GTM Issue 25

A Place Like No Other Los Angeles

Spectacular Landscapes

Sochi

The Sicilian Tour Taormina

A Polynesian Affair Lapita, Dubai Parks and Resorts

Casual and Comfortable Resortwear

Scalzi&Pareati

5 Unique Tips From Swiss Arabian To Make Your Perfume Last Longer

Unveiling The Limited-Edition Uae National Day Collection By Terzihan

Natural, Organic And Handcrafted Skincare From The Islands

An Indulgent Holiday Gift Guide

Reawakening

Timur D’Vatz

Interiors Luxury Gift Guide Celebrates The Festive Season

Arcadia A96 Wellbeing On The Water

East

Modern Design & Smart Technologies

All-New Ford Territory

Timeless Design, Expert Craftsmanship

Genesis G90

Dynamic Drive Experience

The Volkswagen Touareg

Future-proofing automotive icons

Silicon Central Mall Solar Carport Ready To Generate 1.7 Gwh Of Clean Energy Annually

Building a Lifestyle Brand

Premium private jet provider Flexjet touches down in the Middle

PUBLISHER

Catherine Gilbert

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Shereen Shabnam

Editorial Team

Fozia Fareen

Natasha Jasmin Dury

Nishrat Nazeen

Eric Richard Dury

Correspondence Address

H3J LLE

Office 404, Building B

Old Saaha Offices - Souk Al Bahar

Old town Island - Burj Khalifa District

P.O. Box 487177, DUBAI - U.A.E.

Tel: +971 50 769 0087

Art Director

V. Suquila

Impression/Printing

Silver Point Printing Press L.L.C

Shed No:05 Caterpillar Building Salah

Al Din St Al Khabaisi - Deira - Dubai A Publication by H3J FZ LLE Magazine online sur www.globaltrendmonitor.com International Owners Business

WHEN THE UNIVERSE SPEAKS!

Intuition is not something easy to explain but it is possibly the one thing most people trust the most and if I did one thing right this year, it was to listen to my intuition and what the universe guided me towards for decisions I should make and steps I should take that works in my interest and is good for my future.

For instance, becoming a shareholder in Salties Restaurant was not initially in my plans but when the moment came, I realised if I am going to stay in the UAE long term, I need to start dropping roots not just in the publicity and publishing world but also into industries that I have an affinity with. The Salties brand is slowly becoming part of my DNA and the people around me are my new extended family.

This month, we are excited to feature Mohamad Albloushi, International Investor, Business Owner & Partner at Salties as he inspires us with initiatives that are beyond the norm.

While most of us look at investing in first world countries, Mohamad is looking towards Oceania and places that has natural beauty and resources

and where projects can be done together with the local communities to make their lives better.

It is certainly going to be a busy December as we have clients at the Women's Exhibition 2022 and GTM is a media partner of the Retail Congress organised by the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC). It is one of our favourite conferences in the year as we meet our clients and celebrate the awards they receive.

As always, we have curated for you articles from experts in technology, insights into destinations that may appeal to you for your holidays and lots of gifting ideas. Personally, I am crazy about Romanovamakeup and of course gadgets. You can never have enough powerful power banks.

I hope the end of this year gives you time to reflect on your achievements and goals and helps you plan for an even better 2023. The GTM team wish you a joyful festive season.

Shereen Shabam editor@globaltrendmonitor.com

CANDLE FLAVOURS

Citronella

White Frangipani

Pink Frangipani

Sandlewood Vanilla

Japanese Honeysuckle

Vanilla

Sandlewood Vanilla

HANDMADE ORGANIC SOAP

Aloe Vera Flavoured Soap

Rose Petal Soap

Orange Flavoured Soap

Moringa Flavoured Soap

Neem Flavored Soap

Lemon Grass Flavoured Soap

Mint Flavoured Soap

Rosemary Flavoured Soap

Basil Flavoured Soap

Goat Milk Flavoured Soap

Charcoal Flavoured Soap

UAE INVESTORS KEEN ON TOURISM INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES

IN SOLOMON

ISLANDS

Following the success of Dubai World Expo 2020 and strategic alliances made by visitors and in particular, local businesses, UAE reached a milestone agreement with the Solomon Islands via a Reciprocal Visa Arrangement where citizens of both countries will not need a visa to enter each other’s countries for a maximum of 90 days with 6 months minimum passport validity.

Mohamad Albloushi, who was part of a group of foreign investors visiting Solomon Islands for tourism investment opportunities was the first Emirati to have his visa granted on arrival in Solomon Islands.

Solomon Islands offers great potential for tourism development with attractions that include diving, bird watching, surfing, bush trekking and tours of historic sites.

According to Mohamad Albloushi, the knowledge of investments in Solomon Islands suitable for tourism development was first shared at the Dubai Expo by pavilion director Mr. Dennis Marita, Director of Culture and Ambassador H.E Mr. Moses K. Mosé, Solomon Islands Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, who played an instrumental in initiating the visit to Solomon Islands for meetings with tourism

stakeholders and private-sector businesses.

