreneurs and
SMEs to trade across borders. In
order for that trend to continue, SMEs
need a fast, reliable and convenient
cross-border payment mechanism,
which hasn’t been readily available to
them until now.”
He also added that the product
would offer modernised payment
solutions to SMEs with minimum
fluctuation risks. The payment
solution offers online tracking facility
as well. The charge per transaction is
AED40.
Humaid Mohammed Shattaf,
chairman and managing partner,
Emirates International Exchange,
added: “We have shared a strong
relationship with Western Union in
the UAE over the last seven years,
offering customers their core service
of money transfer and remittance.
The opportunity and need for such
a payment solution
is tremendous, and
we are certain that
this new product will
definitely help SMEs
in the UAE to benefit
through convenient,
fast and reliable
payments.”
The launch event
was followed by a
gala dinner, where
the chief guest of the
evening was Abdul
Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME,
an agency of Dubai Department
of Economic Development.
Highlighting on the recent Dubai
SME 100, he said: “The Dubai SME
100 ranking will indeed provide
new opportunities - both in terms of
markets and development - for the
SMEs. SMEs in and outside the rank
will want to find out how others ’do
it’ and learn from the best practices. It
will also create market opportunities
for our SMEs through networks
and linkages.” He said SMEs would
benefit from services provided by
agencies, such as Western Union.

A winning business idea
“The Entrepreneur,” a reality TV show by Du, aims to seed UAE
entrepreneurs with a multi-million dirham investment package.
Hala Badri, executive vice president, brand and communications, du, Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO,
Dubai SME, Muna Easa Al Gurg, director, retail, Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group, Nisreen Shocair,
president, Virgin Megastore Middle East and Yogesh Mehta, managing partner, Petrochem Middle
East and other dignitaries at the launch of The Entrepreneur.
To foster new ideas in
business, du, a UAE
telecommunications
company, is set to launch a
reality TV show to give entrepreneurs
throughout the UAE an opportunity
to turn their business ideas into reality
by offering financial and professional
support.
Titled “The Entrepreneur,”
the show intends to empower
entrepreneurs to venture into creating
new businesses in a sustainable
manner. Conceptualised by du,
the show is aimed at both existing
ventures that need investment
for growth as well as high impact
business ideas requiring start-up
capital.
“The Entrepreneur” is to air
on Dubai One, a part of Dubai
Media Incorporated, the exclusive
broadcaster and du has commissioned
the internationally acclaimed
Sony Pictures Television Arabia
as the producer of the show. “The
Entrepreneur” will consist of eight
episodes of 30 minutes duration
aired in the third quarter of 2012.
Ten entrepreneurs will qualify for
the show, of which the winner will
receive AED1 million in cash and
professional services worth AED1
million.
Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO,
Dubai SME, Muna Easa Al Gurg,
director, retail, Easa Saleh Al Gurg
Group, Nisreen Shocair, president,
Virgin Megastore Middle East and
Yogesh Mehta, managing partner,
Petrochem Middle East will comprise
the evaluating judges of the show.
Unveiling the show, Hala Badri,
executive vice president, brand and
In the final episode, only one deserving
winner will walk away with AED1 Million in
cash plus professional services and support
towards their business, worth another
AED1 million.
communications, du, said: “We are
convinced there are many good ideas
out there which needs to be heard
and, which needs to be promoted.
The UAE is brimming with fantastic
entrepreneurial talent which just
needs a platform to take it to the next
level.’The Entrepreneur’ aims to
empower and support the new breed
of UAE entrepreneurs that build new
enterprises, which are innovative,
sustainable and, most importantly,
contribute meaningfully towards the
social development of communities.
This truly is a once in a lifetime
opportunity, and for those with big
dreams, I would say- go for it!”
Interested applicants can visit
www.theentrepreneur.ae for more
information.
Highlights
The competition is open to all
UAE residents that have registered
companies and are above 18 years.
NGOs, societies, and associations
are also welcome to submit their
innovative business ideas.
Shortlisted contestants from
across the country will be invited to
participate in an audition day where
they will be required to pitch their
ideas, product or business to the
judges.
After the final round of auditions
only the 10 best contestants will be
selected to be on the show and they
will battle it out in the final round of
challenges.
In the final episode, only one
deserving winner will walk away
with AED1 million in cash plus
professional services and support
towards their business.
Business updates
The Intelligent SME
23

Executive education
Knowledge is power
How does executive education in the UAE affect the productivity
and efficiency of an organisation? Jan D’Sa investigates.
The UAE has seen an influx
of business schools and
training centres that offer
tailor-made academic
programmes for senior level
executives over the years. While
they may be non-credit applicable,
they are meant to help organisations
increase capability and proficiency of
their executives, for the betterment of
organisations.
The first ever study on executive
education in the Middle East region
was conducted in March 2011 by
Dubai International Academic City
and its academic partner, Manchester
Business School (MBS). Through
the study, titled The GCC Market
for Executive Education, it is
estimated that 500 human resources
professionals and senior managers
across various sectors in the GCC
were involved. The objectives of
26 The Intelligent SME
the research were to help identify
skill gaps that exist in the workforce,
what impact the recession had
on training budgets, what the
companies’ perception was of return
on investment (ROI) and what their
expectations were from executive
education (EE) providers.
At the launch of the study, Dr.
Ayoub Kazim, managing director,
TECOM Investments Education
Cluster said, “A full-fledged
evaluation to understand the needs of
the market was a missing component,
particularly with development
budgets shrinking and organisations
becoming more selective and
conscious of returns on investment.”
MBS, which has been open since
2006 in Dubai Knowledge Village, is
one such business school that focuses
on organisations that are interested
in developing and furthering their
productivity and efficiency. Randa
Bessiso, director-Middle East,
MBS, says: “We have seen Dubai
and TECOM emerge as a regional
hub for higher education and this
has continued to attract more global
institutions, so the supply side has
developed strongly.”
“Along with the greater
integration of the region into the
global economy and the rise of large
regional organisations, the need to
attract and retain high quality staff
has never been greater. This has led
to a rise in the level of interest in
executive education and, in 2011,
MBS undertook a regional survey
(with the support of TECOM) of the
market for executive education in
the GCC, the results of which were
shared with the community,” Bessiso
adds.
MBS has since launched its new
portfolio of executive education
programmes for senior level
executives.
Rise of executive education
Executive education
programmes have always been in
existence. In the US alone, executive
education has become a US$800
million annual business in itself,
according to online sources. In the
UAE, the days when executives were
flown outside the UAE to undertake
training are now few and far between.
The rise of global universities and
training centres has made it easy
for executives to attend training
right here in the UAE. Apart from
business schools such as MBS, Hult
Business International School, SP
Jain School of Global Management
and INSEAD in Abu Dhabi that
offer open enrollment programmes

Executive education
or company specific programmes, was more on big names and a ‘good’ Business School publications
many universities now have their experience with little follow-up or (Michael Dell and the late Steve Jobs
own executive training centres. For transfer of learning to the workplace. have benefitted from CEO Clubs
example, the Centre for Executive Since 2008, there has been a much membership, according to the MBS
Programmes and Professional
stronger link between learning
study). Iyad Mourtada, CIA, CMA,
Services is the business arm of the and improving performance of the CFE, owner of OpenThinking, is a
American University in Dubai.
individual and the organisation. The firm believer in training that spreads
Whilst the Abu Dhabi University drivers for this mind shift were
across two-three months as opposed
Knowledge group hosts the Institute fundamentally economic - fewer
to intense two-three workshops
for Executive Development, Institute people handling multiple roles meant where executives are unable to digest
for Vocational Development,
everyone has to be able to contribute information. According to him, most
and Institute for Continuing
fully; smaller training budgets meant of the companies are looking for more
Development, there is no scarcity of a focus on ROI rather than the number specialised and localised training
business training centres in Dubai of training days conducted; the
right here in the UAE.
Knowledge Village.
imperative nature of ‘nationalisation’
The MBS study indicates that
City & Guilds Group is seen
required meaningful, structured
there is a high preference for most
as the UK’s leading and prestigious development of competence not just companies to have their EE providers
qualification awarding body that
knowledge.”
based in the country where their
offers hundreds of vocational
The partnership between the
business is situated.
qualifications across varied industries CEO’s Club UAE in Dubai and
through approved global learning and OpenThinking’s state-of-the-art
Preferred skill sets
development providers. According to learning centre allows high quality
The study highlighted that the
Amanda Kelleher, regional manager, interactive business programmes to top skill sets had leadership, business
Figure 29: Preferred location of executive education provider by sector
City & Guilds Group, “Executive be delivered to the members of the planning and strategy being the
education has shifted radically since CEO’s club UAE based on Wiley, most important, with international
2008. Prior to that date, the focus
Pfeiffer, Capstone and Harvard
business, negotiation, finance, and
The Intelligent SME
27

Executive education
supply chain management being
of least interest. It is reckoned that
the priority will remain very much
the same over the next three years
with the addition of organisational
development, innovation and
creativity.
Kelleher adds, “Skills gaps
exist at all levels; so, a structure
development framework that
provides for progression definitely
helps. Regionally, the front line
management level has been
particularly neglected, especially in
industries such as construction or
hospitality where there is no tradition
of management training. Here,
technical skills are rightly given
prominence, but the impact of
training foremen, for example, in
basic team and supervisory skills
can be significant, especially on
productivity levels. Developing
appropriate skills sets here can have
an immediate impact on the bottom
line, whether it is in construction,
engineering or retailing.”
Why do companies opt against
executive education programmes?
The recession has created a dent
in the training budgets, especially
in the education sector. So, even if
the EE provider shows traits such
as reputation, understanding of
business needs, quality of teaching
and tailoring of content which were
most important to organisations, price
28 The Intelligent SME
still remains the principal factor when
it came to choosing an EE provider.
There, however, seems to be a bit of
hope that the budgets will increase
over the next few years (40.9 per
cent indicating a moderate increase
and a further six per cent expecting a
significant increase).
Bessiso suggests that there
are other factors, such as from top
management to the HR function, and
perhaps some companies do not
know how best to deal with the
training and development needs that
may exist within an organisation
and the wide variety of companies
offering solutions.
She adds, “A commitment to
executive education often comes
through a corporate event or
action that stimulates the decision
and highlights the need- such as
new market entry, new strategy,
expansion, IPO, etc. As with
individual students electing to do an
MBA, usually a need or event sparks
the decision. For individuals, this
may be a career switch, move from
a specialist or technical role into
general management, or change of
country or industry.”
Is executive education really a
necessity when an MBA is enough?
In the first issue of 2012 of the
Harvard Business Review, in an
article on What Business Schools Can
Learn from the Medical Profession,
the author Nitin Nohria, the dean of
Harvard Business School explores
how case studies used as part of the
MBA courses, while great at helping
students imagine what it would be
like in a problematic situation, have
their limitations. They can prove to be
a let-down when the business students
actually enter the workplace and are
faced with real work challenges.
Kelleher reckons that an MBA
can be completed by individuals with
little or no management experience,
but professional executive education
cannot; it takes time and practice to
hone management and leadership
skills after you have the foundation
provided by an academic programme.
Executive education and
tailor-made programmes can,
therefore, be beneficial to executives
because it offers a hands-on
experience right there in the course.
The constant evolution
of technology, economy and
globalisation is a boiling pot for
steep learning curves and makes it
necessary for executives to learn new
concepts and incorporate them into
their own development, throughout
their career.
Bessiso concludes, “The need
or desire to continue to learn and
develop does not stop with the
award of an MBA and with the
increasing pace of business; the need
to re-train evolves into a career-long
process and commitment.”

Executive education
Executive MBA –
Investing in your growth
Executive education is a worthwhile investment for those
who want to climb the corporate ladder quickly, notes Ehsan
Razavizadeh.
For a few years now, the
economies of the world have
seemingly lurched from one
crisis to another. Despite
this, ambitious executives seeking
to advance their career to the next
level have continued to invest in their
education. Indeed, even in very tough
economic times, the Executive MBA
(EMBA) degree remains one of the
most worthwhile investments that
executives can make.
The reasons for
enrolling into an EMBA
course are many and
diverse. Students include
executives seeking to start
their own enterprise, those
on the lookout for a career
change, or people in search
of a fast way to climb the
corporate ladder. Whatever
the motivation, the intense
leadership development,
greater strategic vision and
immediately applicable
skills which are the hallmarks of an
EMBA programme, will all help
individuals fulfill their long-term
career goals.
In short, an EMBA is a great way
to jump-start one’s career. Because
certain jobs require an MBA or
EMBA as a minimum qualification,
an EMBA student can get access
to opportunities that otherwise
might not have been accessible. The
potential rewards of better earnings
are another significant benefit of
doing an EMBA. It is not uncommon
to read about graduates from business
schools earning more than what their
parents did at their retirement age.
30 The Intelligent SME
Benef its
Equally, if not more importantly,
however, there are more subtle
benefits from going to a business
school. First, is the intellectual
stimulation that one can get from
being in a classroom full of students
from diverse backgrounds. Second,
there is the opportunity to build a
network and circle of classmates and
alumni who will remain your friends,
advisors and mentors for life.
EMBA education is also a
platform to acquire new skills and
improve existing ones to become
competitive in the job market. As
the global financial markets continue
to struggle, the primary goal of any
organisation will be to focus on
improved performance, productivity
and expanding their customer base.
Not surprisingly, more companies are
looking to hire MBA talents to help
them meet their goals.
Then there’s job mobility. The
global village concept has broken
down global boundaries for human
capital, creating a level-playing field
for everyone, regardless of their
nationality or gender. Many could
find it much easier to move jobs and
careers because the recruiting market
considers MBAs to have transferable
skills that can span across industries
and geographies.
Leadership
The impact of the recent economic
and financial crisis on management
education has been very evident.
The result has been the increasing
importance and emphasis placed
on leadership, entrepreneurship
and innovation. An EMBA will
inspire entrepreneurs to stimulate
their talent and enrich their
business understanding, enabling
them to turn their ideas into
commercially viable business
ventures. Despite the challenging
times, an EMBA is one of the
most worthwhile investments
that a working executive can
make. Once the global economy
strengthens, this investment could
prove to be even smarter as EMBAs
will be those who are prepared to
seize upon new and
exciting opportunities.
Ehsan Razavizadeh is the regional
director, MENA, of Cass Business
School and head of Cass Dubai
Centre.

A C H I E V E R S

Special focus
SME Achievers
Dubai SME’s ranking of the top 100 companies has boosted
the confidence of the sector in the emirate. A TIS report.
Nineteen lines of business,
1092 companies,
one community. The
SME 100 ranking has
succeeded in shaping a representative
cache of candidates within the SME
sector.
It is indeed commendable that
these companies, engaged in various
sectors, have aspired for global
standards, while focusing on strategic
growth.
The Intelligent SME spoke to
Alexandar Williams,
director, policy and strategy,
Dubai SME, to get a better idea
of the SME 100 ranking.
34 The Intelligent SME
TIS: What are the unique
aspects of the SME 100
ranking?
AW: The Dubai
SME 100 ranking is
a performance-based
development ranking
where SMEs that
participate
will be given
indicative and
directional
feedback on their
performance
and the attendant
areas for
improvements.
This will help
them improve
their rankings
in future cycles.
The evaluation
to be ranked is
Launched by Dubai SME, an
agency of Dubai Department of
Economic Development, the Dubai
SME 100 ranking is a list of the
top 100 companies in Dubai. This
ranking is meant to inspire SMEs
to take their businesses to the next
level, benchmarked with international
standards. This will also be a tool to
identify the strengths and weaknesses
of the sector, in order to enable them
further.
based on both financial and nonfinancial
dimensions- innovation,
human capital development and
international orientation- which
broadly drive sustainable enterprise
performance. At the heart of the
evaluation process, evaluators seek
on-site evidence and interview the
CEOs and their top management team
on their vision and leadership for a
company’s future growth.
Hence, a real value to the SME is
created from the Dubai SME 100
ranking, which differentiates it from
other rankings. In addition, most,
if not all rankings are done on a
“desktop” basis and focused on one
dimension - financial growth and key
ratios.
Finally, the ranking acts as a
platform and catalyst to identify
promising SMEs- to groom them to
become bigger, better and sustainable
enterprises; eventually graduating
them.
TIS: How will this ranking benefit
SMEs?
AW: SMEs ranked will be exposed
to various stakeholders in the
market locally and internationally.
Recognition
SMEs have been given the
recognition of being an integral
part of the Dubai economy. With
an aggregate profit of AED220
billion, SMEs in Dubai are more than
prepared to take their growth to the
next level. The SME 100 ranking sets
a benchmark for the sector for the first
time ever, and industry insiders feel
that this is going to not only boost the
morale of the sector, but also give a
At the Dubai emirate level, we are
working with partners such as banks
to account manage these SME 100
companies, including offering special
financing packages. We are also
providing support to these SMEs
by way of letters to government
agencies. By ranking in Dubai SME
100, SMEs stand to build equity and
goodwill. Many will also be exposed
to targeted capability building
seminars to open their minds and
awareness of new growth strategies,
and network with other businesses,
governments and investors. In
addition, Dubai SME has established
links with international partners, thus
facilitating exposure to these SMEs,
thereby building further visibility
and goodwill for these SMEs, not to
mention further business deals and
new markets.
TIS: What is the ultimate goal of the
SME 100 ranking?
AW: Ranking is a means to an end.
The end in mind is to grow and
develop these SMEs to become
bigger, better and sustainable
enterprises. We would like as many
SMEs in the SME 100 initiative to
Continued to page 57

fillip to the pace of growth.
“Ranking recognition like this not
only tells us how far we have come,
but also tells us how far we need to
go. We are proud and humbled at
the same time,” notes Premchand
Kurup, CEO of Paramount Computer
Systems FZ L.L.C, a company that
has been in existence for 20 years in
the UAE.
Additionally, this ranking is
a “safeguard” as Michael Lahyani,
owner of Property Finder, suggests,
because it is now a tool that will
protect the top 100 companies from
any negative happenings, such
as unfair competition. These top
companies have been selected to join
a decidedly important community,
the fast growing segment, he adds.
The responses from the
various business owners have been
varied to the rankings, from sheer
delight, to apprehension of what
the future holds; but overall, there
is a consensus of sorts among them,
in that they all agree that a positive
environment, combined with hard
work, innovation and focus, is the
key to success. “Every member of
our company is proud, as the belief
that we are doing things right, our
policies and processes are sound has
been validated,” affirms Ishwar Jodha,
managing director, Triple Crown
Logistics and Shipping.
The journey behind
Most of the ranked SME
companies have been in Dubai for
quite a while. They arrived when
the local economy was growing and
saw a bright future ahead. A growing
market always absorbs companies
that offer specialised services, and
this is exactly what happened in
Dubai.
But in recent times, especially in
the last few years, these companies
were challenged at different fronts,
primarily by the events of the
global recession. However, today, a
volatile business environment, trying
financial circumstances, customer
expectations and supplier woes have
become a part and parcel of their
Continued to page 57
What does being ranked in the SME
100 mean for you and how will it
make a difference in your business?
“This recognition gives us confidence
and pride in being the only company in
the UAE providing home appliances
by micro financing, following Islamic
principles.” Mohammad A. Bin Ghalaitha
(CEO, Suntron Electronics)
“We hope that the ranking will increase
our visibility and access to both foreign
and local markets, allow more constructive
conversations with banks and enable us
with operational improvement tools.”
Mohamed Nassar
(Owner, WMS Metal Industries L.L.C)
“We can already see the banking sector
respond to the needs of SMEs with regard
to credit policies and it’s only a matter
time that the SME market grows into one
that challenges the essence of the business
sector in the Middle East.” Robert M. Keay
(CEO, Ethos Consultancy)
“The ranking has made us understand that
our company is following standards which
are globally recognised, to stay successful
event in volatile market conditions.”
Samir Ibrahim Abdal Hadi
(CEO, SamTech Middle East FZ L.L.C)
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
35

TIS: What is the structure of IT
solutions that you provide to the
health care industry?
36 The Intelligent SME
Rank
1
Dr. Omar Ghosheh,
CEO, Dimensions Healthcare
Operations: Dimensions Healthcare
deals in health IT solutions.
Working with about 1300 hospitals,
pharmacies, clinics and authorities
in healthcare, the company has
solutions deployed in Oman, Saudi
Arabia and Palestine, in addition to
the UAE.
OG: We have three tracks into which
our operations are structured- IT,
business and clinical. We do four
lines of business, some of which are
unique. Firstly we have the e-claim
solutions, which transfers all the
insurance claims to an electronic
system. We are the largest e-claim
solution provider in the UAE. We
provide solutions to companies, and
authorities to monitor. We provide
systems, support, and training in the
entire region.
We also have another line of
business, which we call the Pharmacy
Benefit Management or the PBM,
where we manage the benefit of
the insurance companies with the
pharmaceuticals. We partner with the
largest independent PBM provider
in the US, to manage the outpatient
prescriptions benefits of over 1.4
million insured lives in the UAE.
Around 900 pharmacies are registered
to use the system today.
The third line is the health
information systems where we have
management systems for pharmacies
to conduct all their operations.
TIS: Since you are in a niche
business, have things been easy?
OG: We came into being at a time
when e-claims were new, and health
information systems were a new
“When recession hit in 2008 we grew our sales team by100 per cent
and extended credit terms. It is in such volatile market when
perseverance, vision and strong leadership matter and show.”
Dr. Sassan Dieter Khatib-Shahidi
(CEO, German Imaging Technologies Dubai L.L.C.)
concept. We came with innovative
solutions that handled not only
claims, but solutions that were based
around these claims. We look to
manage healthcare, by providing cost
effective quality care. We expect this
to become a norm, more efficiency
and more quality health care for the
people.
In the beginning it was difficult
to explain the concept to potential
partners. But now we’re much
stronger, and we are, shall we say, a
little more focused on our enterprise.
The UAE is going to be transformed
in a matter of years with more
efficient systems to manage health
care.
TIS: What is the winning element
that brought on success?
“A volatile market is a sign of growth in the economy because there is
momentum. We have diversified our business to nearby Gulf countries
and participated in local and international tenders.”
Manoj Agarawal
(Co-founder, Relays Engineering Consultants)
OG: The key is team spirit,
and innovation. We do things
differently here, and we’re really
proud of our innovation. We tend
to come up with solutions that undo
complicated situations. We make
these complications “awesomely
simple.” The team works on making
these solutions as simple as possible
for the end user, although there is a
tremendous amount of engine work
done in the background. The team is
the star of the company, and many of
our personnel were fresh from college
when they joined the company.
In a volatile market what have you done differently to excel in

