The United Arab Emirates’ start-up culture is thriving within the public relations and communications sector. And while many creative and media agencies are still headed up by men, within the comms sphere it is female talent who call the shots.
Shamim Kassibawi, managing partner, Spread Communications
“I moved to Dubai eight years ago from little old Auckland, New Zealand. Prior to launching Spread Communications I was a consultant (pretty word for freelancer) for two years. I will never forget the one job I was dying for, got through four interviews and never got. Instead I was hired to build a process for Spread, and today I represent them across the Middle East and Africa. But I started from the bottom of the bottom of the bottom. I had no investments and no savings, and I only had my laptop and free wifi I got at cafes around the city. You need some sort of capital; I only had money to last me three months. But it’s been almost two years and I haven’t starved yet, so there must be something good about this city.
“I made so many mistakes during this journey, from getting the wrong trade licence more than once and paying insane amounts of money, to being way too careful and not setting up an office straight away, which ended up costing me more in the long run. The lack of stability is an everyday thing. Sometimes you have an amazing month, other days you have an awful month where you lose clients, but that is life. Some days are sunny, others aren’t. The biggest change I had to make to my own personality was to be less emotional, to not take things personal. This was especially hard when I was freelancing as obviously it was only me and my work.”
Ursula Winzel, chief executive, balcony8 Communication Architects
“I’ve been in Dubai for nine years. I joined Lowe MENA as a business director. When the crisis hit Dubai and clients were heavily slashing marketing budgets, I felt confident that I had built a strong enough network to start balcony8 Communication Architects in 2010.
“I remember a few of my peers thinking I was barking mad to start a business in an adverse economic climate, but I vehemently believed I was onto something. The ink wasn’t even dry on my trade license when I won a pitch for the Melia Hotels account out of Spain, against several global agencies represented in Dubai.
“It takes a considerable effort (and a good sense of humour) to navigate the initial set-up phase. Once that is in place, there is a direct correlation between the energy and personal sacrifice you invest, and the successes it yields over time. Our industry is incredibly demanding and the majority of women choose to pause their careers to make time for having a family, which gives men a stronger momentum to build their careers. Naturally, women who get back to work need to juggle a career and a family and instead of this admirable multi-tasking being seen as a strength, it is unfortunately often viewed as a weakness. As an entrepreneur, I have consciously put all my energy into building a business – and that comes with an enormous amount of personal sacrifice. But commitment and stamina pays off and now that the engine is pretty much running by itself, I am able to seek out work/life balance for the first time.”
Kaja Evans and Abby Wilks, managing partners, House of Comms
“We met at Hill & Knowlton Dubai and before that we both worked for major agencies in the UK, so we come with a lot of experience of the industry. We both thrived as part of a big agency, but felt we had more to offer. It sounds really clichéd, but we genuinely wanted to make a big difference and challenge the industry. We formed the company in 2012, with just the two of us driven by pure passion and determination to build something we could be proud of.
“Many people dive into creating a business here because the UAE does sell the dream. But what some forget is that you actually need the right experience, a solid network and a clear plan if you want to succeed. With all of the right ingredients the UAE is a great place to set up and do business. Having lived in the UAE for so many years we’re both fortunate enough to have built excellent personal and professional networks, which we were able to draw on for advice and support. An understanding of the local culture and industry is key to that success too.
“Thankfully here in the UAE – in PR, certainly – female representation in the high tiers is excellent. From our experience there are many fantastic females in PR in the UAE – both in-house and within the top agencies across the emirates. To us it isn’t about male or female – it’s about can you deliver, time and time again and be a true consultant whatever the circumstance.”