The Dubai based tourism entrepreneurs visited the Western Province, Guadalcanal and Central Province, accompanied by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism representatives. The UAE delegation included Mohamad Shambi Mohamad Albloushi, Emirati entrepreneur.

Mohamad Al Bloushi said, "Solomon Islands offer investors numerous tourism development opportunities as the islands are rich with beautiful scenery, cultural experiences, trekking, bird watching, potential scuba sites, game fishing, scenic lakes, and surfing there is popular with world ranked surfers.

We hope to set up a tourism offering that creates jobs for locals and brings

more visitors to the islands through a world class venue and infrastructure that supports the tourism industry.

The delegation will return to Solomon Islands to finalise the investment offering and start the process of helping to revive the country's tourism sector.

LEVERAGING THE POWER OF COLLABORATION

MARIA CAMILLERI CALLEJA AMBASSADOR OF MALTA TO THE UAE

Maria Camilleri Calleja - Ambassador of Malta to the UAE has been active in the field of Diplomacy for over two decades after joining the Malta Diplomatic Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2000. We interview her about her current posting and her journey as a Maltese Diplomat.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR STUDIES?

First of all, I wish to thank you, Shereen, for extending this

opportunity to speak about the interesting and all-encompassing world of diplomacy.

I arrived in the UAE in July 2020 with my husband and our two boys. Taking up a new position in the middle of a pandemic was no easy feat. Posted here as the first resident Maltese Ambassador in the UAE, I also happen to be the first Maltese female diplomat to be posted in the Gulf region.

Forever breaking that glass ceiling, in 2000, I was the first Maltese

female diplomat to work in Protocol at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Malta and also the first Maltese female diplomat to be posted at the Embassy of Malta in Libya, one of our most interesting overseas posts and a strategic relationship in Malta’s Diplomatic spectrum.

One may think very little of these steps in terms of achievements, but they were among the important first steps that encouraged accessibility for women in all spheres of life. Therefore, I humbly consider them to be my tiny measures of

contribution to the empowerment and advancement of Maltese women in diplomacy, alongside the many others of several female colleagues in the Malta diplomatic corps.

My first degree was in Contemporary Mediterranean Studies (a mix of international relations, geography and anthropology) at the 430-yearold University of Malta. Having graduated cum laude as Bachelor of Arts (Hons.), I then pursued a Master of Arts in Diplomacy at the prestigious Mediterranean Academy for Diplomatic Studies in Malta. However, life is a continuous learning process and there is a bucket list of degrees that I would love to pursue, not least an MBA…at some point in life, of course.

WHEN DID YOU START YOUR CAREER AND HOW HAS YOUR DIPLOMATIC JOURNEY EVOLVED?

Once I finished my post-grad, my journey in the Malta Diplomatic Service started in 2000. After 18 months of hands-on training in the capital, I joined the Embassy of Malta in Stockholm as Second Secretary in 2002, and then the Embassy of Malta in Libya in 2005 in the role of Consul. Subsequently, back in Malta, the focus was on training

and taking on new responsibilities, namely Director for International Development, Economic Affairs and European Institutions (including also the Ministry’s preparation for Malta’s first EU Council Presidency in 2017). This was then followed by the role of Director-General for Political Affairs, an intensive position which encompassed overseeing bilateral relations between Malta and countries worldwide within the framework of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy.

HOW WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEING THE FIRST MALTESE FEMALE DIPLOMAT TO SERVE AS CONSUL IN LIBYA, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY FORMING PART OF THE SCHENGEN EVALUATION TEAM?

To be honest, the moment I received the phone call asking me whether I was interested in the position, my heart missed a beat. I knew that a Maltese female diplomat had never been posted in Libya before and that it was not going to be an easy ride. However, I accepted on the spot. I had a fantastic Ambassador in

Libya, who taught me so much about tact and effectiveness in running an Embassy, lessons which have served me well later on in life and in my career. In Libya, I had the opportunity to be part of the Schengen Evaluation Team preparing for Malta’s accession to the Schengen Acquis. This experience taught me management efficiency, simplification of bureaucracy, organising one’s work with a bird’s eye view of the situation and the importance of balanced teamwork. Efficiency and employee happiness walk hand in hand. The more efficiently the team works, the happier the team, and therefore the better the output.

HOW IS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEING IN THE UAE AS AN AMBASSADOR AND AS THE FIRST-EVER PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF MALTA TO IRENA IN ABU DHABI?

The UAE has been a positive surprise. Work is very intensive and extremely interesting. I am learning every day. During my first year, the focus was undeniably on COVID-19 and mitigating the challenges that the pandemic inevitably brought about within the community and also in terms of diplomatic work.