TIS: How will recognition from
Dubai SME 100 benefit your
company?
OG: The attention that Dubai SME
has given us is significant by itself.
I’m very pleased that we are at
the top, especially since Dubai is
credited as one of the best places to do
businesses. There is significant value
to this achievement.
Dubai SME is now helping us to
take the company further, possibly
to the secondary market. We are
also getting significant help from the
agency if we need to establish contact
with potential clients and partners
outside the country within the GCC.
We’re trying to expand and
expose ourselves. This ranking has
churned a lot of interest for others
in our company, which helps us
grow faster. We are in a sector that
is less vulnerable to changes in the
economic climate, where the demand
usually stays high, and that is a huge
advantage.
Secondly, the demand pushed by
regulators also helped us at the time,
to push for electronic change. There
was a limited impact.
The sector still grew at the time. We
stayed on track and the market didn’t
really change.
What I noticed however, is, that
always during the difficult times,
there is ample room for opportunities.
TIS: What challenges did you face
during the course of your business?
OG: When we started as a small
company, we wanted to expand, but
financially we were not considered
worthy by many institutions. This
limited our growth to an extent.
Finding talent was also a challenge.
TIS: What are your plans for the
future?
OG: We have very ambitious plans.
We are moving towards focus on two
key areas: one is taking our existing
solutions to a national and regional
level. We are also taking our expertise
in solutions to other sectors besides
health. By the end of the year, we
will be setting up offices in two other
GCC countries to offer our products
to bigger IT/healthcare companies
established there.
Our hope is to grow fast, and
most probably by 2015 to be a large
enterprise. We are aiming to move
out of the SME bracket. As for next
year’s ranking, there will be fierce
competition. It’s easy to receive the
number one spot, but retaining it will
be the tough job. I think if we are
focused and stay true to our goals, we
should stand first again.
your business? What insights have you gathered?
TIS: What is your management
philosophy?
OG: We are not a traditional
company. Our staff consists of
people aged between their twenties
and thirties. We work differently.
We don’t have strict hours, or time
sheets to monitor if the staff comes
late and so on. We trust people to do
their part. Dimensions Healthcare is a
deliverables-oriented company.
We take care of our employees.
We have let our employees share
the value received as we grow. We
give them incentives. They are
encouraged to take ownership and
they are equally proud. The sky is the
limit for them, and they can go to any
lengths to innovate. I’m very proud of
the team; they are the essence of the
company.
TIS: What advice would you give to
budding entrepreneurs?
OG: I would say, Dubai is a place
where you can realise your dreams.
If you can present it well, nothing
can stop you. Prove yourself and
don’t rely on a hunch. Make people
realise that you are efficient and
hardworking. The first two years of
our business were tough, but patience
and persistence have helped us reach
where we are today. Also, there is no
such thing as fast gain.
“I have learnt that business is a full time life commitment and there is no such
thing as time-out. It requires full devotion, incessant dedication and countless
sacrifices. But it is all worth it and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Dr. Jeehan Abdul Qadir
(Owner, American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery)
“We took steps to make the company financially sound. This included reduction of
inventory deferring of capital expenditure, cost control and retention of earnings. We
learnt to adapt to market conditions by developing products based on the requirement of
our customers providing better value.” K. Sethuraman
(CEO, Gulf Sea Food L.L.C.)
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
37

TIS: You’ve ranked among the top 10
of the Dubai SME 100 ranking. What
does this recognition mean for you?
ML: This recognition is important for
us. I think what is innovative about
this ranking, opposed to any other, is
that it comes from the government.
We are recognised as an important
part of the economy of Dubai and this
serves as a safeguard; it protects us
from any untoward incidents or unfair
competition. This means the world to
an entrepreneur, as we are investing
in a business, putting in all the time
and effort and like to be offered
guarantees.
TIS: It’s been a volatile market
in Dubai. What have you done
differently that has resulted in the
growth of the company?
ML: As entrepreneurs, we have
established our business ideas,
and these cannot be changed in
38 The Intelligent SME
Michael Lahyani,
CEO and founder,
propertyfinder.ae
Operations: Property
Finder is an online
platform that generates leads for
properties listed by real estate agents
for a subscription. Over 250 companies
are currently listed with the website.
Subscriptions are given out to RERA
registered agents.
accordance with the business climate.
However, we have benefited from this
economic crisis mainly because of
our online offering. Real estate agents
could not afford to pay huge sums
of money for outdoor advertising or
TV campaigns; therefore, they had to
look for other alternatives. We were
offering them the perfect alternative,
a cost effective marketing solution by
allowing them to list their properties.
The benchmark for successful
marketing was print advertising, now
it is online. We kept our costs tight,
focused on our core competency of
In a volatile market what have you done differently to excel in
“It has been a tough market climate and we had to strategically revisit our
organisational objectives, business share and assessed projects that were worth
pursuing. We have also diversified and expanded our network and built solid
partnership with renowned business consulting firms.”
Ahmed Tahlak
(CEO, Levenbert)
“Health care is a unique industry, which is relatively resistant to market volatility.
We have grown in terms of turnover and market penetration by applying innovative
business tools coupled with enhancement in our customer service and quality
certification.” Dr. Faruq M. Badiuddin
(CEO, Eastern Biotech and Life Sciences FZ L.L.C)
“Kimoha has always tried to keep pace with the growth opportunities offered
in Dubai and laid faith in combating recession by creating an infrastructure. We
believe in the old business adage - grow or perish.”
Vinesh Bhimani
(Co-founder, Kimoha Entreperneurs Ltd.)

delivering value to our clients and we
didn’t give up on our prices. We have
come out far stronger now that the
worst of the economic crisis is over.
TIS: What differentiates your
company from the competition?
ML: We’re in a business where real
estate agents can easily monitor
the return they get once they take
a subscription on property finder.
If they don’t get results, they don’t
renew their contracts. Our selling
point is the response. We guarantee
a response to any agent who lists
properties on our website. We have
different levels of subscriptions.
We only give subscription to RERA
registered agents to drive their leads
online.
TIS: What factors have hindered your
success?
ML: One of the challenges was
getting paid. As we got stronger,
we were able to dictate our payment
terms as we were able to ask for
post-dated cheques, and our
collection improved dramatically.
TIS: What lies in the future?
ML: We have plans to expand in
the region. We’ve already opened
in Qatar and business is flourishing.
We’re also looking at other countries
in the region. Our vision and goal
is to be a leading property portal of
the Arab world by 2015. As for the
layout of the website, we constantly
develop new platforms; it’s a constant
evolution process. Now we focus
only on the online edition, although
we are planning on bringing back
the print edition with a magazine,
but it will be more of a support to
Property Finder as a website. We will
have a selection of listings inside the
magazine, but it’s still in planning
stages. However, we will still remain
within the real estate segment, as this
is what we know, what we understand
your business? What insights have you gathered?
and what we will keep on doing.
TIS: Are you looking forward to next
year’s SME ranking?
ML: We look forward to it, as we’re
expecting big growth numbers by the
next ranking in 2012 and 2013. We
know that competition is going to be
fierce, but the numbers are going to be
very good, and we intend to continue
our innovation, and better our
resources, so we’ll be better equipped
to face the next ranking.
TIS: What advice would you give
to entrepreneurs beginning their
journey?
ML: Every company needs to give
a push to their services or products,
therefore it is important to have
patience and perseverance. As a
new entrepreneur, one should be
persistent, try out new strategies if
something does not work out, and
believe in themselves.
“If we offer the right product that the market needs, backed with intelligent
investing on marketing, then we will succeed even if general economic
environment is on a downturn.” Sunil Ramchandani
(CEO, Vitavision Medical Supplies L.L.C)
“To succeed in this difficult and volatile market, the service we offer needs to be
better than what our competitor offers. We don’t worry about profitability, which
we believe, if we execute contracts propertly, will take care of itself.”
Jose Thomas
(CEO, Middle East Prestressing L.L.C)
“We have understood that when building the business you must manage both
organic and geographical growth in a sustainable manner. Corporate governance,
right from the begining, makes a sound foundation for the road ahead.”
Ishwar Singh Jodha
(CEO, Triple Crown Shipping and Logistics L.L.C)
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
39

Hassan Al Hazeem
Managing Director, Intercoil
International Co. Ltd.
Operations: Three manufacturing
divisions – polyurethane foam,
furniture, mattresses. Intercoil’s
core business is the production
and distribution of sleep products
under three brand names, Intercoil,
Therapedic, and Simmons.
40 The Intelligent SME
Rank
4
TIS: When did you start operations in
other countries in the region?
HH: In the beginning we supplied
directly to the UAE market and
had dealers in other countries in
the region. In 2005 we made our
first venture outside the UAE - we
established our presence in Muscat by
setting up our first distribution centre.
Today, we have distribution centres
in seven different countries. We deal
with customers directly from these
centres. In addition we have 20 retail
outlets - eight in UAE and 12 in GCC,
Lebanon and Jordan; we export to 20
countries in the MENA region.
We have three channels of
distribution. Firstly, we sell directly
to the consumer, then we sell to
furniture retailers, and we also
sell to small retail outlets through
our distribution centers. We also
target the hospitality industry
and government institutions and
departments. For the past few years,
while expanding geographically, we
have been focusing on retail. We have
one manufacturing unit in Dubai, and
one soon to open in Ras Al Khaimah.
TIS: What is your opinion of the
recognition received from the Dubai
SME 100 ranking?
HH: Any recognition enhances our
responsibility. We have to become
more responsible and work harder. It
motivates us to reach higher levels of
growth. We are happy to be number
four, and we will try to be number one
next time. Dubai SME has identified
our strengths and weaknesses
through a set of parameters and
we will follow the same to grow
further. The learning process itself is
very rewarding and we are grateful
for that. I never actually apply for
the recognition; it is more for the
learning process. Our purpose was
to learn. It gives an holistic view of
the organisation. I’m happy that there
is more focus on the SME sector
and hope that the government and
the banks hopefully, would be more
supportive of the SMEs, in terms of
growth.
TIS: What is your view of the
industry? How have things changed
for SMEs like yourself after the
economic downturn?
HH: After the recession, I see that
there is more awareness of the SME
sector as an important contributor to
the economy. There may be change
of mindset of the banks, but still,
lots more remains to be done. The
extent of securities, the processes,
everything has to be reviewed and
restructured. My background is
banking, so I know there are a lot of
changes still to be made. The banks
are still stringent in lending towards
SMEs. A transformation of the
system has to be made.
During the recession, we were
on a growth track. We kept on
expanding. I think what happened
at the time is, most companies were
How will qualifying among the top 100 SMEs affect your business?
“We are very appreciative of the recognition. It has opened up a whole network of
individuals and organisations that we can seek assistance from, to enable us to grow
and develop on so many levels.”
Paul Michael Gledhil
(Co-founder, XpertLearning)

carrying out businesses where they
were not able to ensure if they had the
right infrastructure in place. There
was no analysis of the performance
to cope with any change in market
demand, and many companies
suffered. In my opinion, if you are a
successful company, you should be
able to adapt. So our aim is to build
a sustainable, fast growing company
that can proactively adapt to changes
in the market.
TIS: Do you know how changes
can be brought about in the
manufacturing industry?
HH: There should be more support
for local manufacturing. We still
have complications for expanding
in the region. We still need a local
partner to set up a business in certain
countries in the GCC. We require
assistance from the government in
helping UAE-based companies set up
in the country and in the region.
For instance, we did face
challenges in opening up retail outlets
in certain emirates in the UAE. This
needs to be amended for the sake
of the home grown companies. In
some instances, SMEs do not have
the political influence, and they
need support in overcoming such
obstacles.
TIS: What are your plans for the
future?
HH: We want to be closer to the
consumer, and strengthen our
position as a regional player. I have
explored the possibility of expanding
in European markets, by studying
consumer behaviour, and the trends
and our capability to export to these
markets. We have positive feedback.
However, our priority and goal at
the moment is to strength our market
position and achieve leadership in
Mena and Levant region.
We would also like to position
our showrooms as ‘sleep galleries’
with bed linens, pillows, we would
have a comprehensive offering with
lights, music, and so on. In short, a
comprehensive line-up of products
for the bedroom.
TIS: How have you brought about
innovations in your company?
HH: When I took over the company,
I had to rebuild the entire company,
because I had a different vision. The
company has undergone a re-think
in terms of HR policies, export
orientation, building the brand,
entering into the social media space
and so on. We invested on an ERP
from Microsoft and introduced
international management standards
to enhance our efficiency. We
changed the company from its
foundation.
TIS: What is your vision?
HH: Our vision is to be the market
leader in the region, and our value
proposition is to provide superior
quality, products, and services, and
reasonable value for money. It sounds
simple, but it requires a lot of work
and investment in quality systems,
efficiency in cost and material as
well as processes. If you are not
efficient, you cannot perform and you
cannot provide superior quality. We
always try to improve and upgrade
ourselves. That’s our USP. We work
in a scientific method, managing
responsibilities that usually larger
organisations follow. We listen to our
consumers; undertake market studies
for wholesale and retail sectors. We
are creative and efficient.
TIS: What is your management
philosophy?
HH: I have one policy: discipline,
decentralise, and delegate. We
select self-disciplined people,
who are talented and committed
to the organisational values, and
decentralise the system by delegating
authority and responsibility to each
member in the organisation. This
helps us achieve organisational
objectives and KPIs. This way we
don’t manage the people, but
the systems.
TIS: What advice would you give to
new entrepreneurs?
HH: Always be motivated. Thinking
big is important; it does not mean
that if you are a small company
you cannot have big objectives or
policies. You shouldn’t let your
current status or size affect your
decisions. Most importantly, do
not let your profitability be the only
indicator of your progress.
“We are celebrating this ranking as a victory for the entire real estate sector. We
have shown that with sound business strategy, we can turn challenges into a pathway
to success.” Rajan Israni
(Managing Director, Caistor Associates Ltd.)
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
41

TIS: From a company in Cyprus,
how did you come to set up in Dubai?
FB: The company was started as an
offshore organisation in Cyprus, as a
small partnership with my partner and
our spouses. We were selling paper
at the time to a Middle East market.
Although we were growing steadily,
we were quite conservative in terms
of expansion, but obviously we know
that if you don’t expand, you stagnate,
and always need to have a new
project. Based on the growth of the
company, my partner and I decided
to establish a base in Dubai, owing
to its nature of being a business hub.
I still remember, at that time too, we
felt we had been too late in coming
to Dubai. Cooming here proved to be
the right decision. So we had a branch
office in Cyprus, because at the time
we had started distribution in the
Mediterranean countries.
TIS: When did the modus operandi of
the company change course?
FB: We are paper indenters, and
we have established contact with
mills from different countries and
we sell paper on their behalf to the
region for a commission. However
in 2006, I bought the shares of my
partner and set about changing the
modus operandi of the company.
As the strategy of incurring just a
commission was not right for us, we
decided to invest in the business to
change it into a trading business. We
bought the goods and began to
sell it ourselves. This gave us
more strength financially;
we were able to negotiate
prices and increase our
margins eventually.
From 2006, we
expanded further. We
opened an office in
India and Tunisia,
for their proximity
to other markets
such as North
Africa, and parts
of Asia and this
way we reduced
42 The Intelligent SME
Rank
5
Fadi Baaklini
Managing Director,MEPCO
Operations:Paper traders, selling
paper on behalf of external mills to
clientele in various markets.
the response time: the sales were
generated faster. We started an office
last year in Lebanon for the same
reason.
TIS: Describe your clientele.
FB: We supply mostly to paper
traders, newspaper organisations,
stationeries, and we cover the entire
spectrum of papers and boards. We
also supply to large printers, local
merchants or stockists, those who
already import and supply, so that we
are not a threat to small enterprises in
the same field. We cover 36 countries,
with about 300 regular clients. In all
we have about 1600 customers in our
database. We also supply to copier
businesses based on specific brands,
which are contract based as well.
TIS: How was business prior to the
economic crisis, and what changes
did you make?
FB: This is one differentiating factor
in our company, which has led us to
our current position of growth. We
are quite conservative in our cash
flow management. I think this is key
in every company. We don’t expand
on credit. The kind of business
that we do, we call it ‘guaranteed
receivables’ where we don’t have
inventory, which means we don’t
have stock. So if the market goes
down, we are not caught unawares
with a few million dollars in stock.
We place orders with mills against
ones that we have received from the
client. We have different payment
schemes as well, either with a deposit,
or sometimes we are financed by the
mill. This way our model of business
is relatively safe. So we weren’t really
affected by the economic downturn.
On the contrary, our audited
statements will show that we
made tremendous amount of sales
during this period. I might say
we even foresaw the economic
scenario, because many of our
competitors were buying
on credit from the mills,
without even getting
orders from clients.
They also gave an open
account of 120 days,
which, needless to say,
sometimes never even
got paid. We are strict in
assured payments. We
had a phenomenal year
in 2011. And this is in
spite of the revolutions
in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen
and now Syria. Despite

these difficulties, we have managed to
double our turnover and our results.
This is proof that our operational
style and our strategy are right, in the
fact that we have been selected by an
organisation like Dubai SME as one
of the top ten companies in Dubai!
Another advantage that works
for us is that we own all our offices,
whether it is Lebanon or Tunisia.
Therefore, we don’t have too much
competition. In terms of products,
we keep abreast of the trends, and we
see that printing is slowly reducing
because everything is online now,
whereas packaging is on the upward
curve. So we’re slowly realigning
our strategy to accommodate more
packaging.
TIS: What challenges have you faced
in your journey as an entrepreneur?
FB: We face a lot of competition
from Chinese suppliers. They
import pulp, machinery, and they are
beginning to supply to our markets
as well. But they work through many
channels, and they do not differentiate
between large or small organisations,
often giving the same price, which in
turn affects our business.
The client sees no value in
the products that we offer because
they offer the same at a much lower
price. Every market has to have a
sales policy. In a market like Saudi
Arabia, there may be 1000 potential
customers, but we are able to supply
only 50. We need to distinguish
the client with the products, which
Chinese suppliers most often don’t
understand. The Arab Spring was
another serious challenge.
TIS: And how did you overcome
these challenges?
FB: Well, right now we’re trying
to form partnerships with them,
but the work ethics they follow are
completely different from ours or
European, North American, or even
African markets. We try to maintain
exclusivity with our brand, which
adds a certain value to the products.
The business then follows value,
whereas others look at a
volume-based business. This would
affect our clients’ prices, and only the
client is happy. Traders like us will
not be happy about this.
As for the disruptions in the
Middle East, we took our business
away from the affected areas and
supplied to the safer markets. For
example, when there was unrest in
Tunisia we shifted our tonnage and
went straight to Morocco. The results
have been phenomenal.
TIS: What are your plans for the
future?
FB: We plan to expand further with
the same policy of being in proximity
to our markets; the next possible plan
would be to have a regional office in
Nigeria, because this is also a very
profitable market for us. This way
we would cover the East African
markets. We’re also discussing
new partnerships with new mills in
packaging grades.
TIS: What does the recognition of
being ranked in the Dubai SME 100
mean for your business?
FB: Being part of the SME 100
ranking is recognition for the team.
Of course, I cannot do all this myself.
We are a close knit family here in
the company. Our strength is that
we have small teams in every office,
but we’re extremely efficient. The
ranking came as a pleasant surprise.
We are already feeling the exposure,
in the way banks regard us now, our
suppliers and our customers have
more confidence in us.
TIS: What is your management
philosophy?
FB: Two words - delegate and
empower. We give incentives to
every member of the team and we
need this excitement to give our all to
the business. Our sales managers are
encouraged to manage their territories
as separate companies. I don’t
believe in micromanagement, but we
have conference calls, to exchange
information and so on. So everybody
has to feel that they can take decisions
on their own.
TIS: What marketing strategies do
you have in place?
FB: We have a newsletter that
we send our clients focusing on
the trends of pricing, product,
market updates and so on. This is
appreciated by our clients, so they
know whether to place orders or not
and the approximate quantity. This
enhances our transparency with
our clients, and enhances goodwill.
We’re also working on a blog for
our clients on the same lines with
forecasts and availability of products.
We participate in trade exhibitions
all over the world, which generates
leads. We also have a private MEPCO
conference where we exhibit products
to our key customers; this is well
received.
TIS: What advice would you give to
budding entrepreneurs?
FB: Be honest, don’t commit to
something that can’t be delivered.
Perseverance is a trait that you must
have, along with a lot of patience. Be
open minded to new things, as you
can never stop learning.
Always acknowledge the fact
that at a certain point, you cannot do
everything, and that there might be
people who can do something much
better than you.
It is also important to set targets
in your life. Once you set a goal, you
unconsciously begin to work towards
it. My goal in the beginning was to
have a company by the age of 30,
because between the age of 30 and
40, you can physically work very
hard, travel, stay late into the night.
From 40-50, it’s a different time,
and I wouldn’t recommend anyone
to start a business at this age. It’s the
time for the strategy and business
development. And that’s what I do
now, I don’t push myself too much.
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
43

