Let us introduce Nadine Halabi, a working mum, talks about her role at DBWC, juggling family life and whether we can 'have it all'. 

Tell us about the DBWC and your role within the business? 

Established in 2002, the Dubai Business Women Council is a non-profit organization that serves as the leading platform for the personal and professional development of women in the Emirate of Dubai.

It falls under the umbrella of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is Chaired by HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, Wife of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai and is led by its founding President , HE Dr. Raja Al Gurg, a very successful and prominent business woman in Dubai and throughout the region.

The Mission and objective of the Council is to provide strategic education, training and networking opportunities to aid the holistic development and aspirations of UAE-based business women. Membership is open to employed Emirati and expatriate business women who live in in Dubai, across the UAE and within the region.

As Business Development Manager for the Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), I oversee the mission of the Council to provide strategic education, training and networking opportunities to aid in the development of UAE-based women, towards the acceptance of women in business. Since taking up the position in 2011 I have coordinated the high-profile board members, stakeholders and members in line with the values and vision set out by our Council’s President, Dr. Raja Al Gurg. I focused on growing the Council’s membership to more than 600 strong members of visionary and influential trailblazing women, while continually delivering on our promise to enhance positive change towards a more gender balanced society by pioneering new programmes and initiatives that inspire women to be the best version of themselves.

My job also entails that I broker numerous mutually beneficial partnerships with various local and multi-national organizations through innovative barter deals, enhancing the Council’s profile and strengthening its standing in the community.

You are delivering so much in your role and really adding value to the women’s community in the UAE – how do you manage to fit everything into your day?

Time management is something that I take very seriously. I believe in putting out a plan for every day and working on accomplishing every task set forth.

Because my job requires me to oversee different areas within the organization, it is crucial that I manage my time meticulously and efficiently to ensure that every task is delivered in a timely manner. I also believe that surrounding yourself with a competent team is crucial if you want to get things done. I take pride in my team and in the fact that they all work with ethics and proficiency within the capacity of their roles. For an organization to succeed, the manager cannot be expected to do everything; every team member will have to deliver on his or her responsibilities and should be held accountable for his / her delivery and performance within the organization.

How do you cope with balancing work and family life? Is there such a thing as ‘having it all”?

In my opinion, “having it all” is a false misconception. One can never “have it all”, and specially not a working mom. But what a working woman and mom can do, is always try her best to accomplish as much as she can within the day, on both the personal and professional front.

What works for me, is the fact that I work on schedules and stress on the importance of time management. My day consists of several quadrants, each with a different percentage of importance. The 2 most essential quadrants are those that have to do with my job and my time at home with my children, after working hours.The remaining quadrants consist of the rest of the time that involves driving my children to and from their weekly activities and playdates, to my time training at the gym, to running weekly errands and the quality time allocated for catching up with my friends when time permits once a week.

What also helps me in doing so, is that my working hours are not too long. I work form 8 AM until 5 PM , and this gives me just about the right time to head back home after work and spend the rest of the evening with my children while they do their homework or attend any of their weekly activities.

Do you work flexibility or take reduced hours to work around family life?

Our working hours are fixed; however, we are lucky to work within an organization that does allow some flexibility when it comes to certain emergency cases or when needed. In any case, I am the type of person who always delivers better results when I work from the office. For some reason, I feel more connected to everything and everyone when I am at the office as opposed to when I work from home. I guess the ambiance and work environment also play a big role in the level of my productivity !

How does the DWBC help women in the workplace, returning to the workplace and entrepreneurs?

Every working woman, regardless of whether or not she is returning to the workplace after a long absence or whether she has always been working, needs to work on skill development. We live in a time, where change is the only constant; where technology is always altering its form and we need to remain up to date with all the changes and developments in order to keep up with our times. Life skills, soft skills, technical skills and the way we do business is constantly changing, and to succeed you need to always be on top of things and in line with the latest developments, regardless of the industry you represent.

At the Dubai Business Women Council, we provide our members with extensive and diverse networking platforms that expose them to business related events and conferences; we empower our members through diverse training sessions, seminars and industry specific monthly workshops that are put together by the best industry experts and are delivered exclusively to our members at no cost; and we aim to connect them to other members and pave the way for possible business opportunities, partnerships and new ventures.  At the Council, our members are constantly learning new skills or developing existing ones. They are also exposed to meeting likeminded working women who eventually become their customers, partners, mentors or in some cases, their friends. It’s a professional community and network that definitely adds value to the working women who become a part of it.

How can the Mums@Work community join DBWC?

Dubai Business Women Council and Mums@Work have been in partnership for the past 2 years. The Council opens its doors for membership to Mums@Work members on the condition that the candidates applying for membership are working part time or full time.  The Council cannot grant membership to Mums@Work members who are unemployed or who run a business from home that is not supported by an official trade license as per the law of the UAE. To apply for a membership, one can visit the following link on our website : http://www.dbwc.ae/membership-application

The Council welcomes eligible Mums@Work members to become part of its network and join other great business women within our community!

View the Interview HERE