The Embassy was focused on assisting the small but dedicated and hard-working Maltese community in the UAE. However, we were not daunted. We worked within the framework of the set regulations and managed to achieve small but significant steps including, but not only, a Visit to the UAE by Malta’s Foreign Minister in February 2021, the official opening of the Embassy, the signing of four additional Memoranda of Understanding and the resumption of direct flights between Malta and the UAE.

The following year was dominated by EXPO 2020 DUBAI when we welcomed no less than twelve Ministerial delegations and we are proud to have hosted an extremely well laid out pavilion, spearheaded by Malta Enterprise, showcasing the best of Malta.

We also signed a further three Memoranda of Understanding with the UAE and therefore substantially augmented our legal structure with our counterparts in various sectors notably higher education, recognition of driving licenses, cooperation between diplomatic academies, establishing a joint commission, cooperation in climate change and environment

issues, cultural cooperation, and cooperation between Chambers of Commerce. There is naturally more ground to cover and the Embassy is incessant in its efforts to promote Malta and all it can offer.

We have worked extensively with Malta Tourism Authority, Finance Malta, TECH.MT, Residency Malta, Malta Enterprise and various other entities on promoting Malta through Media Familiarization Trips to Malta, the annual Malta National Day Events, cultural events and fairs including art exhibitions as well as the exhibition of the Maymouna Stone, which was the result of a firstever collaboration between Malta and the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization, a relationship born out of contacts established by the Embassy of Malta under the mentorship of the learned curators of Heritage Malta.

This is however only a glimpse of what we have done in the past two years. Our social media shows much and much more than can be said or written.

On 19 November 2020, I presented credentials as Malta’s first Permanent Representative to IRENA. We have come a long way, adding active participation in biannual

Council meetings to participation in the annual Assemblies held in Abu Dhabi, as well as participation in Collaborative Frameworks. On 24 November 2022, the Maltese Embassy also hosted the 9th Renewables Talks meeting for Permanent Representatives to IRENA resident in Abu Dhabi with the participation of two experts in the energy field from the Malta Energy and Water Agency (EWA). Climate action is very topical and, for a small island like Malta, so fundamental.

WHAT IS IN STORE FOR YOU IN 2023 IN TERMS OF MALTA EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES IN THE UAE?

Following our Foreign Minister’s visit in October 2022 and the Malta National Day event supported by fourteen Maltese companies not to mention also your own publication “Global Trend Monitor” which ran an excellent article following an interview with the Hon. Foreign Minister of Malta, we are now preparing for an eventful 2023, which will undoubtedly be a watershed year for diplomacy in the UAE.

First of all, Malta and the UAE will celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations and we want to make it

big, worthy of a Golden Jubilee. I will not disclose anything except that we have already started our collaboration on the cultural field to see this happening in great style. Secondly, 2023 is the year of COP28 in the UAE. Malta is utterly committed to climate action and multilateralism and as Malta will be sitting on the UN Security Council for two years for the period 20232024, COP28 will be an opportunity to give visibility and a louder voice to pertinent issues such as rising sea levels, ocean governance, small island states, targets and challenges in energy transition for small countries.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR HOBBIES AND FUTURE ASPIRATIONS?

I love reading and I am passionate about cinema. One day, I would like to write my own biography. There is so much to tell, so many experiences, so many life lessons learnt. Maybe a few might be interested to read it.

I also like a little down time at certain intervals. I find that open spaces offer so much in terms of mental relaxation from the hustle and bustle

of life. In the UAE, the desert is one particular spot I love escaping to, when I can, just to empty my mind and re-generate.

My experience in the UAE is so much more than work. It is the language, the people, the culture, and sounds,

smells and sights of a country that fascinates at every turn of a corner. It is also telling people about who I am, where I come from and the beauty of our island country, Malta, which has so much to offer in terms of cultural but also professional experience.

HUMAN CAPITAL IN ORGANIZATIONS

Hakan Ozel General Manager – Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai

Human Capital is the relationship between what the luxury enterprises invest in employees and their emerging success as an economic value that the employees bring.

Desirable result is the positive return, which the enterprises gain from the loyalty, creativity, effort, skills and expertise, personal values and believes, networks and connections, and physical and mental health of employees if the organizations provide them with the right framework, resources, compensation and support. It is the combination of factors such as the traits that the employee brings to job; employee’s

ability to learn and develop; and finally the motivation that the employee shares the information and knowledge.

HUMAN-FINANCIAL INTERFACE

Human Capital should not be mixed up with human resources. Without a doubt, it is critical since it has a direct link to how company operates to achieve its strategic goals and how it will shape the future with appropriate design and investment.

It is linked to economic value-add preposition, corporate and business

unit productivity, cost structure, and profit ability. It is a true fact that capitals and related investments in enterprises are passive. Only the action and performance of the employees would leverage the value from these investments with human-financial interface as a cause of outcome.

In other words, most of the companies are similar to each other when it comes to investment; technology, fixed and operating resources, finance, infrastructure, etc. Differentiator of the most of the organizations is the Human Capital, which is the competitive

advantage. It is the people and how the organizations attract, maintain, motivate and retain the knowledge, skills and creative capability of those employees that drive organizational success.