TIS: How did you choose this area of
operations? Would you call yourself
a niche business?
AA: My father established this
company along with my brothers
and myself after his experience of
working in the Middle East in the
oil sector. In the beginning, we
contemplated on the kind of business
to invest in, and the plastic industry
seemed very interesting. My father
had the technical acumen from an
earlier investment of an unsaturated
polyester resin comay. We started
the company with the help of highly
technical people with experience
in the business and focused on
establishing a high standard company
to supply colorants and additives
in the region; back then, it was
predominantly being imported from
Europe.
We found that this would
be a niche that would give us
an advantage, being a local
manufacturer. We could support
customers logistically, and Dubai was
a great location to export from. Also,
it was important to identify a niche
business that does not become too
repetitive. Even today, we don’t have
much competition in the UAE. There
are others who make similar products,
but they are not specialists in colour
and additive, they are more into the
commodity side of the business.
TIS: How was your company
affected by the onset of the economic
crisis?
AA: Before the recession, we were
focused so much on the growth of
the company that we did not look
inward to see where the real value and
profitability came from. So, towards
the end of 2008, we were holding onto
a very large high-priced inventory,
and no longer was the market ready
to absorb those prices and with
the slowdown they didn’t want the
products. One of the advantages
of being an SME is that we can sit
at a table and make instantaneous
decisions that can be implemented,
especially during a crisis. We
contacted our suppliers, most of them
being large multinational companies,
and negotiated successfully with
them. They were pleased with our
transparency and honesty and agreed
to take back much of the over stocked
and high priced raw materials.
TIS: Did you make any other
changes internally?
AA: We started 2009 with a clean
slate, and one of the things we did in
that process was start looking more
carefully internally. We reworked
our business model based on our
product mix, concentrating on more
of a value-add approach rather
than a volume-based one. We were
quickly able to generate the highest
profits in 2009 as compared to all the
other years from 2000 to 2008. We,
actually, benefited from the crisis
because instead of trying to grow the
volume of sales, firefight the growing
requirements of customers, we
focused more on value addition and
the core competency. Our business
is now strong and till now we have
been seeing better profits than what
we made during the ‘booming’ years
of Dubai.
TIS: Being a family owned business,
how do you ensure targets are met?
AA: We are an SME and the benefits
of an SME is that the board can
meet up and take decisions, in this
case, my father, two brothers and an
external director sat down and took
the decisions. My father and our
external director have the technical
experience. My brother Ahsin Aman,
who is the CEO of the company, has a
great deal of financial expertise, while
my second brother has experience in
the procurement and production side.
We wear two hats, as a board member
and an executive.
TIS: What challenges have you faced
in the course of your business?
AA: There were a lot of customers
who delayed payments due to a cash
Rank
6
Akhtar Aman
COO, Enerplastics L.L.C
Operations:A B2B manufacturing
company, which produces raw
materials in the form of colorants
and additives for the plastic industry.
The UAE accounts for a small share
of the operations. The company
was established in 1999, and
manufacturing began in 2000.
crunch in their companies. We hadn’t
faced that before, and for at least
six months in 2009, we faced a lot
of delayed payments. Luckily, we
had year-on-year growth and banks
supported us. A lot of our customers
were in the construction business
and manufacturing plastics for this
sector. There were severe economic
problems predominantly in East
Europe, and our customers in these
areas stopped buying completely.
Therefore, our market shrunk for
about six to eight months. In fact, in
the GCC the effect was much less.
TIS: How did you overcome this
situation?
AA: I believe small is beautiful, and
we made more money in a shrunken,
lower capacity sales than we did
previously, so we realised that it
wasn’t a number
game, but rather
the product mix
and the value
addition. We
decided we
would refocus
our direction
away from the
commodity sector
within our product
range and
focus
more
The Intelligent SME
45

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Key Facts and Figures of SME 100
A total of 1092 SMEs registered for the rankings, of which 196 SMEs applied to move on to Stage two of the
application and evaluation process. From these 196 serious applicants, the top 100 were selected and ranked based
on complete submissions of financial statements, supplemented by either a management interview or site visit to
ascertain facts and evaluate the merits of each case.
Of the 100 ranked SMEs, based on Dubai’s official SME definition, 15 per cent are classified as micro SMEs, 52 per
cent as small SMEs and 33 per cent as medium-sized SMEs.
In terms of sectors, 62 per cent are from the services, 13 per cent are from the manufacturing and 25 per cent belong
to the trading sector.
The combined turnover of the top 100 SMEs based on their latest financial records is estimated at AED2.3 billion.
Their estimated total assets are at AED1.4 billion and the combined profit is AED220 million.
Together, the top 100 SMEs in Dubai have 4,319 employees.
attention and resources to clients
who were buying our specialty
commodities. We expanded into
territories that we hadn’t explored
as much, such as West Africa -
Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast - to
compensate for the East Europe sales
that had gone down. Then we became
much more aggressive in East African
countries, such as Tanzania, Uganda
and Kenya, as we did with Saudi
Arabia and Iran. Currently, we have
formal distribution arrangements with
32 different countries, but outside
of that we supply to 38 different
countries across South Asia, Africa,
Europe and the Levant.
TIS: What is your management
philosophy?
AA: We’re a family run business, so
all the life of my father, the former
CEO and the executive chairman
of the company now, has been
professional. One of the qualities he
brought into the company is that even
if it is a family owned business it has
to be professionally run.
From day one when we started,
we invested 40 per cent in quality
control and 60 per cent in production.
This is rarely seen in other businesses,
because quality control doesn’t
bring in profits. Our executive
chairman believes that in order to
be sustainable, we have to have the
ability to compete with the best in
the industry, and for that factors like
quality control and human resources
become very important.
We are a unique company in that
the family members handle various
departments in the organisation.
Everybody has their own domain of
work and independence.
TIS: What marketing strategy have
you employed to achieve phenomenal
sales?
AA: Another thing we’ve learnt
from the economic crisis is to spread
our risk, by segment and territory.
We don’t want to focus in just
one industry, say the construction
industry within the plastic segment.
We don’t want to rely on one country
as this spreads our risk. Moving
forward our strategy is to get into
niche, specialised products where
there is less competition. So in 2010,
we invented and patented our own
oxo-biodegradable additive for the
manufacture of plastic film, which
would render the film biodegradable
with a useful life of one year,
after which it would degrade and
eventually bio-assimilate into
the soil. We have already started
supplying this internationally.
TIS: What does the recognition from
Dubai SME mean to your business?
AA: It’s great that whatever we have
been doing has been recognised by an
external party. It’s a great pat on our
back. We are proud and confident that
what we are doing is correct.
What this also means to us is that,
being an export oriented company,
our clients and their clients are
confident in doing business with us.
When we announced our ranking
to our distributors, they wanted more
information from us to send this to
their clients. The level of reliability
and our standing as a company
compared to the other competitors
has increased, and they see value in
our company.
TIS: What advice would you like to
give start-up entrepreneurs?
AA: Cashflow! When we started,
we had no access to funding, and
we had 100 per cent equity finance
for machinery, and so on. But we
constantly required an injection for
working capital. Entrepreneurs need
to think of the sustainability of their
cash flow. Today, the world is more
global, access to manufacturers
is becoming easier, and so is the
chance of meeting one’s competition.
Therefore, now, I would say,
businesses need to try to get into
niche products or services.
Don’t enter into a “me-too”
business, which is going to be
harder to sustain, especially if you’re
starting up, because there may be
other businesses that may be doing
the same more cost-effectively and
efficiently, which means that you
have lesser chance of survival. Be
innovative, come up with an idea that
hasn’t been done before, and focus not
just on the UAE. Make your business
model adaptable to other markets
beyond the country.
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
47

Arch. Khalifa Al Jaziri
Owner of e-Home AUTOMATION
Operations: Smart home
technologies for commercial and
residential property, controlling all
aspects of the property, including
lighting, climate, appliances, curtains
and blinds, multiroom
audio/video,
security, digital
surveillance,
entertainment
and energy
saving.
48 The Intelligent SME
Rank
7
TIS: How did you begin operations?
KAJ: e-Home AUTOMATION
initiative began in 1999 as a new
concept in the GCC, although we
launched the company in 2003.
My family saw my progress, and
my brother decided to finance my
passion. We started by automating
houses of relatives and friends.
These small-time operations
made us realise the potential of the
business. Most of the products at the
time were customised for the US and
UK markets. We needed to have an
alteration made for the products in the
region, and therefore we approached
a few companies in the UK. We
bought 33 per cent shares in Domia
Ltd, and I became a board
member there.
We soon founded our own
company in the UK, and registered
our intellectual property. We have
a research centre stationed there as
well. This R&D unit has enabled
us to develop software that is now
recognised worldwide.
And, as for our hardware, we
opened an R&D branch in China.
This groundwork has given us a
presence in Hong Kong, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and
Egypt, and soon Qatar and Malaysia
in the near future. We have been in
the industry for eight years now. We
brought in a holistic approach while
other players concentrated on some
aspect or the other. We have helped
define smart homes in the region.
TIS: What are the challenges you
have faced in the course of running
your business?
KAJ: We have had our fair share
of difficulties. Firstly, we’ve have
had financial troubles, some of our
mega projects have been hit by the
recession. Many real estate projects
were cancelled and we were hit
crucially. Secondly, at the time we
What are the challenges you have faced and what solutions
“With regard to consultancy, the challenge we face is that organisations prefer to
work with western brand names rather than trusting local providers. However, there
are some companies which trusted us on the basis of our experience.”
“Although our operational costs had increased and made it hard to compete with
other international exporters, we changed our policies to combat prices by stocking
goods from newly arrived crop for later shipments when prices are high.”
Arif Akhtar
(CEO, Emirates Pearl General Trading L.L.C)
Mounir A. Ajam
(CEO and Lead consultant, Sukad FZ L.L.C)

egan, there was no product in the
region that we could benchmark
against ours. It was all a trial and error
game, and we made slow progress
then. We learned from our mistakes.
We also had the big task of
differentiating ourselves from the
companies that sold CCTVs and other
products. We spent time making
people aware and educating the
market of the value of our products.
We had to convince people that
e-Home AUTOMATION is not
a mark of opulence, but more a
necessity to save energy.
TIS: Has that perception changed?
KAJ: Yes, there is quite a difference
in perception now, especially in the
younger generation. They would like
to put the right infrastructure in place
before even thinking about designing
their houses. This is good. We are
now an established brand. I have
come across some people who use
the term “e-Home” like an everyday
product! This means, we have leaped
ahead of competition. We are the
trendsetters and we establish the
benchmarks.
TIS: Your company has been
credited with a ranking among the
top SMEs in Dubai. What does this
recognition mean for you?
KAJ: It is a great honor and we
are immensely proud to be ranked
seventh in the Dubai SME 100. It
shows us that we are doing something
right and we hope it will open up
more opportunities for us, both in the
UAE and internationally.
We are looking forward to next
year’s ranking and, of course, would
like to rank higher next time. In
particular, we hope to show more
growth this year in terms of revenue.
TIS: What advice would you give to
budding entrepreneurs?
KAJ: It is easy to do nothing - maybe
you are scared, worried or your
friends and family don’t understand
business and are trying to dissuade
you from starting your own company.
The key is to just do it!
Running your own company
is, probably, the most exciting and
rewarding thing you can do with your
did you come up with to better the situation?
“I realised the potential that a city like Dubai has to offer. It provides the best
platform to create a unique brand. It is also a great location to export my upcoming
products to the US, Europe and China. ” Dr. Shurong Jiang
(Owner, Emirates Integrated Medical Center)
life and, remember, everyone started
where you are now, including people
like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.
Even if your first business doesn’t
succeed, you will learn immensely
and the overall experience will only
be positive.
TIS: What is your management
philosophy?
KAJ: I believe in giving people
freedom to do their jobs. I empower
my team to carry out their roles and
trust them to do a good job.
There is an understanding
that with this freedom comes
responsibility. My team is passionate
about what they do and take great
pride in their work, so I believe that
this approach gets the best out of
people.
I am fully involved in the
development process. I give my ideas,
and ensure the team gets a complete
picture of what the regional needs
are, so that they are able to give their
fullest effort.
We also do all the testing
in Dubai after being certified by
international certification bodies.
“Professional reputation brings business, especially in difficult times where clients
engage the best for less. Our investment in an experienced marketing department
helped us close more design works in a shrinking and highly competitive market. ”
George Berbari
(CEO, DC PRO Engineering)
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
49

Special focus
What are the challenges you have faced and what solutions
Rank
Abouzar
8
50 The Intelligent SME
“Being first in the market with our solution was a big challenge - setting up right
platforms, educating people, and dealing with specific requirements of clients;
but we have initiated R&D and engineering departments to develop customised
solutions. ” Ahmed Mohammed Al Raf i
(CEO, Dubai Technologies )
Rahmani
CEO and president, Mani Foods Industry L.L.C.
Operations: A consumer-centric manufacturing and
processing company in the dried fruits and nuts segment.
TIS: Who is your target audience?
AR: We are in the snack food
industry, in the healthy snacking
category, under dried fruits and nuts.
The target groups, on the consumer
side, are the discerning consumers.
They are health conscious, they
understand quality
and they prefer
branded
products. We
target these
consumers
in three main
segments:
institutions
namely in-flight
catering and
schools; travel channels namely the
hotels and restaurants; and retail
sectors.
TIS: How have you introduced
innovation into your business?
AR: The innovative path we have
taken is going beyond the retail
sector. Besides retail, we cover
tourism, which is a large part of the
economy, and institutions. By being
in Dubai we’re able to cater to all
these channels, and measure our
success in all these channels. The key
aim is to differentiate Mani from all
other brands in the market. We do this
by portraying Mani as a
local brand that aims to become
a global one. This is something I
always tell people.
TIS: What does the recognition
through Dubai SME 100 mean for
your company?
AR: This recognition means a lot
to us, because we are differentiated
from thousands of companies in
Dubai. It adds value to our brand and
company. When you are recognised,
you will get more attention from all
the sectors- government, private
companies, and banks. It breeds
respect for the company.
TIS: How did you come to set up in
Dubai?
AR: I came to Dubai for an internship
from Brussels. While I spent time
here, I also realised that this country
has immense potential for an
entrepreneur to set up and operate a
business. My main aim at the time
was to take the family business
global. My family business is focused
on the manufacturing, and processing
of dried fruits and nuts. We have
numerous years of expertise on the
subject. Combining this knowledge
with many consultants on market
development and marketing, as
well as my knowledge in marketing
and business management, and the
logistics potential of Dubai, I set up
this company.
TIS: How would you differentiate
Mani Foods from the family
business?
AR: The family heritage business
that we have involves producing,
farming, cultivating and exporting
dried fruits and nuts. Mani is very
different from my family business,
in the sense that we are not process
oriented; we are consumer-centric.
It’s a backward integration from the
consumer side down to the process
side. First we understand the needs
of the consumer, and then produce

did you come up with to better the situation?
“The systematic approach adopted by Spantech allowed us to stay focused whilst
achieving optimum results. The methodologies adopted by us allows us to predict
potential pitfalls and overcome them.”
accordingly. We take into account the
nutritional facts and the portions. This
is the key fact that differentiates us
from our key competitors as well. We
have world-class consultants assisting
us at every stage, helping us to take
the right decisions.
TIS: So your products are focused on
health of the consumer.
AR: Yes, but we don’t like to call
it healthy. We prefer “fun and well
being.” Our motto is eat, enjoy
and stay healthy. Healthy food is
sometimes perceived in the negative
sense, and many might not enjoy it.
But our products focus on guilt-free
snacking.
TIS: What kind of challenges have
you had during the economic crisis?
AR: It was not a good time, it was
the peak of the financial crisis, banks
were not lending, and every aspect of
setting up the business was difficult.
Financial systems all over the world
were stressed, and recruiting for
a new company was difficult, as
people who were settled in their
jobs were wary of moving to a new
organisation. We had some delays
on the supply side, but we slowly got
everything together with hard work.
We had to be on top of every
job and there was a lot of crisis
management while setting up the
business. We started with 16 people,
and now we have 70 staff.
TIS: What are your future plans?
AR: We want to be the brand that is
loved by millions of customers across
the globe. Today we are available
in the GCC, Egypt and Jordan. We
are also available in Belgium and
have initiated operations in the UK.
So, our future lies in developing
our European market and later the
American and Japanese markets.
Japanese markets especially
because they are known for their
appreciation of quality, and that is
what we provide.
We are focused and will remain
in the dried fruits and nuts segment.
We are introducing new products that
are consumer-friendly.
TIS: How did you arrive at the
current basket of products?
AR: I like to arrive at a simple
solution, beginning with the complex.
I call it “simplexity.” So for Mani,
while trying to arrive at a specific
product we try a wider range of
products, which we first introduce
into a pilot market, and from there we
narrow it down based on the success
of the product. It’s difficult because
it’s a wide range, and the initial cost is
high, but if you want to go global, this
is the approach. We have double digit
growth to prove the success of this
approach.
TIS: What kind of changes would
you like to see implemented in the
Rajeev Pemmaiah
(CEO, Spantech Solution L.L.C)
industries your company is associated
with?
AR: There are many gaps in the
manufacturing side, mainly because
Dubai is attuned to being a trading
platform. Industrial platform
therefore, is not well defined, and
that’s why the banking sector is also
not defined to meet these needs. This
is different in other countries like
Germany, which is more industrial
and therefore they even finance a
business idea!
However, over here, banks ask
for a track record of three years and so
on. This doesn’t work for an FMCG
brand and a manufacturing company,
because they will have no need of
finance after three years of operation.
More support therefore, is required
for manufacturers, for them to set up
and grow.
TIS: Advice to the next generation of
entrepreneurs?
AR: Entrepreneurs must strongly
believe. This is a characteristic of an
entrepreneur, along with being a risk
taker. Never hesitate in any decision.
Another point that I would like to add
is, do not take advice from too many
people. Select only limited numbers,
whose success is evident. Always
have the right partners, such as your
supplier, distributor, banker, and so
on. Keep in mind that as an SME,
you are growing, and you need these
suppliers to support your growth.
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
51

Our solutions are innovative and easy to use, with a user-friendly
Internet web interface. We take great pride in our competitive
services and installation as well as our unrivalled execution.
Our system integrates GPS, wireless technologies and the
Internet to increase asset efficiency and safety objectives.
It reduces operating costs and improve customer service for
companies across UAE and the GCC.
Dubai Internet City, DIC 13, HP Building, Office 220
P.O. Box 500306, Dubai, UAE
T +971 4 390 1498 F +971 4 366 4598
E info@samtech-me.ae samtech-me.com

TIS: What is your company’s USP?
PK: As a company we understand
information security in an holistic
manner. Our consulting team is
based out of the UAE and has an
in-depth understanding of security
processes, ISO 27001 standards, and
has an impressive track record of
having enabled over 40 companies
in the Gulf to obtain the ISO 27001
certification. Our technology practice
has both depth and breadth far
more significant than most of our
competitors. More importantly, our
dedicated band of qualified security
engineers and consultants is the
key differentiator. At the end of the
day, the individual makes all the
difference, these individuals created
Paramount. They are the future of the
company.
TIS: What does the recognition
offered by Dubai SME mean for you
and how will it make a difference in
your business?
PK: Ranking recognition like this
not only tell us how far we have
come, but also tells us how far we
need to go. It has made all of us at
Paramount proud and humbled at
the same time. This recognition,
coming from an independent body
with a comprehensive and holistic
evaluation process, has significantly
enhanced client perception of our
company. Going forward, we believe,
it will enhance our ability to attract
greater talent into the company and
win larger deals in the marketplace.
It will also inspire the team to stretch
and aim to become Number One.
TIS: In such a volatile market, what
have you done differently to excel?
PK: 2012 is a landmark year for
Paramount, as we complete 20 years
in the UAE, a significant achievement
for an SME. We are more than
convinced that if we have come this
far, then it is because of a clearly
defined vision and value system and
stakeholder satisfaction and respect.
The company is still work in progress
and we have a long way to go.
Premchand K
CEO, Paramount Computer Systems
Operations: Paramount has
established a reputation for
providing practical security
solutions that are both business
driven and cost-effective. This has
enabled the company to secure
the IT Infrastructure of leading
government undertakings, banks and
financial institutions, airlines and
transportation companies, telcos,
universities and large corporates in
the region.
TIS: Have you faced many
challenges as you built this business?
PK: We have had to face a
plethora of challenges: cash flow
pressures, employee attrition,
technology obsolescence, JV
partner management, integrating
technology into complex client
environments, accelerating learning,
adopting defined processes to scale
the business, enhancing skill sets of
middle level managers - the list
goes on. It created problems in the
short-term, but evidently,
our long-term success is
eloquent testimony to this strategy
and approach.
TIS: What are your future plans for
the year ahead?
PK: We have several key initiatives
underway in 2012 to scale up the
business. Several new security
Rank
9
technologies are being launched.
We are re-entering the Saudi
Arabian market with a 100 per cent
owned entity; we are incubating
a new business in cloud services;
we are evaluating an acquisition to
accelerate growth, and our current
talent pool of 102 people will double
in the next three-four years. People
will make all the difference.
TIS: Do you look forward to the
next rankings by Dubai SME? Do
you hope to improve on the current
ranking?
PK: Improving from the current
position, for each of us in Paramount
is non-negotiable. We have identified
clear initiatives and performance
goals that will help us achieve the
desired recognition in the next edition
of SME 100. We are grateful to Dubai
SME 100 for raising the bar and
defining a goal worthy of pursuit.
TIS: What advice would you give to
budding entrepreneurs?
PK: You cannot get into business
or working life for that matter with
the objective of making money. You
must have a much larger objective.
Identify a cause that will kindle
passion in you. Work diligently to
deliver on the vision and don’t get
bogged down by roadblocks on the
way. Success will follow, so will
money.
TIS: What changes would you like to
implement in your industry to further
the growth of companies such as
Paramount?
PK: You can protect your
information assets only by a prudent
combination of people; process and
technology. Today, the industry
is very technology centric in its
approach. We need more qualified,
more diligent and more skilled
security engineers and consultants
to enhance our security posture. At a
country level, the UAE needs more
nationals dedicated to this field; we
would like to facilitate the creation
of a centre of excellence to create the
future security talent of the UAE.
The Intelligent SME
53

