Origin country:
Germany with Turkish roots.
How long in the UAE?
10 years
Sectors covered:
ICT, Financial Services, Tech, Tourism, Education and Manufacturing
What inspired you to pursue a career in Trade & Investment?
Throughout my career I have always worked very hard, and I am blessed that every position was a steppingstone for the next one to come.
My role in a professional services firm has taught me the fundamentals of working in a regulatory environment, supporting investors to set foothold in global jurisdictions. I had closely worked with the public sector back then and joining a government entity after this work experience had been a natural career progression for me. It gave me the opportunity to develop business in order to attract investment opportunities to a respective country.
Other than thoroughly enjoying working with clients from all over the world and getting to know their customs and culture, I took a particular interest in economic development and FDI and how our work could have a positive impact on the ecosystem by attracting foreign companies to create more job roles and ensuring future stability and growth for the respective country. This aspect of working in the sector of Trade and Investment inspires me the most as I believe that through our joint efforts, we can make a difference for future generations to come.
What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on in the last year?
Having represented the Bahrain Economic Development Board during the GITEX exhibition in the UAE has been very exciting. As part of a vibrant team I was officially representing the agency at the Kingdoms dedicated Pavilion, and besides having organised and participated in several very interesting government delegations and events, I got the chance to meet and collaborate with a number of innovative companies, that now shape the ICT industry with their recent innovations.
What’s the best advice you can give to someone interested in doing business in the Middle East?
Out of experience, the most valuable advise I can give a company looking to expand their operations to the Middle East, is to do sufficient research and get to know the environment. I understand that this is not always easy especially with the most recent travel restrictions but there are a number of companies that can be valuable partners to support the transition, and I would advise to utilize this as regional knowledge and ‘know- how’ is crucial and investing in this will most certainly pay off in the long run.
How has CV19 changed your job in the last 6 months?
Those who know me, will know that I have been an advocate for remote working settings since a while now, as I believe this has the potential to contribute significantly to the efficiency and cost effectiveness of an organisation. Most of my work is now done remotely and looking at other companies around me I believe that this had a positive effect on the performance of an entity. Whereas I do miss physically interacting with colleagues and clients, I am happy to see that so many companies have taken the leap to offer solutions to make our day to day live easier and still be connected.
Finish this sentence. On Friday mornings, you can usually find me…
Hiking in the Northern Emirates or at the beach.
When travel opens up again, where’s the first place you want to go to & why?
Europe to visit our families as I have missed spending time with them.