PARTNERSHIP AND STRATEGIC VIEW

In successful and accomplishing organizations, brand and culture obviously and strongly correlate. Like in luxury hotel companies, the brand is a promise to the marketplace about what it can expect when dealing with the company.

The brand is the expression of quality, service, value, innovation, consistency, and alike. Employees are trained and educated in several ways to become a business partner about what is expected, acceptable or should not be done in line with culture. Problems start when the brand promise is different from the cultural behaviors in the work place, which is away from the strategic view.

If the market is expecting an excellent response against the expectations, then excellent products and service conditions must be provided. Trouble starts when organization’s culture say one thing, and employees act in different manner for any reason. That is where the consistency and alignment in Human Capital process fails.

In this case, business shifts to competition with an economic impact. To avoid it, aligning the brand promise and reality in work place in-line with Human Capital concept is strongly required.

HUMAN CAPITAL AND ROI

To achieve the organizational success through motivated, loyal and driven employees, investment to their performance, development and loyalty is absolutely necessary. These investments require time and fund.

Return of Investment (ROI) is a natural expectation after a disciplined investment process in people. Human Capital revenue factor, economic value-added, cost factor and market value are some of the metrics to be used to measure the success.

Another good organizational example is the employee engagement and its nature. Organizations spend substantial amount of time and fund for employee engagement. Employee engagement is measured with an employee engagement survey.

If employee engagement survey scores are high, the outcomes such as return guest ratio, revenue/ profit per employee, higher spending patterns, etc. of the organization as the gross productivity and analytics of ROI should be expected high, whilst

some concerned ratios like employee turnover rate would likely be low.

CONCLUSION

Organizations are the collections of processes, which run amongst the business units. Human Capital measures the economic value and the impact of employee performance within all these processes.

Viewed from either economic or philosophic perspective, the thing that matters is how people are effective and fulfilled in their workplace.

The organizations that make work place as fulfilling as possible will develop and retain the most productive employees and enjoy the most loyal customers to patronage the premises.

SAFE ONLINE SHOPPING BEST PRACTICES

By Aamir Lakhani - Cybersecurity Researcher for Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs

The upcoming holiday shopping season is already expected to pose more challenges than the last. Shoppers are expected to descend upon e-commerce as many soughtafter items could be in short supply.

As a result, both consumers and retailers must be especially wary of opportunistic scammers who will offer too-good-to-miss deals in order to steal sensitive information and profit off their victims’ losses.

While many of us are readying our credit cards, you will also want to take some extra time to consider who might be able to access the data you’re handing over.

Cybercriminals will be especially active this year, ready to launch

an attack wherever they see an opening. From phishing scams to malicious applications, they’re waiting for unsuspecting shoppers to be lured into their traps—which means the best way to mitigate risk is by remaining vigilant. A world of Cybercrime-as-a-Service (CaaS) is growing at a fast pace, which means shop with care.

SHOPPERS RELYING ON E-COMMERCE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

In past years, many shoppers have switched to e-commerce as the method of obtaining the clothing, electronics, household items, toys, and other gifts they seek. And while we have seen a steady increase in

online shopping over the years, this year’s holiday shopping could beat previous records.

Meanwhile, in the background, cybercriminals are simultaneously planning their attacks. And they’re expecting opportunities related to holiday shopping to be equally profitable.

INTERNET SAFETY: CONSIDERATIONS FOR SAFE ONLINE SHOPPING

This Cyber Monday, shoppers should prepare for both traditional online shopping risks as well as new timely e-commerce threats.

We’ve outlined some of the most

important ones below, along with some best practices to avoid falling victim to them:

3 MOST COMMON CYBER MONDAY THREATS

1. Public WiFi

Shopping at home on a private network is one thing. However, you may want to think twice before making online purchases using a public WiFi connection from a coffee shop, mall, or grocery store. Cybercriminals more frequently hack these networks to intercept your data.

They may even camp out in public areas, broadcasting a hotspot labeled “Free Public WiFi” that, when an unsuspecting visitor connects, can be used to capture all of the traffic moving between the device and an e-commerce site (or any website, really). Avoid public WiFi if possible unless you have a secure VPN connection, and wait until you are home to connect to a secure, trusted network.

2. Fake E-Commerce Sites

Plenty of fake shopping sites emerge during the holidays, designed to lure consumers into providing credit card or personal information by offering impossible-to-beat deals or access to hard-to-find items that, in reality, don’t exist. If you’re visiting an e-commerce site for the first time, do some research to verify its legitimacy before making a purchase.

Look up reviews across the internet, make sure the company has a physical address and phone number listed, and stay away from sites that require direct payments from your bank, wire transfers, or ask for gift cards as a form of payment.