Waleid Abdulkareim
Òwner, OnTime
54 The Intelligent SME
Rank
10
TIS: What inspired you to set up this
business?
WA: This idea came from a very
funny incident. Once, I had applied
for a Schengen visa and at one of
the offices that I went to billed me
for AED1200; they did not give
me any receipts, and my passport
was with them. After I got the visa,
I saw in the receipt that the actual
amount was AED300! I had paid four
times more than the actual amount
and felt cheated. This is not a good
picture of Dubai, and I thought I had
to do something about this. OnTime
is the solution to this dilemma that
many people face. We set up the
first OnTime office in 2003.
However, I did not want to
restrict myself to just labour
and immigration document
clearing. I decided to go
in another tangent, so we
signed with embassies and
consulates as an authorized
organisation handling commercial
and tourist visas. Then we wanted to
Operations: OnTime facilitates government services such as DED (issuing
new licenses and renew olds, initial approvals, reserving company names),
and so on, by way of partnership. Working with the Immigration, Land
Department (Ejari), Emirates ID, Labour Office, Civil Defence, RTA, Dubai
Courts, consulates and Saudi Embassy, OnTime is portrayed as a one-stop
shop to facilitate companies and individuals who require services from any of
these government bodies.
expand our services and signed an
agreement with Emirates Identity
Authority. I opened 16 branches
in UAE. Slowly, the growth was
reflected in our progress. And we
decided that the partnerships with
government bodies are the right way
to go.
TIS: What changes have you
introduced in the business?
WA: During negotiations with the
government, I still remember being
asked what was different about
OnTime. This is an organisation that
believes in giving a brand identity to
the kind of services we provide, such
as, say, Starbucks. So we believe in
conducting ourselves in a disciplined
manner, we have uniforms, and our
brand guidelines and colour schemes
are followed in every single branch.
We changed the environment of
the work by making our branches
spacious, providing transportation,
and promoting emiratisation. This
plays a big role in the mind of the
consumer, because we provide a good
experience and a friendly, organised
atmosphere. We set standards to the
profession.
Technologically, we have done
away with the ambiguity and mistrust
that people have when submitting
their documents. We have SMS
confirmations, online tracking
systems of documents, and we are
Do you look forward to next year’s ranking? What measures
“We always strive for continuous improvement. Corporate governance practices
are one area in which we hope to excel. We recently appointed a non-executive
chairman, and we are already introducing some operational changes that we believe
will help improve our ranking.” John Martin St. Valery
(Founder & CEO, The Links Group )

obligated in giving our clients a
feeling of professionalism and trust.
We are the first company to have a
training and development centre and a
call centre. We are actually changing
the whole concept of document
clearing.
TIS: What plans do you have for the
future?
WA: Currently we’re trying to cover
the entire area of Dubai by setting up
branches in various key locations;
very soon we will be expanding to
other emirates, starting with Abu
Dhabi. Besides our expansion plans,
we are looking forward to getting
listed in the secondary market for
SMEs. But this will take at least
a year. Meanwhile we will have
many other plans that will keep this
organisation a pioneer in this line of
business. We have to be fast in our
growth and innovation, to be one step
ahead of the competition. In this way
we dissuade people from copying our
business.
We have lined up many
more partnerships and exclusive
agreements and will be announcing
them in the future. A more immediate
project is a one stop shop facility in
Jumeirah Beach Residence, where we
will be providing the entire gamut of
services. We also have other services
like auditing, uniform manufacture,
and real estate agency, which we will
be developing further.
TIS: What is your marketing
strategy?
WA: We will continuously expand
our services, and set up more
branches. We will also market our
services through offline and digital
media, and build our reputation. We
will also develop our 4 P’s (Place,
Price, Promotion & product ).
TIS: What are the challenges you
have faced in the course of your
business?
WA: I would like to expand my
company in a big manner, but
I cannot, because nobody will
finance this enterprise in spite of our
growth. I’ve often contemplated an
SME fund created by the SME 100
entrepreneurs. This would encourage
banks to open up more to the SME
sector. We can make a change for
SMEs. Also, it is a challenge to
negotiate with our partners. It takes a
lot of convincing and we really work
hard to prove ourselves and gain trust
of our partners.
TIS: What is your management
philosophy?
WA: We live in a challenging and
dynamic world and therefore we
have to be fast and aggressive with
the market and improve our tools to
make things happen, and to grab the
opportunity on time. And we should
pride ourselves on our innovation,
integrity and commitment to quality
and excellence. We are a family.
We work hard. Faisal Abdulkareem,
is my managing director, and
would you take to elevate your current ranking?
we split the operations where I
handle business development by
forming alliances and carrying out
negotiations, and the managing
director handles the operations. But
I still oversee the new projects for a
while before it is fully managed by
him. And we work as a team. All of us
discuss each project at length before
finding the best approach.
TIS: Now that you have been
ranked in the top ten, what does this
recognition mean for your business?
WA: The creation of the Group has
been an extraordinary journey, and
this recognition shows us that we are
on the right path; and now we look
forward to growing together with our
people to achieve more in the future.
We want to be Number one in the
next ranking. Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, our ruler, says
everybody remembers number one.
It’s not going to be easy, but we will
try our best.
TIS: What advice would you like to
give to budding entrepreneurs?
WA: With determination, desire,
patience and a passion for integrity,
OnTime has, over the years,
transformed and become more
than we ever dreamed. All the
entrepreneurs should keep the idea
simple and the message clear and
focus more on the creativity, decency,
concern for the business community
and an obligation to give the best.
“We plan to improve on each of the criteria that Dubai SME 100 ranks SMEs on and look
forward to building the most desirable digital information architecture company to work
with, and look forward to being recognised for our achievement by Dubai SME 100 again.”
Mark Hirst
CEO, Blue Beetle
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
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Continued from page 35
businesses. The SMEs have adapted
to the situation, and have actually
moved on. Ahmad Tahlak, owner
of Levenbert, for instance, says that
their company had to do away with
attractive projects because of the
situation emerging out of the global
downturn, and they had to take a good
look at how to move ahead.
“A number of our projects had
been put on hold owing to a tough
market. We had to even strategically
revisit our organisational objectives,”
he reminisces.
In fact, nothing came easy for
any of the SMEs ranked among the
top 100, even when the going was
good pre-recession. Most ranked
SMEs have attributed their success
to sheer hard work, and team efforts.
“I have learnt that business is a full
time life commitment and there is no
Continued from page 34
achieve balanced and all-rounded
growth. To enable this, Dubai SME
has developed an engagement
plan, which principally focuses on
delivering capability development
sessions that exposes SMEs to new
growth ideas to take them to the next
level. We will track their growth
performance progress from a top-line
and bottom-line perspective, and give
feedback where needed. Growth and
development is an iterative process
and with time, the SMEs will learn
how to invest and manage growth
based on their context and different
starting points.
TIS: What are the main criteria used
for developing this ranking?
AW: The ranking is based on
the fundamentals of firm growth
covering financials, innovation,
human capital development and
market development. Dubai SME’s
aim was to use the ranking as a
means to identify performance
that resulted from the emphasis of
these fundamentals. Of course, the
way each is focused and nuanced is
different from country to country. So
for example, Dubai being a global
such thing as time-out. It requires full
devotion, incessant dedication and
countless sacrifices. But it is all worth
it and I wouldn’t have it any other
way,” affirms Jeehan Abdul Gadir,
founder of American Academy of
Cosmetic Surgery.
Challenges
SMEs have had to deal with a
number of challenges to sustain the
pace of their growth over the years.
Banking has been a major area of
difficulty, as they have at times fallen
short of supporting manufacturing
companies, according to Abouzar
Rahmani, CEO of Mani Foods L.L.C.
There are too many guarantees and
securities required for banks to lend
to the SME sector, some of which
pose quite a hassle to company
owners. “The biggest challenge still
is liquidity. The only solution for
city, the degree of international
orientation is a key evaluation
dimension. A large majority
of SMEs in Dubai have some form
of international footprint serving
the region, since there is not a large
domestic market. Innovation is also
a key since it enables future growth
and sustainability. Moving on to
future ranking cycles, Dubai SME
will increase focus on corporate
governance since it is a key issue for
growth and development, especially
post global financial crisis. Dubai
SME aims to create a pipeline of
bankable and investable SMEs which
in turn helps increase and create new
(real) economic value to the Dubai
Emirate and the UAE at large.
TIS: From your expert point of view,
what are the main gaps you registered
that broadly affects the SME sector,
during the course of this intensive
process?
AW: One of the key gaps is that many
SMEs here do not have externally
audited financial statements.
Nevertheless, we also see many
quality SMEs that have taken the
trouble to invest in financial discipline
this is prudent cash management and
streamlining your cost base while
negotiating payment terms with
clients and suppliers,” adds Mohamed
Nassar, owner of WMS Metal
Industries L.L.C.
In such cases, being sensible
about the cash flow is the only way
out for most companies. They must
be intelligent enough to safeguard
their resources to work out long-term
growth. “You have to be sensible
about your cash flow, in order to
sustain your growth. If you are not a
wild spender, then you should have
some cash in your hand to innovate
and implement your business ideas,”
notes Hazel Jackson, CEO, Biz-
Group.
However, trying times always
bring opportunities, and many of
these companies have grabbed
Continued to page 59
by ensuring the adoption of proper
accounting standards appropriate for
their stage of growth. Many are also
aware that they have to start early to
invest in good financial systems and
governance.
The other gap is the short
planning horizon of the SMEs
here, which means that they do not
invest long-term for growth, for
example in productive assets that will
increase their equity and economic
value. Yet, those that have been
ranked show that these gaps can
be bridged if there is a vision and
clear execution plan to deepen the
development of their companies. At
a higher level, knowing these gaps
will help us address more directly
the development gaps of SMEs in
Dubai. A key goal is to make these
SMEs more productive, innovative
to enable long-term development.
Hence, we are using these 100 ranked
SMEs as a means to reach out to the
72,000 odd SMEs, and the message
is clear: that all SMEs can make a
difference to their growth trajectory
and create a premium for sustainable
growth. The ranked SMEs have done
it and have something to show.
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
57

Continued from page 57
them, as evidenced by Paul Michael
Gledhill, co-founder and executive
director of Xpert Learning: “To be
honest, the downturn was a great time
for us. Companies were starting to
look at reducing costs, but at the same
time trying to improve efficiencies
across their business. We learnt to
become a strategic alliance partner to
our customers as opposed to a content
reseller. As a strategic alliance
partner we became a true learning
consultant that helped drive business
impact and behavioural change in
organisations.”
“Our commitment to excellence,
business integrity and accountability
is what keeps us grounded and
focused on the most essential things
in the real estate business,” explains
Rajan Israni, managing director
of Sun and Sand Developers, the
company of its kind to be ranked in
the SME 100 list. “We don’t believe
in hype. We have a very deep
understanding of the dynamics of
the real estate industry, which has
allowed us to steer clear of potential
pitfalls, particularly during the most
challenging period in the industry.”
Israni completed his projects at a
time when the construction sector
was undergoing its worst phase. And
having no monetary commitments
at the time, he was able to offer
innovative payment schemes for his
property.
A steady focus on core
competencies, taking stock of
inventory and receivables, and a
thorough analysis of product mix,
market, scope for innovation,
and international orientation has
made many of these companies
successful. As Akhtar Aman, COO
of Enerplastics L.L.C says, “Small is
beautiful!” The best part about being
a small company is the fact that the
board members or owners can take
quick decisions with issues affecting
the company.
“The lesson we learnt was, if
we offer the right product that the
market needs, backed with intelligent
investing on marketing, then we will
succeed even if general economic
environment is on a downturn,”
sums up Sunil Ramchandani, CEO,
Vitavision Medical Supplies. For
many others, the solution lies in
taking business across the borders in
the region, and for some to countries
beyond the region.
Changing business environment
Business perceptions are no
longer the same. The new age
entrepreneurs are far more perceptive
to their staff and the market,
along with global trends. They
are more proactive, and cultivate
the entrepreneurial spirit among
their staff. With bold visions, these
entrepreneurs manage customer
expectations, while maneuvering
their strategies and plans to follow
through their vision. Moreover, a
spirit of teamwork prevails, with
the top management engaging much
more with the staff.
The team is the essence of the
business, according to Dr. Omar
Ghosheh, founder and CEO of
Dimensions Healthcare, the company
ranked number one in the Dubai SME
100 ranking.
However, most entrepreneurs
that have been ranked expect a certain
degree of attention from financial
institutions, and with added visibility,
thanks to Dubai SME, improve
their business and grow further
after identifying the positives and
negatives. Along with measures such
corporate governance, international
management standards, maintaining
focus on core competencies and
listening to customer inputs, Dubai’s
SME sector is all set to perform
strongly in the years ahead.
Some ambitious entrepreneurs like
Dr. Shurong of Emirates Integrated
SMEs have been given
the recognition of being
an integral part of the
Dubai economy. With
an aggregate profit of
AED220 billion, SMEs
in Dubai are more than
prepared to take their
growth to the next level.
Medical Center, feels that more than
the ranking, growth is inevitable. “I
don’t want to expand my organisation,
I would rather grow vertically, and
expand my reach with regard to
clients,” she says.
Post ranking, Dubai SME
has activated a series of capability
development, awareness creation and
networking initiatives to help these
SMEs improve their performance. A
large part of the effort is focused
on changing mindsets and opening
minds to new angles of and ideas for
growth and development.
Ranked SME owners are being
encouraged to work as a full-fledged
community, supporting each
through the SME CEO club; they
will also become mentors to the next
generation of entrepreneurs and help
shape the 72,000 SMEs in Dubai.
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
59

Special focus
Dubai SME 100
Overall ranking
60 The Intelligent SME
Rank Company Name
1 Dimensions Healthcare FZ L.L.C
2 Ecobility Energy Solutions
3 Propertyfinder.ae
4 Intercoil International Co. L.L.C
5 MEPCO Gulf
6 Enerplastics L.L.C
7 E-Home Automation
8 Mani Foods Ind. L.L.C
9 Paramount Computer Systems
10 On Time
11 German Imaging Technologies Dubai L.L.C
12 Vitavision Medical Supplies
13 Ozon Techno Commercial Fzco
14 Bizxchange
15 Gulf Seafood L.L.C
16 Biz-Group FZ L.L.C
17 Biolite Aesthetic Clinic
18 Samtech Middle East
19 Eastern Biotech & Life Sciences FZ L.L.C
20 Merlin Digital General Trdg L.L.C
21 Zams International FZCO
22 O2 Network
23 Middle East Prestressing L.L.C
24 Futurelink
25 Ethos Consultancy
Rank Company Name
26 Harlequin Marquees & Event Services
27 MD Interior Design
28 WMS Metal Industries L.L.C
29 The Number 1 General Trading
30 Emirates Trans Graphics L.L.C
31 Suntron Electronics
32 Dolphin Diving Services
33 International Business Consult
34 Micro Automation Industries
35 Elcome International L.L.C
36 Al Jowder International General Trading
37 Help Ag Middle East FZ L.L.C
38 Kimoha Entrepreneurs Limited
39 DGT L.L.C
40 3W Networks FZCO
41 Heritage For Henna
42 Tonnit Design & Advertising L.L.C
43 Al Shami Sugar & Grains Packing
44 Orbis Foods
45 The Hundred Pilates Studio Fz-L.L.C
46 Otal L.L.C
47 Halley’s Comet Tourism L.L.C
48 Horizon Satellite Services FZ L.L.C
49 Just Falafel
50 Emirates Integrated Medical Centre FZ L.L.C

Rank Company Name
51 Hiphone Telecom
52 Radiant Engineering FZC
53 Al Zubaidi Modern Decorative Systems L.L.C
54 American Academy Of Cosmetic
Surgery Hospital
55 Creek Castle Contracting
56 Links Group Limited
57 Crowe Horwath
58 Connect4 Digital Printing
59 Relays Engineering Consultants
60 Blue Beetle FZ L.L.C
61 Royal City Contracting L.L.C
62 Hima Middle East FZE
63 Aaa Roadside Assistance
64 Incon Infrastructure Contracting L.L.C
65 Lemongrass Thai Restaurant L.L.C
66 Innovative Hr Solutions FZ L.L.C
67 DC Pro Engineering
68 Wilson Learning FZ L.L.C
69 Think Software Services
70 Al Wegdaniyah Transport Solutions
71 Dimara International
72 Printpac ME
73 Happy Yummy
74 Gulf Pumps L.L.C
75 Trinity Infotech L.L.C
Rank Company Name
76 Levenbert
77 Dubai Technologies
78 Appetite Catering Services L.L.C
79 Triple Crown Shipping And Logistics L.L.C
80 SNTTA Travel &Tours L.L.C.
81 Sukad FZ L.L.C
82 Diva Modelling & Events
83 Al Badr & Al Muaini General Trading L.L.C
84 Emirates Pearl General Trading L.L.C.
85 Ritmo Furniture
86 The Jam Jar L.L.C
87 Palace Engineering Consultants
88 First Light FZ L.L.C
89 5 Capitals Environmental And Management
Consultancies
90 SAT Insulation Materials L.L.C
91 Golden Motor Telephone
92 Spantec Solutions L.L.C
93 Al Fahim Carpet & Curtains
94 Caistor Associates
95 Dynamic Learning - Six Seconds FZ L.L.C
96 Xpertlearning
97 Art India Textiles
98 W S I Net Power
99 Pro-Design Advertising L.L.C
100 Eisa Travels
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
61

Special focus
Top 10 Financial Growth
62 The Intelligent SME
Rank Company Name Sector Line of Business
1 Ecobility Energy Solutions Trading Energy Solutions
2 Dimensions Healthcare FZ L.L.C Services Information Tehnology
(Hardware & Software)
3 Zams International FZCO Trading Food And Beverage
4 The Number 1 General Trading Trading General Trading
5 Propertyfinder.ae Services Professional Services
6 German Imaging Manufacturing Information Technology
Technologies Dubai L.L.C (Hardware And Software)
7 Mani Foods Ind. L.L.C Manufacturing Food And Beverage
8 OnTime Services Public Relation Services
9 MEPCO Gulf Trading Paper Products & Printing
10 Help AG Middle Services Information Technology
East FZ L.L.C Hardware And Software)
Top 10 Innovation
Rank Company Name Sector Line of Business
1 Micro Automation Industries Manufacturing Electronics
2 E-Home Automation Services IT (Hardware and Software)
3 Kimoha Entrepreneurs Ltd Manufacturing Paper Products & Printing
4 Intercoil International Co. L.L.C Manufacturing Furniture and Sleep
Products
5 Bizxchange Trading Professional Services
6 Dimensions Healthcare FZ L.L.C Services IT (Hardware and Software)
7 WMS Metal industries L.L.C Manufacturing Fabricated Metal &
Equipment
8 Ecobility Energy Solutions Trading Energy Solutions
9 Enerplastics L.L.C Manufacturing Plastic Products
10 Merlin Digital General Trading IT (Hardware and Software)
Trading L.L.C

Top 10 Human Capital Development
Rank Company Name Sector Line of Business
1 Ethos Consultancy Services Professional Services-
Management Consulting
2 Innovative HR Services Professional Services-
Solutions FZ L.L.C Management Consulting
3 Bizxchange Trading Professional Services
4 German Imaging Manufacturing IT (Hardware and Software)
Technologies Dubai L.L.C
5 Biz-Group FZ L.L.C Services Professional Services-
Management Consulting
6 Enerplastics L.L.C Manufacturing Plastic Products
7 Intercoil International Manufacturing Furniture and Sleep Products
CO.L.L.C
8 Harlequin Marquees Services Event Management
& Event Services
9 Just Falafel Services Food and Beverage
10 DC Pro Engineering Services Professional Services-
Management Consulting
Top 10 International Orientation
Rank Company Name Sector Line of Business
1 Ozon Techno Commercial FZCO Trading Electronics
2 Enerplastics L.L.C Manufacturing Plastic Products
3 Emirates Pearl Trading General Trading
General Trading L.L.C .
4 ZAMS International FZCO Trading Food and Beverage
5 Elcome International L.L.C Services Commercial Marine Services
6 Gulf Seafood L.L.C Manufacturing Food and Beverage
7 Intercoil International Manufacturing Furniture and Sleep Products
CO L.L.C
8 3W Networks FZCO Services IT (Hardware and Software)
9 Hima Middle East FZE Services Professional Services-
Management Consulting
10 Kimoha Entrepreneurs Ltd Manufacturing Paper Products & Printing
Special focus
The Intelligent SME
63

SME development
Reaching out to
the SME sector
Dubai SME has started preparing the Dubai SME 100 companies
for better growth prospects in the future. The ambition is to
achieve higher profits, human capital development and a global
footprint for these companies. A TIS report.
The first orientation session
of the Dubai SME 100
companies was organised
recently by Dubai SME, an
agency of the Dubai Department of
Economic Development.
Congratulating the owners
and decision makers of the ranked
companies, the session proceeded
to give them an understanding of
the development goals of the SME
100 ranking. The first and the most
important goal, involves ultimately
reaching out to the other 72,000 SMEs
through these ranked companies. The
ranking will spur SME performance
and growth excellence, while
developing supply-side investable
SMEs for encouraging
demand-side investor market interest,
said Alexandar Williams, director,
strategy and policy, Dubai SME.
He added that the SME
100 ranking will further inspire
companies to become sustainable and
have a high degree of international
orientation, which will in turn make
Dubai the destination to attract high
net worth innovative and investable
start-ups and SMEs at various stages
of growth.
Expectations
By 2013, Dubai SME hopes
to see an improvement in the ranks
of the SMEs that have currently
been positioned as top companies,
with key indicators showing better
performance and sustained
64 The Intelligent SME
Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO, Dubai SME
speaks at the SME orientation session held
recently.
year-on-year growth, higher turnover,
profits and export sales, and more
staff employment. This will result
in the graduation of SMEs to large
industries that employ over 250
employees and earn above AED250
million in annual turnovers.
Another key enabling factor
towards this goal is the facilitation
of these companies in the SME
100 companies’ listing in an SME
secondary market platform, while
also being positioned in other
international rankings such as Arabia
500 and the GCC 100.
Capability development tracks
Dubai SME has envisaged five
tracks of development for SME
companies. The first being corporate
governance, which covers financial
governance, financial discipline
board and advisory networks, tools
and diagnostics, success stories and
development tracking. The second is
investment capability development,
which will give SME owners an
advantage in building an investment
story in order to source risk capital,
increase investment readiness,
company valuation and establish links
with international investors. Building
an international footprint is the
third track, while human capability
development focusing on CEO and
executive team leadership, talent
attraction and development has been
set as the fourth track. The fifth track
involves innovation and research
capability development by building
future value, commercialisation of
ideas, revenue strategies, and IP
protection techniques.
In order to strengthen these
capabilities, there will be many
engagement platforms set up,
including the new SME 100
magazine, the newly formed SME

SME development
Alexandar Williams, director, strategy and policy, Dubai SME, speaks at the SME orientation session.
100 CEO Club, case studies and
statistical financial reports, the SME
100 year book and so on.
SME 100 specif ic initiatives
A notable development in the
plan for SME 100 is the setting
up of SME 100 Growth Advisor
Programme, an initiative which
will involve identifying business
and industry-based experienced
executives to be advisors, creating
a knowledge pool for the ranked
companies. This will result in a
resource base for SMEs to tap if
66 The Intelligent SME
and when they establish formal or
informal boards with them being peer
and industry advisors to each other.
Another initiative is Dubai
SME’s partnership with the
International Finance Corporation
of the World Bank to co-organise a
Corporate Governance Programme
targeted at CEOs and CFOs,
consisting of three workshops on
SME governance overview, board
functioning, management control and
meeting the investors to understand
the factors that go into building
an invest-worthy SME company.
SME owners gathered at the SME orientation session held by Dubai SME recently.
In order to
strengthen these
capabilities, there
will be many
engagement
platforms set up,
including the new
SME 100 magazine,
the newly formed
SME 100 CEO Club,
case studies and
statistical financial
reports, the SME 100
year book and so on.
These practical workshops aim
to help SMEs in various stages of
development to execute effective
initiatives of corporate governance.
Network of partners
Dubai SME 100 will build a
partners’ network to assist in the
development programme of the
100 SMEs and reach out to the rest
of the SMEs in the 72,000 pool.
These partners will play a big role
with different offerings, covering
needs-based consultations, financial
solutions, and business networking.

