In an environment where creativity and knowledge reign supreme, employees are able to explore and exchange ideas freely.
Various UAE-based entrepreneurs are constantly uplifting this positive culture and speaks to several inspiring women upholding the same values.
Zoya Sakr
Founder of The Flower Society
What does innovation mean to you?
It’s something out of the ordinary, it doesn’t always need to be a radical change, but its impact lies within the value it creates to end users. In my business, it’s linked to creativity in line with the brand positioning we created for our brand. A disruption is an extreme form of innovation, and we believe this is possible in all kinds of businesses when being close to customers and their needs.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
Innovation at The Flower Society comes from every team member. Our company has a bottom-to-top policy, no hierarchy or stiff layers so creativity can flow. Innovation also comes from our loyal clients becoming part of the brand as they inspire us.
Claire Miller
Founder and CEO of The Skincare Edit
What does innovation mean to you?
In my idealistic view, products, ideas, or methods make the world a better place. As an entrepreneur and facialist within the beauty field, I am excited by the advancements we have seen in skincare formulation. Yet, I feel passionate and responsible that, as a wider industry, we need to examine some real challenges too and not shy away from the complicated issues such as climate change and sustainability that require more innovation.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
The Skincare Edit was created from a desire to do things better. Sustainability is at the heart of every decision we make as a team, from the brands we partner with to product selection, shipping, packaging, and delivery to how we describe the suitability of our products to customers. We want customers to make informed decisions for their skin without commercial hype – with only truth and transparency, which leads to better re- results and less waste. Our promises are honesty, results-driven products, sustainability, and transparency. For better sustainability, we need to look beyond just the products and the journey they take to get to us, ensuring the carbon footprint is as little as possible. As a beauty retailer and distributor, this is how we try to play our part in innovation.
Amna Al Habtoor
Founder of Arcadia
What does innovation mean to you?
To me, innovation is synonymous with originality. Thinking outside the box, trial and error, fresh perspectives, and advanced methods are all how I perceive innovation.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
It’s imperative that I adopt a non-hierarchal management approach – I feel that allows a corporate mindset that is always open to change, growth, and hence, innovation. I enforce this in different ways, such as having an open workspace with all my team members and encouraging collaboration between everyone in the company.
Emma Sawko
Founder of Wild & The Mood
What does innovation mean to you?
Innovation is what shakes the world and changes paradigms. And when you want to introduce a new way of eating, in a region where each community is attached to their food culture as a part of their identity, when you want people to be more environmentally conscious in an environment that does not help, when you want them to take care of their health and vitality even though they did not seem to care that much… It takes a whole lot of innovation and shaking! My luck is that the UAE is a young country with a fresh look at everything and tonnes of enthusiasm for innovation. Since we opened, I have witnessed a shift in mentalities, and I believe the green revolution has started here. I’m also delighted to see more and more young women among the new generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. I had the honour of being nominated for the prestigious Bold Women Awards in Paris, where I was surprised to meet hundreds of strong women, all entrepreneurs, many of them true innovators in their fields. I felt touched and grateful for this new generation of bold, empowered women, most of them with a gentler, greener, and altruist take on success. We all need to encourage our daughters to be bold and innovative.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
To become the first vegan, organic, and locally sourced restaurant in the UAE, we necessarily had to innovate. So much, in fact, that it gave my team and myself many headaches. Of course, we created our recipes from scratch with plant-based ingredients and no compromise on the taste. We also wanted minimal environmental impact and worked with architects who built the space using mainly recycled materials. We also had to innovate with nearly every aspect of the project, including finding 100% biodegradable bottles or containers, ways to minimize waste (we aim to be a 0% waste restaurant), or carbon footprint. We can say that innovation is in Wild & the Moon’s DNA.
Lyndsay Doran
Chief Executive Office, L’Couture
What does innovation mean to you?