3. Credit Card Skimming Software

Credit card skimmers aren’t limited to physical retail stores—they can be found online, as well. Point-ofsale (POS) RAM scraping malware has become increasingly popular among cybercriminals in recent years. First, attackers must gain

access to a point-of-sale system, such as a shopping cart application.

They then infect the host with malware designed to scrape credit card data from the source. The transaction still goes through, but all of the credit card information is also collected. As a consumer, it’s not always easy to avoid credit card skimmers but the majority of large, reputable retailers now have measures in place (like a web application firewall) to prevent them.

EMERGING THREATS

• Web-Based Malware

Consumers should be mindful of suspicious websites or advertisements that direct them away from whichever trusted site they’re browsing or that lure them with enticing deals. In some cases, all it takes is a momentary visit to a malicious webpage to infect your device.

• IoT and Router Attacks

While not directly related to Cyber Monday, exploit attempts against consumer-grade routers and IoT devices continue. Many people are still working remotely this holiday season, and those who may be looking to upgrade their home offices or other at-home technology should take network security into consideration before making purchases.

While hacking the data on your smart thermostat, for example, isn’t really the problem (threat actors aren’t really interested in how warm you keep the house in the winter), they could employ reconnaissance hacks to discover your passwords for your corporate WiFi network or your login credentials for automatic online purchases.

• Hijacked Online Services

We continue to see cyber criminals exploit streaming entertainment accounts. Oftentimes, account information is stolen and then listed for sale on Dark Web black market sites. If you’re gifting a streaming

subscription to a family member or signing up to take advantage of a Cyber Monday promotion yourself, remember to monitor remote usage, such as notices about unfamiliar logins to your subscription service, and contact the provider if you notice any suspicious activity.

PROMOTE SAFE ONLINE SHOPPING HABITS

The best way to avoid falling victim to a Cyber Monday attack is to practice safe online shopping habits. Use common sense when browsing online and stick to trusted retailers for holiday deals and promotions. And when you make those purchases, keep in mind that credit cards offer built-in consumer fraud protection!

While the ability to purchase goods, send gifts, and connect to loved ones over digital networks is incredibly valuable, it’s important to understand that these conveniences are not free of risk.

Rather than getting caught up in the rush and excitement of Cyber Monday shopping, take a moment this year to pause and revisit cybersecurity best practices and brush up on some free cybersecurity awareness training.

And don’t forget to pass on your knowledge to your friends and family, as well. This way, we can all enjoy a safe and relaxing holiday season.

ALMOST A THIRD OF ENERGY COMPANIES’ DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION EFFORTS DRIVEN BY NEED FOR TIGHTER INTEGRATION AND COLLABORATION

BUT NEARLY THREE-IN-TEN OIL, GAS AND UTILITY COMPANIES SAY INABILITY TO DEFINE AND MEASURE ROI REMAINS A BARRIER TO ADOPTION

More than three-in-ten (31%) oil, gas and utility organisations worldwide cite tighter integration and collaboration across functions among the top two drivers for the adoption of enterprise software systems, while 30% reference better project management, 29% improved asset lifecycle management and 29% improved operational efficiency.

These were among the highlights of new research commissioned by IFS, polling over 600 senior decisionmakers at large energy companies across France, Australia, Japan, the Nordics, USA, the UK, and the Middle East. The research also found that 44% of organisations with sustainability goals want to invest in more energy-efficient assets

and infrastructure to meet those objectives.

BARRIERS TO CHANGE

Despite these key drivers, significant barriers to technology adoption remain, especially around the inability to define and measure the ROI of enterprise software systems like EAM and ERP. Nearly three in ten (29%) say the chief barrier to adoption is the inability to accurately measure value from investment during the digital transformation journey. A fifth (20%) also say it’s the biggest barrier to digital transformation overall.

Organisations need, and desire, more clarity and certainty about what these solutions will deliver. 79% say

it is important for enterprise software to have the embedded capability to set and measure critical KPIs.

Companies surveyed want KPIs on improving resource utilisation (34%), extending the lifespan of assets (30%), and increasing asset reliability (28%).

The survey also highlighted several other key barriers to the adoption of enterprise software systems across the energy sector. 26% highlighted a lack of clarity about the resources and skills needed and 19% say a poor business case makes adoption look costly. Other reasons include a lack of consensus on priorities across their leadership team – cited by nearly a quarter (24%).

WHERE COMPANIES ARE NOW ON THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION JOURNEY

Only 17% of companies polled for the survey report having completed their digital transformation journeys. Organisations have varying approaches: 65% are approaching it one function at a time, with 18% in total starting with an asset management solution.

THE ADOPTION OF ADVANCED ASSET MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS

More than a third of organisations (37%) list asset management strategies among the digital transformation outcomes that will have the biggest impact on their company – and 74% say it is important an advanced asset management solution gives them improved maintenance, moving from scheduled to predictive asset maintenance, for example. Given the current pressures on the energy sector, tools that help maximise uptime and drive efficiencies through enhanced asset management are key.