Equity building
How to build your
equity story
Dr. Edward Roderick dispels certain myths about the needs and
expectations of equity investors looking to invest in SMEs.
Small businesses have been
facing the brunt of the
current financial turmoil that
has reduced their funding
abilities. Banks have to repair their
balance sheets from the impairments
due to assets bubbles bursting around
the world. They are also facing the
requirement to hold higher tier 1
ratios of funding and, effectively,
keep more cash in hand, just in case
things go bad again.
As unemployment increased,
individuals burned cash and the
68 The Intelligent SME
banking industry’s saving to debt
ratios went out of line, again causing
a constraint on lending. If you are
trying to borrow, the probability is,
you won’t get what you need, if any
at all, and the terms are likely to be
expensive if you do.
Probabilities of funding
Let’s move to equity. Firstly, what are
the probabilities of getting fundedin
a good market? According to
statistics by Mason and Harrison, 60
per cent of business plans are rejected
after just 30 minutes, a further 25 per
cent are rejected after three hours, 10
per cent more are rejected after a full
day, three per cent fail in negotiations
and only two per cent succeed in
getting funding.
These statistics are based on
developed economies. You may
ask what the relevance of this is.
Well, in the developed world most
countries charge income tax, and, it
is in the nature of humanity that we
try to avoid this! When governments
give tax breaks to help certain parts
of the economy, then this helps and
encourages good citizens to take a
little more risk.
In recognising that the SME
sector is the most likely source of
new jobs as businesses emerge
So what do investors love and hate
in entrepreneurs and, therefore,
what you need to address to get
funding?
from recession, governments try to
accelerate this process by giving
higher levels of tax breaks. They are
effectively taking government money
in countries, such as the UK, and
giving it to investors to help the SME
sector to grow.
You can see that for companies
in this region, opportunity doesn’t
exist, particularly, if you are an expat
company trying to get going. Perhaps
somebody from government will read
this and look at changing things?
Unrealistic entrepreneurs
Let’s go back to the statistics;
100 per cent of the people believed
they had a great business that was
fundable, but unfortunately 98 per
cent were wrong. Why is this case,
you may ask? The answer is simple;
completely unrealistic entrepreneurs.
We see this all the time. We give
most companies a one-hour hearing
and within 10 minutes we know who
is going to fail, it’s our job and our
life. In spite of this, we are often told
how wrong we are, and so, often I
hope the entrepreneurs are right,
but usually they are not and we are
right. We have dashed the hopes and
enthusiasm of so many people, but
we don’t want them to continue to
waste their, and, often, their families’
and friends’ money in a futile hope
of success. Fifty per cent of the
companies we help get funded; so, we
are not infallible, but our ratios play
well against the stats.
Misconception
In some ways I blame the

educational establishments for raising
the expectations of the students. I
have an expression, which those
who know me often hear: “they have
been taught to paint by numbers and
believe they are Picasso.”
Entrepreneurship cannot be
taught. You either have or don’t have
a great idea, and you either can or
can’t execute. I do accept that you
can be helped to mange yourself
and your business better if you are
an entrepreneur, but you can’t make
one. Nobody is going to change the
pyramid structure of business no
matter what they do.
Do’s and don’ts
So what do investors love and
hate in entrepreneurs and, therefore,
what you need to address to get
funding?
Firstly don’t come for cash for
a start-up. If the idea is good, your
family and friends need to fund
you in the initial stages. If you can’t
convince them to risk their cash, then
why should an investor? This also
applies to having a good team, even if
it is as low as two members. If you are
a one-man-company and you die, so
does the business.
This comes to the first major
point for external investors - you
have to be able to sell. They have
to believe in you first and then the
company. Being shy or modest does
not tell them how great you and the
company are. However, don’t make
it complex in an effort to show how
clever you are. Clever people make
complex things simple-not the other
way around. You will also have to
sell your idea to clients and suppliers
so good sales executives have a great
shot at success.
Next, you have to demonstrate a
detailed and in-depth knowledge of
the markets you are about to enter.
This needs to include competitors,
segments, dynamics and pricing. I
always believe that a good political,
environmental, social and technical
analysis (PEST) is a starting point.
You then have to prove that you
or the ideas have had a track record
of success. This means that either
you need experience or that you have
done good trials of the business idea
or product.
Now we get into the ‘nitty gritty’.
Having done all this analysis, the
financial projections have to have
realism bordering on the pessimistic.
Don’t forget the military saying that
a strategy works to the point you
engage the enemy and then it has to
change. You need plenty in reserve
for issues. One of my great bosses -
now chairman of RSA, the insurance
company - always said, “In the first
six months at the start-up period for
a business or project, if you halve the
revenue and double the costs you will
probably be close.” This has so often
been right.
That realism also has to extend
to the return on investment. Just
getting by isn’t enough for investors.
They are looking for explosive profit
and growth and high returns on their
capital, probably 10 times the money.
Perhaps, worst of all, don’t
be ‘tricky’ with your investors and
shareholders. So many people tell
half truths as things go wrong; this is
totally the wrong approach. Investors
are experienced and realistic, they
know life isn’t perfect. If you share
difficulties as they happen, they will
give all their experience to help you
out of the ‘hole’. If, however, you lie
even once, that trust is gone forever,
and the business is on the road to
closure, and a nasty end.
Finally, remember that once you
have accepted an outside investor, the
business is for sale. The only issue is
the timing and price. You must not
think of the business as a lifestyle
for you, but as an investment for you
and them and an investment that must
be realised.
Edward Roderick , co-chairman
and managing partner of
Envestors MENA Ltd, has more
than 30 years’ experience across
the EU, Eastern Europe, the
US, Middle East, China and
Singapore. He has received a
number of accreditations and
maintains fellowship in the HULT
International Business School
and the Institute of Logistics and
Transport.
Equity building
The Intelligent SME
69

Management consultancy
Concepts for a lifetime
of business
Zed Ayesh highlights some of best ways of managing resources
efficiently in a slow-moving business scenario.
Difficult business
environments call
for cutting costs and
managing resources.
SMEs are slightly different in
their way of thinking, as these are
influenced by personal feelings and
perceptions of the managements, as
most SMEs in the region are managed
directly by owners. These perceptions
are transformed into actions and ways
of operating the business.
It is my opinion that individuals
and businesses, whether small or
large, should manage their resources
in the most efficient manner to ensure
profitability maximisation. It is a
70 The Intelligent SME
fact that many business philosophies
were built around this concept, from
cost efficiencies to cost competitive
advantages.
One of the best examples is
Wal-Mart, the largest retailer in the
world. Sam Walton, in his biography,
describes how he received a very
important lesson when he was a
young salesman working for JC
Penny, one of the largest and most
famous department stores in the US
in the late sixties. During one of his
store visits, Penny noticed a young
salesman using a large piece of paper
to wrap a shirt for a customer. He
approached the salesman and showed
him how to use a smaller piece of
paper to wrap the same size shirt,
telling him, “We make our money in
what we save, not what we sell.” The
young salesman took that statement
to heart and went on to build the
largest retailer in the world. Based
on that one lesson, he built the entire
business module on better managing
the company resources and lowering
his cost of operation: Wal-Mart
changed the face of the retail industry
with that philosophy.
Cheaper is not always better
Managing resources and cutting
costs are not exactly the same thing.

As managers, we must look at what
we get in return for our money, the
most important resource that will
buy other resources for business.
Firstly, I must mention that each SME
must identify the break-even point,
without which it is silly to talk about
managing resources. The best way
to reach the break-even point is for
revenues to be equal or greater than
expenses, so it’s all about increasing
revenues, or increasing sales, and,
this will take me to my first point of
better management of SME resources
to create more successful business.
Find ways to increase sales
Each person within an
organisation should be turned into
a salesman along with their other
activities. The focus of any SME
should be how to create more
opportunities to increase revenue;
this can include creating incentive
programmes for all persons bringing
sales to the company, asking for
referrals, and hiring better sales staff
with exciting commission structure.
Managing people well
For an SME, managing resources
is critical, in order to avoid losing
potential revenue owing to bad time
management. Monitoring salesmen
through efficient tools would be
appropriate. The simplest method is
to keep a tab on a salesman’s daily
activities. Time wasted by salesmen
in anything other than creating
opportunities to increase sales is a
waste of a resource.
Lower your break-even point
Many ideas and ways to reduce
current break-even point, such as
changing business location to lower
rents, lowering communication
bills by using modern technologies,
hiring more qualified individuals
that can do multiple jobs within
the SME are critical. Eliminate
unnecessary expenses, such as pantry
expenses, office boy expenses and so
on, create a culture of do-it-yourself
wherever and whenever you can.
Using more creative tactics for
marketing such as networking
events, community development
programmes and business related
organisations, participating in more
trade events, using local venues to
place advertisements, utilising social
media by creating a blog, Facebook
page, Twitter account and others.
Get a down payment
Make it your company policy
to get as much as you can in down
payment, do not start any project
with negative cash flow on it; this
will put stress on all other business
resources and will increase the level
of challenges for an SME. If a client
does not accept your company policy
of down payment, then you must
examine your offerings of products
and services, and then you must
examine the client and his intentions
of not making a payment period.
Outsource
As much as you can, outsourcing
is an excellent way to minimise
fixed expenses. Outsourcing your
business activities to others without
affecting the business results, such
as accounting activities, human
resources activities, marketing
activities and office cleaning
activities are recommended. For other
business items, such as transport, it is
better to lease.
Stay away from monthly payments
Try to avoid fixed payment
such as loans, and purchases with
long term payment commitments,
wherever you can use second hand
equipment, such as office printers,
copiers, and office phones, for the
fax it is better to send all faxes to a
computer.
Ask for credit
Whenever you can ask for credit
and facilities from your suppliers,
even if it is short-term credit, it can
influence cash flow in positive way.
It must be managed well to avoid
any future cash flow problems, as it
is very easy to spend such credit on
unrelated projects.
Monitor and review
Monitor and review profit and
loss (P&L) statement at least once a
Management consultancy
month. It should include details of
all the monthly expenses; it can then
be used as a tool to manage those
expenses and to understand the gap
between revenues and expenses.
Don’t be shy
Never hesitate to ask for help.
Many organisations and agencies
provide free help to SMEs in Dubai
and the UAE. Taking advantage of
these experts’ consultations, as it can
make the difference between winning
or losing the entire business.
To hold or to fold
All SME owners or managers
should have a timeline for when they
should stop or end the business if it
cannot reach the break-even point.
Knowing when to stop is important
for such entrepreneurs so as not to
dig a deeper hole for themselves by
covering a negative cash flow through
debt stacking and over stretching
resources and, over time, hurting the
business. One of my favourite sayings
is “Your first loss is your best loss.”
Zed Ayesh has over 20 years’
experience in management
and business development.
He is currently the managing
director of Flagship Consultancy
based in Dubai, and works with
clients on many aspects of the
business from strategic planning,
business development, marketing
strategies, pre-sales and sales
management, across different
sectors such as government
agencies, real estate, media
companies, manufacturing,
contracting, engineering firms,
retail and shipping companies.
The Intelligent SME
71

What is the art of focus?
Businesses must focus on what matters. John Lincoln
highlights why discussing and making decisions based
on averages could ruin a business.
This is an excellent guide
for small business owners,
SME investors and owners
to consider the Pareto
principle in all their daily business
undertakings.
Focusing on the details is
important, but it is wise to focus on
the details that matter.
I am sure that most of you have
heard and know about the Pareto
principle or sometimes referred to
as the ‘Pareto efficiency’. However,
I have observed that day in and day
out, not many people actually give
it thought; much less actually apply
this “universal” cardinal principle in
everyday life and business.
So who is this Pareto?
What is the Pareto principle and
why is it so important? Let me first
define what the Pareto principle is,
and who Pareto was.
The Pareto principle (also
known as the 80-20 rule, the law of
the vital few, and the principle of
72 The Intelligent SME
factor sparsity) states that, for many
events, roughly 80 per cent of the
effects come from 20 per cent of
the causes. Business management
thinker Joseph M. Juran suggested
the principle and named it after Italian
economist Vilfredo Pareto, who
observed in 1906 that 80 per cent of
the land in Italy was owned by 20 per
cent of the population; he developed
the principle by observing that 20
per cent of the pea pods in his garden
contained 80 per cent of the peas.
The fallacy of averages
If you are like me, most of
you have heard in everyday
business, stuff like the average
sales per day is so much, the average
revenue per customer is this, the
average score is that or the average
age is this and so on.
Others often talk about the
average returns of the stock market or
the average height of the terrain is x
and y.
Just take a moment and think
about this. These averages mean
nothing. They are fallacies in real
life and I cannot fathom why it is so
common in business.
Imagine a plane flying from a to
b, and the average terrain is 3000 feet,
calculated from a low of 0 feet above
sea level and a mountain peak of 6000
feet. You can just imagine if the pilot
decides to plot his flight plan based on
an average of 3000 feet. Or, imagine
a person with no swimming skills
trying to cross a lake just because
someone said that the average depth
is three feet.
Therefore, discussing
averages have no meaning if the
average revenue derived from a
few customers is exponentially
bigger than the rest. In my industry
(telecommunications), I often hear
folks speaking about the average
revenue per customer, the average
minutes of use, the average orders per
channel or the average customer care
service levels.
These averages are useless and

aseless. They tell me nothing. The
average revenue might be a result of
having a few large customers versus
the rest of the base. Not focusing
your attention on these few large
customers can sometimes mean the
end of some businesses.
In most companies that I have
worked for, 80 per cent of the
incremental sales (new sales) are
generated by about 20 per cent of
the sales folks. Still, most training
investments are spread across the
entire sales force. Just imagine the
returns if a company can hone to
the next fifth or tenth percentile.
Imagine the savings and the focus
and the tremendous results that can be
achieved.
Imagine building capacity for
a network, factory, hotel, restaurant
and others based on averages. I have
often been to restaurants that have
excellent food, but very poor service
during peak times. I am pretty sure
that owners of these businesses have
been misdirected to resources based
on averages.
Try saying to an employee that
the average bonus payout is $X when
he or she probably received one fifth
of that $X.
The average is as close to the bottom
as it is to the top. As the famous
comedian and social critic George
Carlin said, “Just think of how stupid
the average person is, and then realise
half of them are even stupider!”
Alfred Sloan also once famously
said: “If you do it right 51 per cent of
the time you will end up a hero.”
As you would have noted by now,
focusing on the averages really mean
nothing.
Be focused using the “64-4” law
If a result, problem, outcome or
anything has 80 per cent of effects
coming from 20 per cent of causes, it
will follow that the 80 per cent of that
top 80 per cent of effects are coming
from 20 per cent of that top 20 per
cent of causes, and so on (80 per cent
of 80 per cent is 64 per cent; 20 per
cent of 20 per cent is four per cent. So
there is a “64/4” law).
Often, just by knowing that four
per cent of customers, revenues,
problems or issues, could be much
more worth your while than all the
others.
What you would have noticed
is that it does not always have to add
up to 100 (80/20). It can be 64/4 or
70/40, like 70 per cent of a company’s
revenue comes from 40 per cent of
its customers. The key is to focus
on what matters. Trying to solve
all major issues at one time without
focusing on a few critical ones often
is costly, non attainable and almost
always futile and a failure.
The “Pareto” as a way of life
The application of the Pareto
principles doesn’t just have to be
restricted to business, but rather can
be applied to everyday living.
Imagine if you are trying to save
money or if something or someone
annoys you or you feel “good” at
times. Just focusing on the few issues
or attributes or behaviours can help
you address, alleviate or enhance
the experience or relationship or
whatever it is that you’re trying to do.
Power law
The Pareto Principle is a “power
law” relationship. A power law is
a special kind of mathematical
relationship between two quantities.
When the frequency of an event
varies as a power of some attribute
of that event (e.g. its size), the
frequency is said to follow a power
law. The distribution of a wide
variety of natural and man-made
phenomena follow a power law,
including frequencies of words in
most languages, frequencies
of family names, sizes of craters on
the moon and of solar flares, the sizes
of power outages, earthquakes, and
wars, the popularity of books and
music, and many other quantities.
Life is too short!
In conclusion, I salute and thank
Pareto for this universal principle that
can be applied in our everyday life.
This might seem as something that
is too obvious or easy, but remember
that most folks ignore this principle
day in and day out.
The Pareto
principle (also
known as the 80-20
rule, the law of the
vital few, and the
principle of factor
sparsity) states
that, for many
events, roughly
80 per cent of the
effects come from
20 per cent of the
causes.
If you do not believe me just
observe this at your work place
tomorrow. The good folks from
finance, sales, HR, technology,
operations and marketing will all be
preaching to you about the average of
this and that. Take note and decide if
it makes sense. Force the discussions
around stuff that matters. Stay
focused, as life is too short.
John Lincoln has over
20 years of experience
in telecommunications,
worldwide and is currently
the vice president of
marketing (enterprise) at
Du. He has extensive senior
expertise in international
telecommunications
sales, marketing, business
development and customer
service delivery.
Management consultancy
The Intelligent SME
73

Enterprise performance
Enterprise performance-
a ‘balancing’ act
74 The Intelligent SME
Strategic planning and
enterprise performance
will drive sustainability
of SMEs in the long run,
explains V Ramkumar.
It is a well known fact that 90 per
cent of global firms are SMEs,
and that they employ more
than 80 per cent of working
population while contributing to more
than half of the world’s GDP. Still, it
is generally assumed that principles
of strategic planning and enterprise
performance are the lookout of large
and multinational enterprises, not
for an SME to be spending time on!
This is far from the truth - for the very
definition of ‘enterprise’ is not just to
refer an organisation, but also reflects
initiative and resourcefulness that is
best epitomised by the SME segment.
The very concept of ‘enterprise
performance’ in most circumstances,
and particularly with SMEs, tends
to get limited to the financial
performance of an organisation- be
it the turnover, or revenue or the
organisational profit and profitability.
While all of these criteria are
important, and do define the health
of an organisation, they are more of a
lag-indicator of how an organisation
performed during a reporting period,
and do not reflect sustainability of
performance on an ongoing basis.
There is much to do with strategy
than a mere budgeting session at the
beginning of the year. And in order
to drive and manage a sustained
enterprise performance, one needs to
measure it effectively. What cannot
be measured cannot be managed, let
alone be driven!
In order to drive enterprise
performance of an SME, we may
therefore need to define what it
entails. And, as we know, this has
to include both short-term financial
objectives, and the long-term
organisational behaviour leading to
its growth.
The Balanced Scorecard
provides a four-perspective
framework across financial,
customer, process and organisational
learning to formulate strategy, and
translate it into operational terms. The
beauty of the framework is its ability
to define objectives, and link it to

clear measures, targets and initiatives.
In simple terms, it ensures that the
language of measurement provides
clarity to vague concepts- at an
enterprise level.
Typically the questions that one
would need to answer are structured
across four broad buckets:
Financial: What kind of financial
performance should an SME firm
focus on so that it is seen as attractive
to stakeholders and external
marketplace (such as turnover,
revenue, profit, margins, etc.)
Customer: Which customer segments
and their related expectations need to
be focused from a product or service
and relationship standpoint?
Process: How should the processes
be managed to deliver customer
expectations across planning,
innovation, operational excellence,
and how do we improve it?
Organisation and IT: To achieve its
vision, how should the organisation
learn and improve? What technology
and MIS framework is required for
the above?
The Balanced Scorecard
framework helps in defining not
just the financial expectations of
an organisation but also have it
supported through a “balanced”
framework that encourages
measurement of non-financial aspects
of delivering enterprise performance.
However, it is also important
to recognise that the essence of
successfully driving performance
entails a few important dos and don’ts
that the CEO of an SME should watch
out for.
The CEO has to build consensus
of the strategic direction with all
senior management team on all
objectives- both financial and
non-financial. It is hard to drive
performance unless there is clarity.
If there is disconnect at the highest
level on what is important for the
organisation, it is hard to expect the
rest of the enterprise to
have consensus.
Ensure that clarity of any strategy
is not limited to a few at the top of
the organisation, but have it cascaded
across an organisation. This is true
The essence of
successfully driving
performance entails
a few important
dos and don’ts that
the CEO of an SME
should watch out for.
for most organisations and even more
critical for SMEs, where
people are essentially the most
valuable resource. We seldom
come across successful enterprises
whose people are unaware of the
organisational priorities!
Bring in clear measures that
help assess progress. Unless there
is a continuous measurement of the
enterprise performance across both
financial and non-financial objectives,
it is very easy to get carried away
by short-term financial performance
and leave behind areas that need
strengthening. Again, as I said before,
what is not measured well, cannot
be managed well. For instance, even
if your sales performance for last
quarter was outstanding, if you are
not measuring complaints received
and ensure they are addressed in time,
the performance is not sustainable!
This also means the performance
measures of everyone in the
organisation is aligned to that of the
enterprise, and is measured. It is quite
typical to see SMEs invest a lot of
effort and resources on developing
key performance indicators (KPIs) for
their employees, but not every time
do you see these in alignment to that
of the enterprise. For example, if the
organisational objective is to develop
the business in Abu Dhabi, the KPI
of the sales-force has to reflect this
as well. If your salesman is spending
90 per cent time visiting customers in
Sharjah, then it’s time you got some
fixes to the sales process!
Execution is key
While all of the above are about
defining the objectives and measuring
the performance, it is the execution
that delivers the value. And this is
perhaps where many organisations
tend to mix up means with the
ends. Now let me explain. An ISO
certification exercise or an ERP
implementation are only but the
means to deliver a better process or
technology framework, and cannot be
an end in itself. However successful
a six-sigma project may be, it only
helps in improving the processes
of an organisation- which in turn
delivers the financial benefits through
cost-reduction and efficiency. A good
performance management system is
also expected to align the objectives
for the year with the initiatives- which
ensures that priorities are set to
deliver what it takes to achieve the
targets, and at the same time effort
and energy is not pilfered on areas of
non-priority.
As organisations grow, it is this
performance-based culture that drives
sustained and balanced growth. This
is particularly true for SMEs, and
fortunately, it is much easier to have
this institutionalised earlier in the
growth phase. All it takes is the focus
it deserves, and the will to implement
it on a sustained basis. After all, every
successful corporation today had
been an SME some day too!
V Ramkumar is a senior director
at Cedar Management Consulting
International L.L.C., a US-based
management consulting firm
whose heritage includes being part
of the firm founded by creators
of the Balanced Scorecard. Ram
has over 17 years of management
consulting and strategic
transformation experience, and has
designed more than 50 scorecards
in the region. He can be reached
at v.ramkumar@cedar-consulting.
com
Enterprise performance
The Intelligent SME
75