It means never resting on your laurels. However, innovation doesn’t always have to mean radical and incremental changes – especially within the fashion industry. As a brand, we have always been consistently focused on elevating and therefore innovating in every sense. Founded in Dubai, L’Couture is a homegrown brand with a global mindset.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
As a business, we are always looking to innovate in four key areas. In terms of the product itself, from consciously sourcing Oeko-Tex factories that produce new and improved fabrics to extensive fit testing with diverse models to perfect that all-important LC fit. We recently dropped our best-selling Serenity Seamless collection in a new and planet-friendly Amni Soul Eco fabric with an enhanced fit. We constantly look for new technologies to improve even our best sellers. At the core of our business is people, not only our strong community but our team across the board. We aim to diversify, grow, and promote within the company. The in-store experience is a core component of the business and something we are passionate about as a team. In line with trends in experiential retail, we want to ensure the shopping experience is as seamless and innovative as possible for our customers. Finally, L’Couture was launched online, therefore we continue to optimise the website to provide an end-to-end shopping experience. The world of e-commerce and digital is forever changing, so in order for us to be competitive, we have to be ahead of the curve and innovative and offer our customers a 360 experience.
Zeina El-Dana
Founder and CEO of Z7 Communication
What does innovation mean to you?
Innovation is the key to success… especially in the world of communications, events and digital. We are continuously finding ways to disrupt
the industry with our creative and experimental approaches to ensure that our clients always stand out above the rest. To me, innovation is about constant growth and agility, being able to stay ahead of the curve and offer something outside the box to create noise!
How do you innovate in your company culture?
Company culture is very close to my heart, and I have spent the past few years dedicating a lot of time and resources to building a culture that enables my team to feel inspired and help them grow. I believe the physical work environment is very important, we have a beautifully designed office space in Dubai Design District, which is the heart of design, fashion, and culture in the region, but also offers flexibility to the team to work be- tween the office and outside locations where they can gain further inspiration. We organise weekly team brainstorms and monthly skill shares to upskill the team – knowledge gives the team the power and confidence to innovate. We also schedule bi-monthly team activities to enable the team to relax, bond, and foster a fun environment. At Z7, we empower the team at every level, from interns to directors, no idea is too big or too small, and I always encourage the team to believe in the impossible, push boundaries, and encourage continuous innovation! We offer a safe environment where open communication is cherished to allow the team’s creativity to be seen and heard. Recognising and rewarding success is something we continually do, and formally, once a month, we also announce an employee of the month who has achieved something special, thus encouraging further innovative behaviours within the team.
Fatma Almheiri
Senior Manager of Communications at the Museum of The Future
What does innovation mean to you?
Innovation to me is more about being open to new ideas and perspectives. It’s a pathway to self-improvement and finding novel ways to have a bigger and better impact on those around me.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
In order to have an innovative culture embedded in any field, I feel it’s extremely important to welcome creativity and new ideas with open arms. It’s also crucial that your team is empowered enough to share these ideas confidently.
Zoe Haldane
Brand Director of The Arts Club
What does innovation mean to you?
To me, innovation is about pioneering change in order to thrive. In our business, we strive to innovate on all levels, from what we offer in our restaurants and how we build and train our teams to how we programme our cultural events and communicate them to our members. Our industry is highly competitive here and in London, and innovation is key to our success.
How do you innovate in your company culture?
Since The Arts Club Dubai is not only our first international outpost, but also the second-ever clubhouse to be opened since our establishment in 1863, we naturally had a blank canvas opportunity to innovate across all aspects of our business, including company culture. Key to my approach is an open-door policy that gives all colleagues, no matter which department, the space to come and discuss their thoughts and ideas freely. Some of these can be specific to their respective teams or divisions, but there is an intrinsic value in allowing people to share their ideas in a way that is not confined or limited. I’m also a big believer in breakaway brainstorming sessions, some of which take place outside of the office environment. These sessions consistently provide the suitable space and environment for blue-sky thinking, ambitious strategy planning, and long-term vision. Perhaps most importantly, I always aim to take a positive approach in my role and channel a mindset open to change. I guide colleagues through influence rather than instructions and empower them to think independently and operate with confidence. This non-hierarchical way of management has always been important to me and is an intrinsic contributor to business success.
February’s – The Innovation Issue –
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