When respondents were asked to consider what they want from an asset management solution, improved maintenance is followed in order of importance by scheduling and dispatch (71%), improving supply chain management and reducing inventory costs (70%), mobility (69%) and support for compatible units (69%).

From a digital transformation perspective, 38% see sustainable energy as having the biggest impact on their company followed by new business models and asset management strategy (both 37%).

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES TO THE FORE

There is also strong demand for emerging, innovative technologies across the energy sector. 72% highlight data analytics as important; 70% reference virtual assistants and 69% the Internet of Things (IoT). Right now, respondents, (predominantly those which are utilities) are most likely to say their biggest focus for emerging technologies is to improve customer experience (20%). Almost three-in-

ten (29%) of utilities are in the design stage of automating customer experience, followed by more than a quarter (26%) that have already automated and are seeing the value.

Carol Johnston, VP Energy, Utilities and Resources, IFS, said: “The research has revealed how energy and utility organisations are held back from moving forwards with digital transformation by the inability to define and measure how they will obtain return on investment from enterprise software. Companies in the energy sector are often very risk averse and are frequently dealing with regulators and other stakeholders that demand proof of RoI. The inability to put a quantifiable number on what they will get for their spend and when is therefore preventing them from progressing.”

“These are barriers that more advanced software providers are overcoming, especially through composable platforms that help them to address their biggest pain points incrementally and build measurable RoI steadily over time. Due to the economic and social pressures the industry is under, simply doing nothing is, in contrast, not an option. The good news is that an evergrowing number of organisations understand this today.”

The research shows that 57% of oil, gas and utility companies that have digital transformation projects are looking for a composable platform

to support the entire journey, while only 38% are going down the niche solutions route.

Carol Johnston, VP Energy, Utilities and Resources at IFS

THE RESEARCH HAS REVEALED HOW ENERGY AND UTILITY ORGANISATIONS ARE HELD BACK FROM MOVING FORWARDS WITH DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BY THE INABILITY TO DEFINE AND MEASURE HOW THEY WILL OBTAIN RETURN ON INVESTMENT FROM ENTERPRISE SOFTWARE.

- Carol Johnston, VP Energy, Utilities and Resources, IFS

HOW EVERYONE CAN BECOME PART OF THE MOVEMENT TOWARDS A NET ZERO FUTURE

With world leaders discussing the challenge of climate change at COP27 in Egypt, Thierry Nicault, Area Vice President – Middle East and North Africa, Salesforce, explains the steps organizations in the Middle East and around the world can take to help tackle the climate emergency

The increasing frequency and unpredictability of extreme weather events demonstrates that no one is spared from climate change. To help mitigate this crisis our planet urgently needs smart solutions. Every organization, government and individual has a role to play.

For companies, their brand, reputation, and financial position all depend on having tangible climate action plans.

COMBINING LONG TERM STRATEGY WITH SHORT TERM ACTION

The first priority in their net zero journey must be to reduce emissions. Each organization should set a 1.5 C goal aligned with science-based targets while focusing on deeply reducing its absolute scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.

However, reaching these targets is dependent on long-term systemic changes that will take time to perfect. Companies therefore need solutions today that can have a more immediate impact whilst they work towards their long-term emission reduction goals.

Investing in high-quality carbon credits - when made and used well - can play a critical role in an organization’s comprehensive climate strategy. Businesses aiming to achieve long-term emission reductions can complement their efforts with high-quality carbon credits. Projects can include forest conservation, tree planting, wind farms, solar cookstoves, or better farming methods.

CLOSING THE SUSTAINABILITY TALENT GAP

To reach a net zero future all roles should be sustainability roles. We’re going to need an army of qualified individuals working together - from carbon accountants to scientists to ecopreneurs. Yet despite both good intentions and pressure to meet ambitious climate goals, businesses are facing a severe shortage of sustainability talent available to help meet their commitments.

Leveraging a company’s existing workforce can be a powerful solution to solving the sustainability talent gap.

According to new Salesforce research of 1,297 global workers, over 8 in 10 want to help their company operate more sustainably. While 3 in 5 are eager to incorporate sustainability into their current role, 88% said a lack of investment in training towards those qualifications is stopping companies from reaching their sustainability goals.

By upskilling existing workers who want to make the jump into sustainability careers, companies can source talent for hard-to-fill roles, while helping employees work towards something they're passionate about.

UNDERSTANDING PERSONAL AND CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY

As sustainability continues to stay at the forefront of stakeholders’ minds, it’s imperative that business leaders combine short term solutions with long term changes to how they operate.

Through re-evaluating how to create sustainability roles, hire and retain sustainability talent - by providing the right tools and training - they can ensure everyone can become part of the movement towards a net zero future.