Business strategy
A simple SME
productivity booster
Process documentation plays an important role in efficiently
managing company operations, writes Vinayak Doddihal.
“I
don’t know how so-andso
used to do this work…”
How often have you heard
this lament? One ends up
blaming an exiting employee for
being unorganised, for an improper
handover and for withholding
information. The truth is, it is the
organisation’s responsibility, in their
own long term interest, to record the
processes every role performs.
Every organisation, irrespective of
whether small, medium or large, has
a set of business processes that allow
them to run their day-to-day business
operations smoothly. In most cases
large or multinational organisations
document their processes due to sheer
76 The Intelligent SME
size of operations spanning across
various part of the world. Small and
medium organisations, however,
shy away from documenting their
processes. Documenting these
processes is as important as having
processes as it provides a written
transcript of the organisations’
operations and working.
Organisations can choose to
document the processes themselves,
if they have trained manpower to do
so or hire specialist
third-party companies to document
the processes. If an organisation is
documenting its business processes
for the very first time, it is advisable
to hire a specialist company to do so,
as process documentation involves
a lot of considerations such as what
to document, how to document,
how to deliver the documents, what
tools to use to document, etc. Once
the processes are well-documented,
organisations can choose to maintain
documentation by themselves or sign
up with a specialist company.
Documenting processes involves six
basic steps:
Collecting information
The first and most important task
in process documentation is to gather
correct and factual information, and
then document it in a user-friendly
language conforming to process
documentation
standards, and
deliver it as
a set of paper
documents or
over the intranet.
In today’s digital
world where most
of the employees
have access to
a computer,
it is advisable
to deliver
the process
documentation
over the intranet
with a paper
copy in the
organisation’s
library. Collecting
information may
be a daunting
task, and requires
management’s

Documenting these processes is as important as
having processes as it provides a written transcript
of the organisations’ operations and working.
complete support. It involves
discussing with the right individuals
or groups representing senior and
middle management, and even the
operations staff that actually performs
the operation on a day-to-day basis
as each person in the process plays
a significant role in the hierarchal
structure of the process.
Creating a process map
Collecting factual information
is just half the work involved in
process documentation. Collected
information needs to be sorted
out in hierarchal processes, each
representing an actual process in
the organisation, for example, the
leave application process in the HR
domain. The process starts when an
employee decides to take a leave.
Leaves can be of various types such
as annual leave, medical leave, or
even unpaid leave. The employee
then accesses the relevant form and
fills in the required information.
He then signs the form and sends it
to his supervisor/line manager for
approval. The application is either
approved or rejected. If it is rejected,
it still goes to personnel department
for filing with the supervisor’s note.
If the application is approved, it goes
Some advantages of process documentation
to personnel department for adjusting
the leave balance with a copy to the
accounts department for leave salary
calculations. In this simple process
two divisions, HR and accounts, are
involved, and their processes should
be documented separately. Hence
creating a process map that shows
interaction and hence the big picture,
is a better option.
Creating sub-processes
A process map is a basic design
of any process documentation and
is inadequate. Complete process
documentation needs breaking down
the map into sub-processes, which
might relate to each other, but also
have their own characteristics.
Documenting activities
Sub-processes contain activities
or tasks, which are the fundamental
building blocks of the sub-processes.
Activities or tasks consist of the
actual steps to be performed. To
document the steps, the employee
who performs the tasks on a daily
basis should assist.
Creating visual representations
Based on the collected
information, a visual representation
Easy progression to quality certification: Having completed and
followed process steps help organisations achieve quality certification easily
as processes facilitate the standard way of operation irrespective of who
handles the operation.
Simplified quality auditing tasks: Quality auditors are able to perform
audits with the help of process documentation which describes each step in
the process. This provides adequate auditable documentation.
Easy accessibility of process documents: If organisations decide
to publish documents over the intranet, all process and process-related
documentation is available in a single-repository and via hyperlink.
Reduced learning curve: As all processes are documented with role of
each staff in the process it becomes easy for newly joined staff to understand
their roles.
Improved productivity: As all processes are documented, the staff need
not worry about how to run day-to-day operations.
of the process map, sub-processes
and activities, should be created
as some people understand visual
representations better than reading
text. It provides a complete overview
of the processes in a glance. Visual
representations are an excellent aid
for senior management.
Process-related documents
Process documentation is
incomplete if documents related
to the process are not discussed.
For example in a leave application
process the process-related
documents would be a leave form and
leave policies. It is an excellent idea
to link process-related documents
with the process to enable the reader
to access relevant documents right
from the process. This is where
document publishing is important. If
the organisations choose to deliver
all process and process-related
documents on paper, it would be a
nightmare to manage the documents.
However, if the documents are
delivered via intranet, readers would
find it easy to access the documents.
Process documentation is one of
the most effective yet undermined
productivity tools that can give your
SME the cutting edge.
VinayakDoddihal is director
at Infinito Management
Consultancy and specialises
in managing and authoring
simple-to-complex process
and technical documentation.
He has been instrumental
in implementing DITA and
Single-source methodologies to
produce process and technical
documentation for print and
online media.
Business strategy
The Intelligent SME
77

International accreditation
Better safe than sorry
A safe work culture and care for environment leads to a
brighter future, explains Dr. Sameer Kumar.
Climatic changes and unsafe
workplace practices have
caused many a disaster and
accident in recent years,
resulting in loss of lives and assets.
Health, safety and environment
standards, more commonly known as
HSE systems, deliver a solution for a
healthy, safe and pollution-free work
environment.
What is HSE?
HSE focuses on three parameters,
and these are: health to prevent illness
Human
Resources
MIS
Quality
Assurance
R&D
Engineering
Manufacturing
78 The Intelligent SME
Board of
Directors
Quality
Assurance
review
implementation
and monitoring
CEO
HSE-MS
Strategic
Planning
policy and
strategic
objectives
leadership
and
commitment
planning
and preserve lives; safety, to protect
well being and human community by
preventing injury; and environment
by conserving air, water, soil, flora,
fauna and energy.
In short, HSE leads to
accident- and pollution-free work
environment with a great focus on
prevention rather than correction. In
technical terms HSE is an integrated
management system, adopting the
norms of international standard
OHSAS 18001:2007 (occupational
health and safety management
organisation,
resources and
documentation
Public
Relations
evaluation
and risk
management
Legal
Corporate
HSE
Finance
Plant
HSE
Purchasing
Real Estate
Govt.
Relations
HSE- Management System Model
system) and ISO 14001:2004
(environment management system).
HSE- Management System interacts
and requires involvement of all
Departments.
What is ISO 14001:2004?
Compliance with ISO 14001
certification series highlights
adherence with environmental
management standards developed
by the International Organisation
for Standardisation (ISO). The
ISO 14000 certification standards
are designed to provide an
internationally recognised framework
for environmental management,
measurement, evaluation and
auditing.
International standards ISO
14001:2004 are intended to provide
organisations with the elements of an
effective environmental management
system (EMS) that can be integrated
with other management requirements
and help organisations to achieve
environmental and economic goals.
This standard specifies
requirements for an environmental
management system to enable
an organisation to develop and
implement a policy and objectives,
which take into account legal
requirements and information about
significant environmental aspects.
It is intended to apply to all types
and sizes of organisations and to
accommodate diverse geographical,
cultural and social conditions. The
overall aim of this ISO 14001:2004 is
to support environmental protection
and prevention of pollution in balance
with socio-economic needs.
This international standard is
based on the methodology known as
Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA). PDCA
can be briefly described as follows:

Plan: To establish the objectives and
processes necessary to deliver results
in accordance with an organisation’s
environmental policy.
Do: Implement the planned
processes.
Check: Monitor and measure
processes against environmental
policy, objectives, targets, legal and
other requirements, and report
the results.
Act: Take actions to continually
improve performance of the
environmental management system.
What is OHSAS 18001?
The OHSAS 18001 is the
international occupational health and
safety management system standard.
It is applicable to companies of any
size, but is especially relevant to
companies with a large workforce,
manual and heavy work tasks, and/
or high risk work environments.
Targeting the health and safety
of employees proves that you are
actively working to ensure that your
operations are safe both for your
employees and the surrounding
environment.
An active OHSAS system
reduces the risk of accidents
and personnel injuries through
prevention. In turn, material losses
and insurance costs are reduced.
It ensures a well-qualified and
Advantages of ISO 14001:2004
Benefits of Integrated HSE
Management System as
per ISO 14001 & OHSAS
18001:
� Improved health, safety
& environmental
performance
� Reductions in accidents,
costs, staff, absence and/or
claims
� Improved insurance
liability rating
� New customers / markets
� Increased efficiency /
reduced costs
� Enhanced employee
morale and image with
public
� Enhanced image with
regulators
enthusiastic workforce by fulfilling
expectations of employees. The
OHSAS system also serves the
possibility of having an integrated
management system that looks at
factors such as quality, environment,
health and safety. Overall, goodwill
of a company is established by
adhering to the right management
standards.
OHSAS 18001 has been
developed to be compatible with
1. Process improvement.
2. Environmental cost reduction.
3. Better relationships with regulators
4. Better relationships with insurers, investors, and
financial markets
5. Product improvement
6. Marketing advantages
7. Better control of liabilities
8. Reduced regulatory burden
9. Protection of company image and name
10. Demonstration of responsible management
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 to allow
for easy integration. Legislative and
regulatory commitment and continual
improvement are two important
aspects of OHSAS 18001.
How to achieve HSE as per ISO
14001 & OHSAS 18001?
Firstly, establish an appropriate
HSE policy, where one identifies
the environmental aspects and
occupational hazards arising from
the organisation’s past, existing or
planned activities, products and
service. This would determine
the significant occupational and
environmental risks.
Next, prioritise and set the HSE
objectives and targets, followed by a
structure in which to implement the
policy and objectives.
The next step involves planning,
control, monitoring, preventive
and corrective actions, auditing and
review activities to ensure that the
policy is complied with, and that the
HSE management system remains
active. One should always be ready
to adapt to change, whether it is in
objectives or organisational activities.
Dr. Sameer Kumar, CEO,
Universal Consulting FZE, is
a quality professional with
an experience of working in
more than seven countries.
He has provided consultation
and training to more than 400
clients in the UAE, UK, Thailand,
Singapore, Hong Kong and India.
He has completed his MBA, PhD
and is a Six Sigma champion by
qualification and lead auditor of
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS
18001. E-mail: ceo@ucfglobal.
com.
International accreditation
The Intelligent SME
79

Business law
Planning for tomorrow
and the days after
If you have spent years making money and managing it wisely,
it is logical that you must pass on your assets to inheritors of
your choice, writes Nita Maru.
Unexpected death is
devastating enough,
but the tragedy only
gets compounded
with related troubles and traumas
ranging from frozen bank accounts
to disputed family assets; businesses
being handed over to undeserving
partners, and sometimes, children
being entrusted to people you have
not chosen personally. There are
also many uncertainties regarding
real estate inheritance issues. Unlike
other jurisdictions, the UAE does
not practice ‘right of survivorship’
80 The Intelligent SME
Illustration: Aneesh Varghese
(property passing on to a surviving
joint owner upon death of the other)
and the local courts will make final
decisions.
If you have spent years making
money and managing it wisely, it
is logical that you must plan for its
future and ensure that your wealth,
assets, business, and property
are passed on to your family, or
to the inheritors of your choice.
It is important to know about the
instruments you can use to achieve
these goals.
Personal planning
For expatriates living in the UAE,
there is a very simple reason to make
a will. The Dubai government’s
official website states that ‘the UAE
Courts will adhere to Shari’ah law in
any situation where there is no will
in place’.
This means if you die without
a will, the local courts will examine
your estate and distribute it according

to Shari’ah law. While this may
sound fine, its implications may
not be so. All personal assets of the
deceased, including bank accounts,
will be seized until liabilities have
been discharged. A wife who has
children will qualify for only 1/8th
of the estate, and without a legal
will, this distribution will be applied
automatically. Even shared assets will
be frozen until the issue of inheritance
is determined by the local courts, and
surviving family members are often
left without access to money during
this period.
The absence of a will may also
goad authorities to intervene in the
guardianship of bereaved children,
especially when death befalls both
parents simultaneously. Unless a
will specifies who should raise your
children, there is a possibility that
their care may be entrusted to others.
Business planning
If you own or co-own a business,
whether it be a free zone or an L.L.C,
a significant portion of your wealth
and your family’s source of income
after your death is probably linked
to it. It is just as important to plan
for its future and ensure its seamless
continuity and success. You can take
recourse in strategic plans like setting
up trusts or engaging in numerous
off-shore solutions. Offshore trust
formation is a highly effective estate
planning and asset protection tool,
particularly in the Middle East, where
local Shari’ah law prevails.
What a trust offers
The following information will help you determine whether offshore trust
formation will fulfill your personal or business objectives. Those that own
a business or shares in a business should consider the benefits of having an
offshore trust in place.
Asset protection for the settlor and beneficiaries in case of economic,
political, family or business uncertainty, for example unexpected divorce or
bankruptcy.
Succession planning allowing for the transfer of wealth in a tax efficient
and timely manner.
Consolidation and administration of family wealth.
Overcoming problems of obtaining probate (or its equivalent) in several
jurisdictions.
Bypassing the local laws in the event of death.
Professional management of assets for the benefit of vulnerable
beneficiaries who cannot manage or be trusted to manage their own assets.
This could include disabled children, spendthrifts, or persons who might be
adversely influenced by third parties.
The trust deed is not a public document and provides confidentiality for
both settlor and beneficiary.
But since this is a complex area, it is essential to use professional lawyers
who can advise you expertly.
If you don’t have proper plans in place, you simply cannot be sure what
will happen after your death: whether your family will be provided for, who
will look after your business, and when and how your beneficiaries will
actually stand to benefit. It is best to be prepared today for all that may and
can happen tomorrow.
Nita Maru is a British qualified
solicitor and founder of The
Wills Specialists (www.willsuae.
com). With over 14 years of
experience in senior legal
positions, including five in the
UAE, Nita has authored several
articles and essays on asset and
wealth protection. Her focus
is on safeguarding families,
heirs and businesses, under
succession and inheritance laws
in Shari’ah jurisdictions.
The Wills Specialists is a law
firm based in Dubai, dedicated
to the business of wills, asset
protection, business succession
planning, offshore structures and
trusts. The firm is accredited by
the Government of Dubai Legal
Affairs Department, and by the
Dubai Ruler’s Court. Their office
location is Office Suite 1305,
Saba 1 Tower , Jumeirah Lakes
Towers. Dubai. Tel: +971 4 448
4284, Email: info@willsuae.
com.
Business law
The Intelligent SME
81

Real estate market
Transparent regulations
key to investor confidence
Amal Nooreldin spoke to Farah Zafar, corporate, commercial
and real estate expert, who has years of real estate experience
in the UAE and the GCC.
82 The Intelligent SME
AN: What do you think about the
current situation in the real estate
market in the UAE?
FZ: The real estate market, all over
the world, went through one of its
toughest periods in history due to
the global recession, and the UAE
was no different. The UAE suffered
with a serious decline in property
values, which was exacerbated by
an over-supply of both residential
and commercial properties and a
lack of lending to developers and
end-users. However, many believe
that the UAE property prices are
now stabilising, and there are
indications of improvement.
Dubai, which is the centre of
the region, is showing steady
progress, especially with high
end projects in key areas such
as Old Town, Dubai Marina
and the Palm.
AN: How important are
regulations for a stable real
estate market?
FZ: The real estate markets
in the GCC region are well
placed to emerge from the
global financial crisis due
to various factors. Among
these is the establishment of
a robust regulatory framework
and comprehensive regulations.
Farah Zafar
Dubai was not only the first centre
in the GCC to offer expatriates the
right to purchase and own free hold
property, but also the first to establish
a regulatory framework to regulate
the sector. The regulations were set to
ensure both transparency and stability
in the real estate market to the relief
of both end-users and investors.
As a result of the global financial
crisis, it is no surprise that wary
investors are now more sophisticated
(due diligence is now no longer an
afterthought, but a pre-condition)
and expect greater transparency and
accountability. Maturing investors
are also expecting greater protection
and reassurance from the existing
legal framework. There is no doubt
that investor confidence in the
existing legal framework will assist
recovery in the market.
AN: How has the real estate
regulatory framework evolved in the
UAE?
FZ: Prior to the global financial crisis,
Dubai experienced an unprecedented
growth in its real estate market.
This happened due to the fact that
Dubai was the first centre in the GCC
region to liberalise the ownership
of freehold and leasehold properties
for expatriates in designated areas.
The emirate was also the first in the
region to establish a regulatory body,

the Real Estate Regulatory Agency
(RERA).
RERA has regulated the
Dubai market and introduced
initiatives to ensure transparency,
such as the requirement for escrow
accounts, compulsory registration
of developers, projects and off-plan
sales, strata laws and so on.
During the crisis, RERA
intervened between developers and
investors and sought to provide a
forum in which disputes could be
addressed and mediated before
being referred to the Dubai Courts.
RERA introduced their own legal
department to manage terminations of
sale agreements and/or disputes with
respect to the same and to provide
investors and developers with a forum
in which to voice their concerns.
AN: What changes have been
reflected in Dubai after the
introduction of these initiatives?
FZ: Now, emerging from the global
financial crisis, Dubai continues to
introduce regulatory initiatives (such
as, the draft bankruptcy law and the
draft commercial companies’ law).
Strata laws and facility management
invest in income generating assets.
The existing laws will greatly
assist the secondary market and
provide sophisticated institutional
investors the assurance they need
to look at Dubai’s real estate and to
cherry-pick assets.
More recently, the extension
of the jurisdiction of the Dubai
International Financial Centre (DIFC)
Courts now allows foreign investors
the opportunity to submit to an
independent, common law judiciary
based in the DIFC, in the English
language, with a jurisdiction covering
civil and commercial disputes. This
is a significant and positive step for
Dubai as foreign investors now have
the comfort and security of having
a dispute heard and resolved in the
English language and in a familiar
setting and this will further encourage
major international players to look at
the Dubai real estate market, again, in
a positive light.
AN: What is the future of real estate
market in the UAE?
FZ: It is clear that the UAE market
is once again gaining momentum
and moving towards a positive
More recently, the extension of the jurisdiction of
the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
Courts now allows foreign investors the opportunity
to submit to an independent, common law judiciary
based in the DIFC, in the English language, with a
jurisdiction covering civil and commercial disputes.
regulations that are critical to further
encourage investors and to provide
confidence in the real estate market,
particularly to the secondary market,
have also been given due importance.
Due to established laws and
regulations being in place, and such
laws being tried and tested through
the courts and arbitration, Dubai
is attracting a secondary market
of investors, such as institutional
investors and major international
funds that are actively looking to
path. The Dubai Land Department
official figures show that real estate
transactions for villas have been on
an unprecedented high since last year.
Combined with stabilising prices
and the pause on newly introduced
projects, it will help the market
gain confidence. The residential
market will always flourish with
a special focus on prime localities
and high-end projects. Buyers are
also gradually showing interest
in the commercial sector. Buyers,
in general, are now giving more
importance to price, location, quality
and available amenities apart from
the profile of the developers.
AN: Will this rising confidence in the
Dubai market encourage investors to
look at other markets in the GCC?
FZ: The GCC real estate markets
have significant potential for growth,
but they are all different in structure
and future growth plans. One
should not compare one market to
the other, as they are all unique and
share different dynamics of growth,
population, legislation and agenda.
The UAE market will always be
at the forefront of real estate, due to
its robust legal framework, and with
many prestigious real estate projects
now being completed, it will move
to its secondary phase of stabilised
growth and investment activity,
attracting a secondary market of
home owners, as well as institutional
and structured investors.
AN: What about markets such
as Qatar and Saudi Arabia that
have planned mega infrastructure
projects?
FZ: The Qatari market has
recovered quickly from the financial
recession, and is now focusing on
the preparation for FIFA World
Cup 2022. Mega master planned
developments and infrastructure
works are well underway with huge
investments and strategic government
funding being made in all key sectors
of their economy to ensure their longterm
success.
The KSA market is also
focusing on real estate projects and
infrastructure, and is being supported
by its government in key areas. The
KSA residential segment is growing
the fastest, as the government is
trying to bridge a widening
demand - supply gap, resulting from
a huge shortage of housing for its
own nationals. Saudi Arabia expects
to manage this supply demand
imbalance with new laws and the
much awaited mortgage law, which
has been on the cards for some time.
Real estate market
The Intelligent SME
83