THE RISE OF BOTNET AND DDOS ATTACKS

By: Amr Alashaal, Regional Vice President - Middle East at A10 Networks

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have become an ongoing threat for organisations. Using a variety of techniques, a wide range of threat actors from lone hackers, criminal gangs and hacktivists to nation-states are using DDoS attacks to disrupt or disable the performance of target systems. These targets can be small or large businesses,

internet service providers, manufacturers, retailers, healthcare providers, schools and universities, or other nation-states. Essentially, any entity with an online presence can become a DDoS target.

Now, here is the why. There are three main reasons why people create botnets: For financial gain by extortion—’pay up

or we keep attacking’; to make a point— ’stop (or start) doing something or we continue’; or, in the case of nation-state actors, as an espionage or cyber warfare tactic.

This article will analyse how these botnet and DDoS attacks work and the most common mechanism for delivering

attacks using collections of remotely controlled, compromised services or devices.

WHAT IS A BOTNET?

The bots that make up a botnet can include computers, smartphones, virtualised machines, and a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as IP cameras, smart TVs, routers, and even children’s toys i.e., anything with an internet connection.

In particular, IoT vulnerabilities and misconfigurations are extremely common in the consumer market, making IoT botnets, which can comprise millions of hijacked devices, very easy for hackers to create.

Despite the warnings about IoT vulnerabilities and well-understood fixes to improve their security, basic defences such as requiring effective passwords and not allowing default logins are still ignored. Vendors failing to provide updates to address security problems, or device owners failing to apply updates, also creates another source of IoT vulnerabilities.

Hijacking devices for a botnet involves identifying devices with security vulnerabilities that allow them to be infected with “botware”. But these infected devices are just the first step.

There seems to be confusion about what constitutes a botnet. While the most obvious part of a botnet is the collection of devices it includes, the defining component is the existence of a command and control (C&C) system that controls what the network of bots does.

By communicating with the botnet C&C system through the newly installed botware, each compromised device forms a network of bots. These bots are then controlled by commands sent from a “botmaster” or “botherder”.

WHAT DO BOTNETS DO?

Botnets are used for four main purposes and, generally, a botnet can be switched as a whole or in parts between any of these functions.

1. SPAM AND PHISHING

Bots enable spammers to avoid the problem of their own IP addresses getting blacklisted and, even if some bots get blacklisted, they can create thousands of backup IPs to use. Targeted botnet spam is used for phishing for identity theft.

By generating huge amounts of spam email messages inviting recipients to visit promotional websites, websites impersonating banks and other financial institutions, and fake competitions, scammers try to harvest personal information such as bank account details, credit card data, and website logins.

2. PAY-PER-CLICK FRAUD

To increase website advertising revenues, botnets are used to hijack the pay-perclick advertising model by faking user interaction. Because of the distributed nature of the click sources, it’s hard for advertising networks to identify click fraud.

3. CRYPTOMINING

An IoT botnet is the perfect platform for cryptomining. By running the algorithms that mine cryptocurrencies on tens of thousands of bots, hackers steal computer power from the device owners, creating significant revenue without the usual costs of mining, like electricity.

4. DDOS ATTACKS-AS-ASERVICE

DDoS attacks are easily launched using botnets and, as with botnet-generated spam, the bots’ distributed nature makes it difficult for organisations to filter out DDoS traffic. Botnets can execute any kind of DDoS attack and even launch multiple attack types simultaneously.

A relatively new hacker business is DDoSas-a-Service. On certain websites across both the Dark Web and regular web, individuals can buy DDoS attacks for as little as $5 per hour, with price scaling based on the attack’s scale and duration.

BOTNET COMMAND AND CONTROL

The latest botnet command and control communications are based on peer-topeer (P2P) connections. In this model, compromised devices discover each other by scanning IP address ranges for specific port and protocol services and sharing lists of known peers and commands with any identified botnet members. This type of highly distributed mesh networking is more complicated to create but also much harder to disrupt.

THE FUTURE OF BOTNET AND DDOS ATTACKS AND HOW TO RESPOND

Botnets are here to stay. Given the exponential growth of poorly-secured IoT devices that can be co-opted into an IoT botnet, as well as the growing population of vulnerable computers, botnet attacks have become endemic. As a cyber warfare tool, botnet and DDoS attacks have been observed in use in the Russian/Ukraine conflict.

All IT teams should prepare to deal with a botnet and DDoS attack. The first step is to realise that no online property or service is too big, or too small, to be attacked.

Secondly, organisations should plan for increased bandwidth ideally on an asneeded basis. The ability to scale up an internet connection will make it harder for a botnet and DDoS attack to saturate access and isolate an organisation from the internet. This elastic provisioning strategy also applies to the adoption of cloud services, rather than relying than on-premises or single data centre services.

Thirdly, organisations should consider using or expanding their content delivery network (CDN) to increase client-side delivery bandwidth. The use of multiple CDNs also increases resilience to DDoS attacks.

Finally, businesses should strengthen everything. Strategically deploying hardware and software DDoS mitigation services throughout organisational infrastructure is key to reducing the potential impact of a botnet and DDoS attack.