HR insights
A no-nonsense approach
to managing stress
Managing workplace stress is neither complicated nor
does it require any major monetary investment, explains
Carole Spiers.
Managing stress at the
workplace involves
creating a healthy
organisational
environment. This requires the
building of a climate of trust and
respect, where good communication,
employee recognition, flexibility
of control and cultural differences
are all valued. The aim should be
to foster a culture of inclusiveness
where everyone feels like a part of the
business - from the office cleaner to
the CEO. It has to be an environment
where everyone feels important
in the organisation and, where, all
employees and staff work towards a
common goal for the overall success
of the business or public service.
84 The Intelligent SME
Implementing and maintaining a
healthy corporate structure helps
lower stress levels, increases
productivity, reduces absence
through sickness - and all without
raising costs.
Accountability
Managers need to be accountable
for the climate they create at
the workplace. It is a manager’s
responsibility to build a ‘listening
culture’ where it is acceptable for
any individual to feel comfortable in
talking about stress-related issues.
Managers should encourage an ‘open
door’ policy and be accessible and
attentive to employees that try to
communicate with them in person.
They also need to know how, when
and where they could call on HR for
its support.
Closing the effort/reward gap is
another way to improve a workplace
culture. This means, making sure
that employees are recognised and
rewarded appropriately for their
efforts. The best way to ensure this
would be to ask employees, directly,
what single action by management
would make them feel more valued.
Employers are sometimes surprised
by the answers they receive. Many
of those questioned will say that they
would appreciate merely a simple
‘thank you’ for a job well done and
delivered on time.
A healthy work environment

is a key element for a stress-free
workforce. Wherever possible,
stress factors such as excessive
noise, heat and cold, overcrowding
or long working hours need to be
identified and mitigated as far as is
possible. Staff well being must be
a primary consideration- internally
and externally. Health screening and
stress awareness programmes should
be a part of a normal workplace
routine, and the place of work needs
to feel more like a community than
simply the place where people earn
their living.
Key factors in stress management
Organisations need to move
away from an over-reliance on
technology and systems, and adopt
approaches that are more successful
in engaging the individual. The
missing ingredient in achieving
effective performance is frequently
the fact that many management
systems lack leadership and are
neither motivating nor inspiring.
It is vital for managers to engage
with their teams, although it has to be
recognised that they cannot always be
‘all things to all people’. Sometimes
they have to be authoritarian, whilst
still being a ‘good listener’.
Modern managers need a
comprehensive toolkit of people
management skills in order to
encourage a two-way dialogue
between themselves and members
of their teams. It is essential to get
‘buy-in’ from their teams in order to
establish loyalty and commitment in
return. Whilst it may not be possible
to increase remuneration, praise
and recognition will encourage
employees into ‘wanting’ to do more
for their managers and to give their
best. The team that engages - the
team that is inspired and motivated
- will invariably build competitive
advantage.
Communication
Communication is a key factor
in the culture of any organisation
in order for stress to be quickly
identified and effectively managed. It
is important not only to have an open
two-way dialogue between employer
Implementing and maintaining a healthy
corporate structure helps lower stress levels,
increases productivity, reduces absence through
sickness - and all without raising costs.
and employees, but also between
the CEO and the Board, between the
Board and its line management, and
finally between HR and staff at all
levels.
Ineffective communication
has been found to be a weakness in
many organisations and insufficient
time and training is given to this key
area. Middle managers often find
themselves promoted to a position
with responsibility for a team, but
without the necessary communication
skills to manage that team effectively.
There is little that is more
important to personal morale than
receiving praise for a job well done.
Regular appraisals identify strengths
and weaknesses and allow for
assessment of both CPD and
on-the-job training. Appraisals
should be a two-way process that
enables managers and their team
members to agree on targets for
performance and to have a clear area
of responsibility. It is at times such as
these that stress-related issues should
be addressed and resolved.
Recognition
Being recognised as an important
part of the business machine is almost
as important as the monetary reward
on offer. Recognition and reward
have to be commensurate with the
task, but undervaluing skills at any
level can lead to low productivity
and poor morale. Providing specific
benefit packages, over and above
the basic salary, is another way of
expressing recognition and enhancing
rewards.
To be effective within an
organisation, individuals need to be
aware of the corporate goals and,
where possible, to have an individual
stake in achieving them.
Morale
The morale of an organisation
is fundamental to its success. High
morale suggests a well motivated
and energised workforce that is
keen to succeed. Employees will
be committed to meeting and even
exceeding targets when stress factors
are identified and either eradicated or
minimised. Good morale is essential
HR insights
The Intelligent SME
85

HR insights
for success, in any sphere.
Given that long hours of
working is endemic in some sectors,
understanding the importance of
work/life balance and how to achieve
it, is a key management skill, and
this balance needs to be implemented
as part of a company policy. When
organisational health is approached
from a cultural perspective, rather
than taking a programmed approach,
there is a much greater likelihood of
affecting employee well being.
A feel-good factor is conducive
to an organisation’s competitive
advantage. A sense of community, a
shared vision and a positive outlook
bind groups and organisations
together and enable them to be more
productive and creative.
Healthy workplace culture
Communication skills to
motivate individual talent include
active listening techniques to identify
and rectify grievances; techniques for
effective announcing, interviewing
and cautioning; and defusing conflict
through key phrases to keep dialogues
moving. Better interpersonal
86 The Intelligent SME
What you require for a healthy workplace
communication equals smoother
running and better outcomes, and
very often, less pressure.
Winning the ‘war on stress’
Winning the ‘war for talent’
and the ‘war on stress’ also means
attracting the best and brightest
recruits by improving the
organisation’s cultural understanding
of diverse mindsets.
Within a properly constructed
and managed workplace culture,
employees need to feel included
within the vision of the business
and to have a sense of security and
belonging, and as we spend at least
half our waking hours at work, that
is of great importance. The drive to
ensure that stress is recognised and
mitigated wherever possible needs
to come from senior management.
The top team need to ensure that
employees are not frightened to
talk about stress-related factors,
know that if they have problems,
then it is acceptable to discuss them,
and are aware that they can go to
management and HR, as and when
they are needed.
First contact counselling teams - This is where volunteers from the
organisation are trained to listen effectively to employees’ stress related
problems. They are just one example of how employees can be encouraged
to commit ‘more’ of themselves for the benefit of their colleagues, their
customers, their employer and the community.
Creative self-development - It is the new dynamic of career progress.
Individual empowerment requires a greater understanding of the impact
of positive attitude on individual and group performance; an increased
resistance to those who are contemptuous of effort.
Flexibility - It is a key to reducing stress levels. Organisations often lose
valuable talent because of an unwillingness to be flexible, or to alter work
patterns in order to cater for particular needs, such as those of the disabled.
Home working and buddying schemes - This is where new recruits are
provided with an informal mentor- these are just examples of the new
approaches that can be taken to reduce stress levels.
Demonstration - Demonstrating a commitment to society isn’t just about
social conscience, it makes good business sense - helping to attract and retain
the best talent, influencing customers and buyers, and powering long-term
success. Activities such as supporting a local charity can prove beneficial
to both parties by becoming identified with the community in a positive
role. Being associated with a local charity is something that professional
firms such as lawyers and accountants are often well aware of, but many
commercial and industrial companies could learn and benefit from this.
An organisation’s human
resource is the essential key to
sustainable success and when that
simple fact fails to be appreciated,
then staff turnover and associated
costs will rise, valuable training,
talent and ability will be lost -
leading to higher overheads and a
reduced return on the most important
investment of all - human resources.
The question arises, therefore,
why do so many companies and
organisations ignore the fact that
stress not only can kill people, but
also kills motivation and creativity,
which is then reflected in increased
staff turnover and, ultimately,
profits? However, after working in
the profession for over 25 years, I
am now seeing increasing success in
getting the message across.
Is this rocket science?
Absolutely not!
Carole’s credibility is rooted in
20 years success as CEO of a
leading UK stress management
consultancy, working with equal
success both in the UK and the
Gulf. She is a world authority on
corporate stress, a BBC Guest
Broadcaster and author of a new
book ‘Show Stress Who’s Boss!’
Carole is an inspirational
motivational speaker, and a
weekly columnist. ‘Show Stress
Who’s Boss!’ is available http://
www.showstresswhosboss.co.uk
where you will also receive a
signed copy of the book + FREE
stress test card and in all good
bookshops in the UAE.

Marketing insights
Cultivating business
through relationships
A good quality referral that has been pre-filtered,
confirmed and referred could close a deal in a matter of
minutes, writes Phil Bedford.
Can you imagine the
following conversation
throughout Dubai and
around the world in many
businesses during the last few years?
Maybe you have had it yourself.
“We need to get more business so
what should we do?”
Even if SMEs have money, they
tend to spend it on the things they
have always done - advertising and
marketing, and PR or sales people to
make cold calls. While these do work,
they all have an ongoing cost attached
(e.g. monthly between AED10,000
and AED100,000), costs for the SME
or micro business that could actually
put them out of business. Studies
show that globally over 70 per cent of
SMEs go bust in their first two years.
Alexander Williams of the Dubai
SME informed me it is more like 80
per cent in the UAE.
The above methods of new
business generation are still not the
number one source of landed new
business. So what is it? Where should
we be investing our knowledge and
training to get more business?
What no one ever does is put up
their hand and say, “Let’s get referral
marketing training” that is how to
grow our business by relationship
or networking. You may already
be scoffing to yourself saying
networking doesn’t work. I challenge
you to read on.
Why don’t they say it? Especially
when for most SMEs between 70 per
88 The Intelligent SME
cent and 100 per cent of their business
comes through referrals, word of
mouth and networking (they are not
the same thing by the way).
Business owners like to be in
control and when you can’t control
something we tend to opt for what we
can control, the things we know and
have always known, such as pumping
money into getting sales people or
advertising and marketing budgets.
They don’t say: “Let’s get trained
Supplied image
in referral marketing.” Referrals
always come by chance don’t they?
Well, actually, they don’t have to.
I will say it again because it’s so
important, they don’t have to come
by chance. You can predict referrals.
You can actually predict the top
70-100 per cent of your new business.
At the Referral Institute,
the referral marketing training,
consulting and coaching organisation,
we specialise in showing business

Word of Mouth
Referrala
Tapping my
Personal professional network
Online job boards
(Elance, o Deak, Guru)
Local networking
Other
Email
Socail Media
Cold calling
Direct mail
Craigolist
SEO (search engine
opimization)
Paid directories
Advertising
Article marketing
owners and sales people how to
generate a regular, high quality
stream of referrals for your business
by strategically and systematically
filtering and training your network to
bring you clients ready to buy.
Busting myths about networking
Clients are not your best source of
referral. One of the biggest delusions
about providing good client service
is that “if I give good customer
service then my clients will refer me.”
Unfortunately, that’s just not true.
They may refer you if and when they
are asked- “Do you know someone
who….” which is nice, but then it
is chance and you can’t grow your
business on chance.
You can’t go back to a client on a
regular basis and say please give me
The Most Effective Methods for Finding and Landing Clients
Word of mouth (23%). referrals (23%) and tapping their own personal and protessional network (17%) are
freelancers most effective methods for finding and landing clients. Online job boards (9%) such as Elance and
oDesj ranked above networking (7%), social media (3%) and cold calling (2%)
Historically what has been your MOST effective methods for finding and
landing clients for your freelance business?
4.8%
4.3%
2.8%
1.9%
1.5%
1.3%
1.0%
1.0%
0.8%
0.8%
6.9%
8.8%
referrals, I am having a bad month! If
you do repeatedly then how long is it
before the client leaves you?
Yes, clients can be a good source
16.5%
23.1%
23.0%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
Business owners like
to be in control, and
when you can’t control
something, we tend
to opt for what we can
control, the things
we know and have
always known, such as
pumping money into
getting sales people
or advertising and
marketing budgets.
Graph: Source 2011 Freelancers report
of referral, but your plan needs to be
more than just good customer service.
Good customer service does more to
keep clients than it does to generate
new referrals.
Word of mouth works?
Yes, it is always works; it’s just
not always working for you.
Business owners these days pay
significant amounts to develop their
brand presence that it can often be a
hefty percentage of the start-up costs.
Then many businesses proceed to
destroy their brand daily with poor
business ethics. Not returning phone
calls or e-mail; turning up late for
meetings, mistreating their suppliers
or clients and of course not doing
their job properly.
The suggested ratio is 5:55 or
Marketing insights
The Intelligent SME
89

Marketing insights
these days possibly 5:2000 and more.
Do something good and people
will tell between three-five people.
Do something bad and they will tell
11 people and each of these 10 will
tell five. In the modern age with social
media this could mean thousands
or hundreds of thousands of people
seeing complaints. This is serious,
and businesses need to consider and
control their bad word of mouth
as much as develop good word of
mouth.
Delusions
The more referrals you get, the
merrier; but the game is not about
getting lots of referrals, it’s about
getting quality referrals.
I know lots of people who tell
me they don’t need my help because
they have lots of referrals. What they
don’t realise is that often these are
nothing more than leads. A lead still
has to be worked on because it is not
necessarily prequalified. This means
a large investment of your time as a
sales person often with no payoff. My
studies show between six and eight
hours for a lead.
A good quality referral that has
been pre-filtered and confirmed and
referred to you by a trusted (and
trained) contact could close in a
matter of minutes.
Imagine being able to see less
people and close more business
because your network has been
trained to do the work for you. Phew,
whatever will you do with all that
free time? Earn more and live more
perhaps?
Networking
It’s more about doing the right
networking with the right skills in the
right places. I regularly see people
rushing around from one group to
another, because they don’t manage to
close a deal they consider it a waste of
time.
Networking is about relationship
building, not selling.
Let’s face it, we all go networking
with a view to hit a GOAL whether
it’s to sell something or simply make
connections that can help us both
in business and life. It’s the way we
90 The Intelligent SME
do this that reflects whether we are
remembered positively or negatively.
The challenge is when the
majority are there to sell and very few
are there to buy there is a disconnect
and the “feel” of the event becomes
mercenary.
So here are some thoughts for
you:
Try and meet people who you
can look to build a relationship with,
people with whom you could develop
a referral relationship by passing
each other numerous referrals. This
is a more efficient conversation than
trying to close one deal in the night.
Try to listen more than you talk.
The more you can learn about them,
and what they need or want, the easier
it is to build a relationship.
Set a goal for who you want to
meet or what you wish to achieve.
While you may wish to stay with one
person you know for comfort, you can
either individually or with that person
try to meet new people. Ten minutes
with each person is good, if they are
of interest book a meeting at another
time when you can sit and discuss
opportunities in comfort.
Take a pen to make a note on business
cards you get. Make a note to
remember the discussion. Remember
your business cards!
Follow up with the people you
meet in an appropriate way. Because
they gave you their business card
it is not instant permission for you
to send your catalog of products. If
you don’t believe me think about
when someone has done it to you.
What happens to that e-mail? Delete,
correct?
Networking and doing business
by relationship is not new. It is
something we have always done as
individuals and as a race. We have
simply lost our way, and forgotten
how simple it can be to do and how
powerful it can be. The trick is to
make it efficient, by spending the
right time with the right people and
using the right skills to achieve your
goals. We all have the car; we just
need to learn how to drive it properly.
Unfortunately, most people have the
car, but are still insisting on walking.
An experienced business
trainer, Phil Bedford brings
over a decade of experience to
his role as Master Franchisee
for the Referral Institute. His
expertise and experience of
working with both companies
and networking associations,
coupled with a passion for
training have helped him
immensely. He regularly
appears as a speaker in the UAE
and abroad, educating people
on how to build their business
by word of mouth and “Creating
Referrals for Life.”

Setting goals for success
Corrina Cross shares some pointers for setting and achieving
goals, to help you to lead a better professional and personal life.
Most people set daily,
weekly or monthly
goals without
looking any further,
and wonder why their lives do not
improve. You must have a long-term
vision that acts as your ‘lighthouse’…
always steering you in the right
direction. This ‘vision’ is about how
you want your organisation (or your
life) to look like in the ideal world.
As you can see with some of
the most successful companies in
the world, their vision drives people
forward and helps them to work
together because they all know where
their company is heading to.
With a vision in sight, it becomes
easy to set goals.
‘Values’ will keep you on track
In recent times, it seems
everybody is talking about ‘values’.
Put simply, ‘values’ are what’s
important to you or, for corporate
goals, important to your company.
Once you determine a set of values
that are important to your company,
these will act as guidelines to help
members of staff to keep on track.
Break goals into stages
Most people have heard of ‘SMART’
goals, that are:-
Specific: No use setting ‘vague’ goals
such as ‘earn more money’.
Measurable: Without a measure, you
won’t know you’ve achieved your
goal.
Achievable: Setting goals you can
strive towards.
Realistic: Totally unrealistic goals
will only cause disappointment.
Timed: You need to know by when
you want to achieve your goal.
But, even with ‘SMART’ goals,
there are generally only two options:
success or failure. If you break
your goals into stages, starting
with something you are absolutely
guaranteed to achieve, it will give you
momentum, will give you something
to celebrate, and push you to go on
and achieve the next stage.
Make yourself accountable
Many people I work with want
to keep their goals to themselves. I
recommend not only sharing your
goals with someone, but asking
them to help you achieve that goal.
Someone you trust and someone you
know will agree to help you. ‘Help’
can come in all shapes and sizes. You
could ask a friend to simply remind
you about your goal. Or you could
pay somebody for a service- such as
an outsourced accounting firm- so
that you have more free time to work
on your core business.
See it! Hear it! Feel it!
Many people these days use
‘vision boards’ so they can actually
see how life will look once they
achieve their ‘vision’. It has been
proven many times that this helps
people to achieve their goals as they
can ‘see’ what their ideal life looks
like. I suggest people take a few
minutes each day to close their eyes
and visualise what they will see,
what they will hear, and what they
will feel once their goals have been
achieved. The unconscious mind is
very powerful. By adding feeling to
your vision, it ‘tricks’ the unconscious
mind into believing the goal has
already been achieved and, thus,
works on helping to turn that goal into
reality.
Corrina Cross runs powerful
interactive workshops for both
corporates and individuals that
deliver results with improved
motivation and increased
productivity. Check out the
website www.the-peoplepeople.com
or email her on
Corrina@the-people-people.
com to find out more.
Leadership
The Intelligent SME
91

Leadership
Present How (and with power why) to become
a diehard optimist?
Kevin Abdulrahman writes on how to make
presentations impactful and focused.
Anesh Jagtiani makes a case for diehard optimists on
the road to success in whatever one does.
Isn’t it true that you can’t
be positive about everything
and that, sometimes, you
just have to face reality?
This is a very interesting
question because it actually gives
a hint as to the importance of being
an optimistic thinker instead of a
pessimistic thinker.
The question: Who is more
realistic?
92 The Intelligent SME
You might have heard the
saying: “We don’t see the world as it
really is, we see it as we are.” In other
words, whenever you are describing
your views of the world, whether
you’re being optimistic or pessimistic,
you’re not describing the world as it
really is... you’re describing the world
as you see it.
So, who is more realistic, the optimist
or the pessimist? The answer is that
both of them are creating their views
of the reality according to the way
that they think it to be.
And these views of the reality are
influencing their beliefs, their actions
and the results in their life.
So the question isn’t whether or
not an optimist or a pessimist is more
realistic, the question is what kind of
a life do you want to live?
If you take on an optimistic view
of the world and are always looking
for possibilities to learn, to grow
and to achieve what you want, that
view of the world will shape your
beliefs and your actions.
Naturally, this will lead to
actions, which will help you to make
the most of every opportunity to
learn, to grow and to achieve.
Of course, you could also take on
the pessimistic point of view and see
failures and negative circumstances
as something to run from instead of
seeing them as something to learn
from and to grow through. You can
be a pessimist and see nothing but
hindrances on the path to your success
instead of seeing the possibilities for
achieving what you want.
It’s all in how you process it.
So, if at this point, you’re convinced
of why it’s so important to become
a diehard optimist, let’s look at some
solid strategies for developing a
persistently optimistic mindset.
Look for chances to learn
Opportunities to learn are
everywhere if you know where

to look for them. For example, every
failure presents an opportunity to
learn, and so does every negative
circumstance that comes into
your life.
Learning from these
circumstances will keep you from
repeating the same mistakes over and
over, and will help you to achieve the
second principle of becoming a
diehard optimist.
Look for chances to grow
Growth is not an option in life,
it’s a certainty. The only question is
whether or not you’re growing into
someone with a strong character or
someone whose life is governed by
fear and uncertainty.
The world around you is
constantly moving forward, and you
must continue to grow and to adapt
with it. If you focus on everything as
an opportunity to learn, you can take
what you learn and put it into practice
in order to make yourself a
better person.
The other option is to learn
The world around
you is constantly
moving forward, and
you must continue
to grow and to adapt
with it. If you focus
on everything as an
opportunity to learn,
you can take what
you learn and put it
into practice in order
to make yourself a
better person.
nothing or to take a pessimistic
point and allow yourself to grow
into someone who is fearful and
timid. The motivational speaker
Les Brown once said that who
you become in life is more
important than what you do or what
you achieve.
This speaks of the importance
of growth and development of
character, which is only possible if
you treat everything as a
learning experience and opportunity
for growth.
Look for chances to achieve
In addition to learning and
growing, achievement is one of the
most rewarding things that you can
experience in life. As long as you
are focused on treating things as
opportunities to learn and to grow,
achievement will always come as a
natural result.
As this happens, your learning
and growth will continue and you will
become a person of high achievement
and inspiration to others.
TIP: Write down these three steps
to diehard optimism on a note card
and carry them with you everywhere
you go. Make it a consistent
practice in your life until being
optimistic becomes an unstoppable
subconscious habit.
Anesh Jagtiani is the CEO of
Empowering Leaders Group
(M. E). He is a professional
speaker and trainer. His
leadership programme helps
managers motivate and retain
their top people, improve their
effectiveness in communication
and maximise the bottom line
of companies. He is also a TV
anchor of a show called TOP
GUNS on ZEE TV where he
has interviewed the 12 most
successful Indian entrepreneurs
of UAE. He can be reached at
anesh@elgme.com or www.
elgme.com
Leadership
The Intelligent SME
93

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THOSE WHO MADE A MARK.
WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS

96 The Intelligent SME
Trendy meets
tradition
TIS: What was the need, and what
inspired you to set up Nabrman?
HM: As per our culture and
traditions, the Abaya is a main part
of our clothing. Being from Dubai,
we are exposed to people from
different cultural backgrounds, and,
we are aware of the importance of
the fashion industry. Hence, Dubai
itself has inspired me to create a style
under the brand name “Nabrman”
which is always up-to date with the
current fashion trends in the market.
Nabrman translates to white flower in
the Turkish language, and symbolises
purity and elegance. Nabrman
The Intelligent SME spoke to
Hend Al Mutawa, a fashion
designer with lofty ambitions.
Abayas are designed to reflect these
values, with the result that these have
become a fashion statement for the
region’s young and trendy women.
TIS: What was the initial response to
your designs? Why did you choose to
design abayas?
HM: My vision is to highlight the
importance of our traditions and
culture, as well as change people’s
perception about the Abaya and
what it actually represent in the
Arab world. An Abaya can be
designed in so many ways; it is a
fashion statement on its own. At
first, people were not much aware
that Abayas could be transformed
and blended into the latest
fashion styles. However, as soon
as they realised that “Nabrman” has
demonstrated Abayas at a different
level of style, the responses were
outstanding.
Now my abayas are popular
among Westerners and Asians as
well. Traditional abayas are given
a modern twist with many varieties
of fine fabrics and a kaleidoscope
of colours. Over time, Nabrman has
found a perfect mix between vintage
and modern designs.

TIS: Is this your first venture? What
were the hardships you encountered?
HM: This is my first venture, which I
have established on Jumeirah Road in
Dubai during the last quarter of 2009.
As any business, challenges have to
crop up one way or another. Some of
the challenges I faced included the
high market competition with regard
to our traditional-wear (Abayas).
Therefore, I had to strategise
accordingly in order to ensure sales
and production sections of the
company are performing proficiently.
The other challenge was to find
out what strategies would be most
effective for the company given the
other challenges such as the market
competition.
TIS: What are your future plans? Do
you plan to expand Nabrman further?
Alternatively, will you be starting any
related businesses?
HM: I recently had the launch of
my 2012 Fall/Winter collection at
Atmosphere, in Burj Khalifa. It was
the first ever fashion show that was
held at the highest level from the
ground floor. It was a great success.
Yes, I have some plans that are going
to be implemented as soon as they’re
finalised. The feasibility studies for
the plans are yet to be executed. Of
course, as a developing business our
objective at Nabrman is to grow and
expand the organisation through
efficient business strategies, which
will allow us not only to extend
our growth, but also to establish
efficient approaches as well as a solid
foundation for the business.
My vision is to provide the
best quality designer wear at a very
creative and luxurious level, which
is up to date with the latest fashion
trends and desired by Arab ladies
everywhere.
TIS: What lessons would you give to
your fellow women entrepreneurs?
HM: I wouldn’t specifically call them
lessons, but I would advice all ladies
who are currently or planning to be
entrepreneurs: plan creatively with
effective strategies, and keep trying
and never quit, and to know that even
if a situation seems to be difficult,
there is always a way to achieve your
goals.
TIS: What are your hobbies and
special preferences?
HM: My hobbies include playing
Sudoku, writing Arabic poetry,
playing basketball and table tennis.
TIS: If not for design, what is the
alternate career path you would have
chosen?
HM: Well, as I am from a finance
background, I’m currently building
my career as an auditor in a major
organisation and managing my own
business at the same time. Managing
the business has introduced me to the
different aspects in career paths, such
as HR, finance, and marketing. All
of them are very interesting to me. In
a career, nothing is more satisfying
than enjoying what you do every day.
TIS: What is your management
philosophy that makes the difference
in your business?
Women entrepreneurs
HM: My management philosophy
is basically to have a friendly
and welcoming environment that
encourages collaboration between
different teams in the company to
achieve the organisation’s objectives.
The Intelligent SME
97

Social media
Let’s get social
Have a question about social media and promoting your
business online? UAE-based social media consultant and
award-winning marketing strategist Farrukh Naeem answers
your queries on using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, AdWords,
SEO and any other online services. Send your questions to
farrukh@farrukhnaeem.com
Q. The website Pinterest has been
making waves in the news. Is it only
for fashion and shopaholics? Or is
Pinterest a platform that businesses
can use to engage their customers?
A. TIME magazine chose Pinterest
as one of the top 50 websites of 2011
while it was still in Beta. In January
2012, Pinterest crossed 10 million
unique US visitors faster than any
other standalone website in history,
according to ComScore’s data cited
by TechCrunch.
The trend has caught on outside US
too, with Germany registering 2956
per cent growth in visitors to the site,
Spain with 1348 per cent rise and Italy
visitors rising by 794 per cent - from
May 2011 to January 2012, according
to ComScore.
The most interesting thing about
the rise of Pinterest is the simple idea
behind the website. It lets people ‘pin’
any image they like while browsing
98 The Intelligent SME
the internet to categorized ‘boards’
simply by clicking the ‘Pin It’ widget
on their browser.
A bride-to-be could be pinning
wedding dress designs she comes
across online in a pin-board titled “My
Bridal Dress.” Or a geek in love with
the latest gadgets could be pinning his
favourite products on a board.
People can follow other’s boards
and re-pin what they like onto
their own boards. The focus is on
discovering cool things rather than
searching armed with a keyword or
product name.
According to Shareaholic,
Pinterest brought more traffic to
websites than LinkedIn, Google Plus,
Reddit, and Youtube combined! So
if your business too can create boards
that are followed and pins that are
re-pinned and followed back to the
source, you would see the ROI fairly
quickly.
A few tips to help you get noticed
on Pinterest:
Keep it simple and visual: Pinterest
is all about images. If you can pin
powerful, beautiful, shareable images
of your products and services, you
have a high chance to being followed
and pulling in traffic to your website.
Theme your boards: The ability
to categorise your pins like albums of
related images is a very powerful tool.
Use it to segment your audience, club
your offerings under themes. Why not
launch occasion specific boards- like
Eid, Mother’s Day, and Christmas?
Make it interesting: Even if you
are a B2B brand, you can build a
strong fan base on Pinterest if you
can convey valuable information
visually and strikingly. Boards with
business infographics are all the rage
on Pinterest.
Add a ‘Follow’ button to your
website: Let your website visitors
know you are on Pinterest- the site
does not have ‘business’ pages yet but
you can use it as an individual would,
under your brand name.

Be a community player, not a
salesman: As with all other social
media platforms, you need to add
value to the community and share
things that are not just about your
businesses. If you are a fitness
brand, you could pin health recipes,
for example. If you are an airline,
breathtaking travel imagery from
various destinations could work
for you.
Useful Links:
http://bit.ly/Htayyc
http://bit.ly/GZZhTs
http://bit.ly/Hm6cum
Note: If you would like an invite
to Pinterest, please email me
your contact details at farrukh@
FarrukhNaeem.com. Once inside,
you can follow me at http://pinterest.
com/farrukhnaeem
Q. The Facebook page for my
business now has a new timeline.
What are the major changes?
A. Following up timeline for
personal profiles, Facebook
announced that all pages will have to
change to the new timeline by
end of March.
For marketers, a significant
change is the removal of the default
landing page option for non-fans
of the page which was used by
businesses to capture likes and leads.
With the new page changes, fans
would directly land on the page’s
timeline.
Although at first glance, it might
look like an uphill battle for brands,
in reality not much has changed if you
have been bringing in traffic through
ads- you can still direct traffic to your
apps on your Facebook page.
[Etihad Airways page with
description directing towards well
designed icons and tabs under the
cover]
The most striking feature if used
correctly is the page ‘cover’- a large
horizontal image of your choice that
rests on top of your business page.
Before you start thinking of it as an
ad banner, here are the official rules
for covers which must be at least 399
pixels wide:
No price
or purchase
information, such as
“40 per cent off” or
“Download it at our
website”
No contact
information, such as
web address, email,
mailing address or
other information
intended for your
Page’s ‘About’
sections
References to user
interface elements,
such as ‘Like’ or
‘Share’, or any other
Facebook site features
Calls to action, such as “Get it now” or
“Tell your friends”
Large organisations as well as smaller
businesses have found creative ways
to stay within the rules and use their
Facebook covers well to cut through
the clutter.
Many other interesting features
will now make the Facebook
experience more engaging for users,
but also more challenging for page
owners. The timeline view is best
suited for posts that have attractive
images, visuals and videos rather than
text.
Brands and businesses that have
a loyal fan base and a heritage have
already filled in their timelines with
their rich history going back decades.
[Fanta is encouraging users
to explore its history through
Social media
The Intelligent SME
99

Social media
milestones, spend time scrolling
through its new timeline, and also
engage with their ‘Likes’]
The admin panel is a welcome
evolution. It is easier to moderate
comments and spam (which is now
hidden rather than grayed out) and get
an overview in a quick glance.
The ‘About’ section of pages is
now more clean and easier to read, in
a wide and open, 2-column format.
Apps can now be showcased with
wider, landscape images right under
the cover, rather than the miniscule
icons of the older design on the left
hand side navigation.
100 The Intelligent SME
Now you can also contact a
page through a private message
and as a page admin, interact with
fans through one-to-one messages
between page and fan rather than on
the public timeline.
Most of the preliminary research
on the effect of the new timeline,
on engagement has been positive.
For local businesses, likes and
comments seem to have increased
with the change to the new timeline
but pages with millions of followers,
have reported slight declines in
engagement levels. It is too early to
say definitively what works best, but
the early adopters and experimenters
will learn the lessons
faster than others.
Useful Links:
http://on.fb.me/H2528Q
http://onforb.es/H1Zg7v
http://scr.bi/GYz5J2
Farrukh Naeem is a digital
strategist and social media
consultant based in Abu Dhabi,
UAE. His marketing blog
(copywriterjournalist.com) has a
readership across 140 countries
and his tweets (@farrukhnaeem)
are followed by more than 11000
people worldwide. Farrukh
helps SMEs and individuals build
and grow their influence online
using social media and online
marketing.

Book review
A practical guide to
business writing
Challenging business
environments have placed
a greater emphasis on
communication skills,
particularly in the area of written
communication.
It is this need that has influenced
Khaled Mohamed Ali Salem Al
Maskari to bring out A Practical
Guide to Business Writing, a
comprehensive handbook that gives
an in-depth overview of major
techniques to enhance writing and
communication skills.
The publication focuses on
clear and concise writing style that
emphasises on different kinds of
written communication, and common
writing errors that need to be avoided.
The book also helps business
executives to write professional
e-mails that are in tune with the
policies of the organisation and aid in
attaining business goals.
The Intelligent SME had a word
with Al Maskari.
102 The Intelligent SME
How to recognise potential problems
in writing style, and their solutions.
TIS: What is the purpose of A
practical guide to business writing?
KM: There is a need in the Gulf
region to prepare our businessmen
and fresh graduates for today’s
challenging job market, and help
them to communicate effectively at
their workplace.
My book is locally published,
and meant to address the most
problematic aspects of business
people in the region.
TIS: What kind of research have you
put in place to publish this book?
KM: Based on my experience in
the field, and my intention to assist
and train fresh graduates in the
oil and gas industry, I conducted
research, which aimed at identifying
techniques and tools to promote
effective communication in writing.
It was apparent that staff inability
to write effective business letters or
e-mails was their major impediment
for effective communication in the
work place.
In fact, fresh graduates lack
effective writing skills and may
possess only moderate competence in
linguistic and rhetoric skills needed to
produce appropriate, meaningful and
accurate written documents in various
genres. My intention has been to put
together a set of basic principles that
readers can use to write effectively .
This book is designed for
fresh graduates as well as other
professionals who truly wish to
develop overall proficiency in writing
effective business letters and e-mails
in order to communicate successfully
and with integrity in the workplace.
TIS: In your opinion what needs to be
improved in business communication,
besides writing skills?
KM: There are three main parts in
writing: grammar, vocabulary and
writing style. All three parts are
interdependent, which means that we
must be good in all of them to write
well. It is like a motor vehicle, when
an important part is not functioning
properly, it affects the performance of
the whole vehicle.
I tend to focus on writing style
in this book to help my readers
recognise potential problems in their
writing styles, so that they are able to
express better.
TIS: What sort of response have you
received? Are you planning any other
publications in the near future?
KM: This has been a hit in the
business world, and looks set to put
the UAE on the publishing map. I am
also being invited to conduct seminars
and workshops to universities,
institutes and organisations to
emphasise the importance of business
communication in today’s business.

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Company Formation
The Lab is a Dubai-based digital agency that specializes in creative design for both online and print.
Our services include website, mobile website and mobile app development, as well as search
engine optimization, social media integration, corporate branding, graphic design, logo design,
content creation, brochure design, and project management.
imaginalab.com
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Web Development Mobile Engagement Online Reputation Marketing Strategy

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Stress Management
Show Stress Who’s Boss!
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the skills, skills tools and techniques to reduce your stress. stress
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Easy ways to build resilient teams
How to recognise stress in yourself and others
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success both in the UK and the Gulf. She is a World Authority on Corporate Stress, BBC
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Gen-next Fashion Party, featuring designs by Modupe
Omonze and Najwa Imran, at N’Dulge Club, in Atlantis the
Palm, Dubai.
FEBRUARY
23, 2012
THURSDAY
Designers Modupe Omonze and
Najwa Imran.
CORPORATE PARTNERS HOSPITALITY PARTNER
ALLIANCE PARTNER MEDIA PARTNER STYLING PARTNER INITIATIVE BY

Prof. Christopher Abraham, head - Dubai campus and senior vice president - Institutional Development, SP Jain School of Global Management,
recently conducted an interactive session on ‘Are you a top performer?’ focusing on the connection between success and happiness.
E m p o w e r i n g D e c i s i o n M a k e r s
Date: February 22, 2012
Time: 6.30pm.
Are you a top performer?
Corrina Cross, owner of The People People, and motivational speaker conducted an interactive session on personality profiling and
behavioural analysis at ‘Are you a top performer?’ held at Business Village, Dubai.

Dr. Edward Roderick, managing partner & co-chairman of Envestors MENA held an interactive session on ‘How to get funding for your
company’ focusing on the factors that equity investors look for in a business model.
E m p o w e r i n g D e c i s i o n M a k e r s
Date: March 28, 2012
Time: 6.30pm.
How to get funding for your company

Events calendar
Networking opportunities
Important business events across the globe
POWER & ELECTRICITY WORLD
ASIA
Date: April 16-20, 2012
Venue: Marina Bay Sands
Convention Centre, Singapore
Power & Electricity Asia is the
biggest, most influential event that
brings together C-level executives to
discuss strategies and investment and
partnership opportunities to ensure
business growth, energy security and
sustainable development.
Website: www.terrapinn.com
DUBAI ENTERTAINMENT
AMUSEMENT AND LEISURE
SHOW 2012
Date: April 17-19, 2012
Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre,
Dubai
The Dubai Entertainment
Amusement and Leisure Show
(DEAL) is the Middle East’s annual
focal point for all stakeholders in the
amusement and related industries
looking for a successful entry
or greater growth in the region’s
markets.
Website: www.themeparksdubai.com
BALANCED SCORECARD
FORUM DUBAI
Date: April 21-26, 2012
Venue: The Address Hotel, Dubai
Marina
A business forum that focuses on
governance, risk management
practices and successful balanced
scorecard implementation in a
project-focused organisation.
Website: www.iirme.com/bsc/forum
CITYSCAPE ABU DHABI
Date: April 22-25, 2012
Venue: ADNEC Abu Dhabi
Cityscape Abu Dhabi is the
only annual meeting point for
governmental authorities, key
112 The Intelligent SME
investors and developers, consultants,
architects, designers and other real
estate professionals to drive growth in
Abu Dhabi’s real estate market.
Website: www.cityscapeabudhabi.com
PISCINE MIDDLE EAST
Date: April 22-25, 2012
Venue: ADNEC Abu Dhabi
The Piscine exhibition brings a
high-calibre range of swimming
pool and spa products and services to
specifiers and buyers in the Middle
East. The event is dedicated to the
swimming pool and spa industry in
the Middle East and surrounding
regions.
Website: www.piscine-middleeast.com
WORLD ECO CONSTRUCT
Date: April 22-25, 2012
Venue: ADNEC Abu Dhabi
World ecoConstruct is an
international exhibition focusing on
sustainable design and construction
for the built environment. The event
is accompanied by an unparalleled
12 days worth of global summits,
workshops and training courses.
Website: www.worldecoconstruct.com
INVEST 2012
Date: April 27-29, 2012
Venue: Trade Fair Centre, Stuttgart,
Germany
Germany’s largest financial trade
fair features leading exhibitors,
dialogue-oriented presentations from
big industry players, the opportunity
to network, a comprehensive and
excellent framework programme
and the intelligent incorporation of
social media provide the platform for
success.
Website: http://cms.messestuttgart.de
ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET
Date: April 30- May 3, 2012
Venue: Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre
Arabian Travel Market is the travel
and tourism event unlocking business
potential within the Middle East
for inbound and outbound tourism
professionals. Tourism destinations
from the Middle East and around the
world showcase a diverse range of
accommodation options, breathtaking
tourism attractions and new airline
routes.
Website: www.arabiantravelmarket.com
MIDDLE EAST EVENT SHOW
2012
Date: May 1-3, 2012
Venue: Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre
The Middle East Event Show
provides the perfect sourcing and
networking platform for MICE,
events and entertainment suppliers in
the Middle East.
Website: www.me-eventshow.com
PALME MIDDLE EAST
Date: May 1-3, 2012
Venue: Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre
Palme Middle East is the region’s
longest standing trade event for the
professional sound, light, audio
visual, music, entertainment and
systems integration industries. Palme
Middle East provides professionals
to source new products and suppliers,
network with industry peers, learn
from industry experts and experience
latest solutions offered in the
industry.
Website: www.palme-middleeast.com
INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY
SHOW DUBAI 2012
Date: May 1-3, 2012
Venue: Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre
An annual event held in Dubai for

Networking opportunities
Important business events across the globe
the real estate and property industry,
the event is accredited and approved
by the Dubai Real Estate Regulatory
Authority (RERA) to sell projects and
properties to visitors and investors.
Website: www.
internationalpropertyshow.ae
INTERNATIONAL JEWELLERY AND
WATCH SHOW
Date: May 1-5, 2012
Venue: ADNEC Abu Dhabi
An exclusive and high-end jewellery
and watch event. JWS is a unique
exhibition with an extensive
showcase of exquisite jewellery and
timepieces from all over the world,
and is aimed at the region’s most
affluent consumers.
Website: www.jws.ae
KEWE 2012
Date: May 6-8, 2012
Venue: Kuwait International Fairs
Ground
Packed with a wide spectrum of
cutting edge technologies, solutions
and effective services on clean
environment, water and renewable
energy, Kuwait Environment, Water
and Energy Conference 2012 is a
platform for industry professionals,
regulators and stakeholders.
Website: www.kewe-expo.com
HARWARE+TOOLS MIDDLE EAST
Date: May 8-10, 2012
Venue: Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre
Hardware+Tools Middle East is
a solid networking platform for
manufacturers, suppliers, buyers
and trade professionals within the
industry in the region.
Website: www.hardwaretoolsme.com
FRANCHISE UAE 2012
Date: May 9-10, 2012
Venue: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Sheikh
Zayed Road, Dubai
The event offers an unparalleled
opportunity for franchisors to
access entrepreneurs and investors
to extend their footprint across the
GCC. The show will comprise of
exhibition, congress, awards, and an
entrepreneurship summit.
Website: www.franchiseuae.com
ABU DHABI TELECOMS CEO
SUMMIT
Date: May 14, 2012
Venue: ADNEC Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi Telecoms CEO Summit is
the only event in the region to feature
as many leading CEOs from regional
telecom operators. Speakers at the
2012 edition of the summit will talk
about the future of telecoms in the
MENA region, biggest challenges
facing them, broadband and satellite
communication role in the Arab
Spring and more.
Website: www.telecomsceosummit.
com
PLASTIVISION ARABIA 2012
Date: May 14-17, 2012
Venue: Expo Centre, Sharjah
Plastivision Arabia will aim to bring
together raw material producers,
primary processing and auxiliary
equipment suppliers and traders,
leveraging on the high growth
potential of the UAE plastics
industry.
Website: www.plastivision.ae
CARD & PAYMENTS MIDDLE EAST
Date: May 15-16, 2012
Venue: ADNEC, Abu Dhabi
Now in its 13th year Cards &
Payments Middle East brings
together the world leaders in
cards and payments strategy and
technology. Find out best practice
and forward thinking strategy from
regional and international banks, on
acquiring and retaining profitable and
low risk customers, risk and fraud
strategies and to source the latest
technology and solutions.
Website:www.terrapinn.com
DIGITAL ID WORLD MIDDLE
EAST
Date: May 15-16, 2012
Venue: ADNEC, Abu Dhabi
A two-day senior-level conference
featuring the region’s most innovative
users and biggest investors in ID
management technologies and
solutions.
Website: www.terrapinn.com
NFC WORLD MIDDLE EAST
Date: May 15-16, 2012
Venue: ADNEC Abu Dhabi
NFC World Middle East is the
regions leading dedicated Near Field
Communication event. With NFC
going from pilot to launch stage
NFC World Middle East is the idea
time and place to discuss the latest
challenges and opportunities facing
this highly-promising technology and
hear from industry experts on how
NFC technology will transform the
way customers interact in the near
future.
Website: www.terrapinn.com
THE HOTEL SHOW
Date: May 15-17, 2012
Venue: Dubai World Trade Centre
The Hotel Show is the only exhibition
for the hospitality industry, providing
a unique networking and sourcing
platform within the region. From
sophisticated linen, luxurious
curtain fabrics to modern outdoor
furniture and state of the art in-room
entertainment technology - The Hotel
Show Dubai provides a one stop for
all hospitality needs.
Website: www.thehotelshow.com
Events calendar
The Intelligent SME
113

Column
Watch out for
the wrong CEO
Utpal Bhattacharya cautions how hiring
a wrong CEO can annihilate a successful
business within a short span of time.
In my over two decades of
interactions with myriads of
successful businessmen, I have
at times come across a very
strange phenomenon, which always
bothers me, and that is the failure
of an entrepreneur to judge the true
merits of the first professional CEO
that he appoints when he decides to
either take it somewhat easy after
a lifetime of hard labour, or, build
another line of business. I have
found this inability to judge the right
person, for the job, by a successful
businessman, never easy to digest.
The funny
part is that
there are no
professional
solutions
available
off-the-shelf that can help an
entrepreneur judge correctly, unless
he is ready to listen to his advisors,
or consultants. In a majority of
instances, this does not happen, as a
successful entrepreneur is generally
a confident person, and won’t even
accept it was his fault when the
damage is done, and one of his
advisors dare tell to him, “I told you
so.”
Recently, I was sitting with
a prospective client, a successful
entrepreneur. They were planning
an IPO in 2014. It was because of
a reference that I was there, as this
company, which I will refer to as Alfa
(not its real name), very correctly,
was seeking a communications
114 The Intelligent SME
consultant to help them prepare
for the IPO. In my typical primary
and secondary research on Alfa, a
telecom solutions provider, I had
gathered some interesting facts about
the company. They had done well in
certain markets, but were struggling
in others. They, certainly, needed help
in below-the-line communications
and relationship management in those
markets that do not always offer jobs
to vendors on merit.
So, in other words, Alfa had
taken a right decision in approaching
communications consultants to build
their reputation in these markets. The
entrepreneur introduced me to Alfa’s
newly appointed CEO, who was to
take the company to IPO. Apparently,
this CEO was hired, as he had the
right experience for the job, which
was the IPO.
However, to my consternation, as
I sat through the brief, the CEO began
talking about the various revenue
lines that he was going to add to the
telecom business of Alfa. He went as
far as envisioning road projects for
Alfa, and undertaking EPC contracts,
and even consulting. Asked how he
was going to do all these, he said that
he would use third-party if required.
His employer never said a word,
and even seemed pleased, as his
Summing up
newly appointed CEO was driving
the business towards a large order
book, by hook or crook: after all his
mandate was doing a successful IPO
of Alfa!
My challenge was one of
positioning Alfa. How would one
re-position a telecom solution
provider in some other vertical? And
the biggest question was, even if
one started positioning Alfa as more
than a telecom solutions provider,
would there be enough substance
in the entity when it went for the
public offering? Probably not, as they
seemed on the verge of
spreading out too thin,
and taking on too
much cost, eating on
their reserves.
I decided that
this was another instance of hiring
a wrong CEO for the job. The
entrepreneur had the right idea of
going IPO after having built a robust
business over many, many years.
But he failed to hire the right CEO to
do the job. He was carried away by
the promise of numbers; he failed to
analyse why he was successful, and
why his IPO would subscribe well,
at premium, even if his balance sheet
did not explode.
As I walked out of our meeting,
I knew that I would not be hired, as
I had asked all the right questions,
which irked them. But even if they
asked me to, I would have refused, as
I would not back a wrong plan, which
was likely to bomb.