BREAKING THE MYTHS OF ZERO TRUST MODEL AND UNDERSTANDING HOW IT CAN PROTECT YOUR ORGANIZATION

By: Dave Russell, Vice President of Enterprise Strategy, Veeam Software

One of the latest buzzwords in the cyber security industry is a ‘Zero Trust’ security model. In short, a zero-trust model basically means you do not leave any room for errors at all and do not trust anyone or anything.

Owing to a hybrid workplace led by the after-effects of the pandemic and several emerging technologies such as the Metaverse, Web 3.0, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, the cybersecurity industry is working hard as usual to be as future-ready as possible. But since we are yet to see the evolution of these technologies and its impact, we need to tread carefully when using these technologies.

So, what exactly is Zero trust? Is it a new product? Is it a certification or a mere buzzword within the cybersecurity industry?

Some organizations are mistaking zero-trust for an actual product or certification. A zero-trust model is not an actual product or new certification in the cyber security industry. A zero trust security model is deployed to ensure end to end cyber and cloud security.

It is deployed for the security of our internal as well as external stakeholders. One of the most important concepts it lives by is ‘never trust, always verify’. It also includes enabling of multi-factor authentication in order to grant access to any application or platform. Additionally, it is also about embracing microsegmentation of security perimeters to avoid any security breach.

Any new security features or model is not completely risk-free without building compliance and good habits among the employees. Similarly, zero trust is all about building good habits within your employees. It is also about ensuring that your employees enable multi-factor authentication when accessing any apps or platforms.

It is an added form of compliance layer which shouldn’t be bypassed by the IT Admin, someone at the top level or even the deployer. There should be a top to bottom approach and a must for all employees to authenticated and validated continuously to build a better security posture within the organization.

A zero-trust model isn’t just about multifactor authentication. It also requires all the users to be authenticated, authorized and have their security configurations continuously validated to access any

kind of application or data. This is done as an additional layer of security. This model does have various benefits such as remote authentication and verification by your employees. This will allow them to work peacefully in a remote or a hybrid situation.

So, can you adopt the zero-trust model whenever you want?

Before deploying any new security model, we need to understand the return on investment. We need to know whether we really need it. We need to understand that while zero trust is an approach to secure the most important assets of the business, it’s equally as important to know whether the ‘juice is worth the squeeze’.

You already need to be a digital organization as you decide to deploy zerotrust security. For you to apply the zerotrust model within your organization, you need to be an already digital organization that has digital assets that need cloud and cyber protection. Your employees should have digital assets on which they can verify themselves.

We don’t need to jump into every bandwagon, deploy every new technology that is just launched. We need to understand our security needs first and then act accordingly. Your cyber security investments will only be worthwhile if you and your employees are willing to commit to it on a long-term basis and build good habits in order to ensure complete cyber security.

FUTURE OF RETAIL

ANNUAL RETAIL CONGRESS MENA THEMED “REBORN” TO CONVERGE REGIONAL RETAILERS AND SHOPPING CENTRES

The region’s largest retail & shopping centre event this month, the Retail Congress MENA celebrates its 28th Anniversary in the region. The conference, exhibition, networking, dealmaking and celebration of the best-of-the-best in MENA Shopping Centres & Retailers will address how we can build back better for the future and pave the way for the next evolution - the Retail Reborn.

RECON MENA will enable attendees to learn new insights, strategies and exciting innovation opportunities that is set to make the world of shopping and retail keep going and emerging.

Together with the greatest minds in the industry and thought leaders, come, listen, and learn from our Keynote Speakers namely Ted Souder, Stephen M.R. Covey and Howard Saunders, all have a great track record in the retail industry. They will take you on a deep

dive to what you need to know now, and in the future of retail, to operate successful businesses.

Organized by The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres and Retailers (MECS+R), Dubai Chamber and Dubai Association Centre, RECON MENA, offers retailers and shopping centres the largest platform to connect, meet and learn with industry professionals and solution providers within the retail industry all under one roof for two days of industry leaders’ speeches, education, networking and deal-making and establish lucrative business relationships while sharing important views and experiences with key- players in the retail industry.

Retail Congress MENA Exhibitors include Retransform (Annet Technologies Middle East FZE), Saudi Bonyan, Danah Real Estate | Al Rashid Mall, WovVTech, Vindico, ASI Design Solutions, Giftify, Tilal Village, TheLeisureWay, V-Count, V-Global, Blachere Illumination, LPFlex Base Industry LLC, MK Illumination, Footprint, Arabian Centres, Hamat Holding, Diriyah Gate Development Authority | Diriyah Square, Yardi Systems, Azad Properties | Souq 7, The Clock Towers Shopping Center, Ezdihar Real Estate Development, Dalma Mall, Al Hokair Group, OPM By Olaat Real Estate, Damac Properties, Vemco Group, Sensormatic Solutions, Trafiki Digital Marketing, Coniq, Unifynd Technologies,

Aldrees Petroleum & Transport Services Company, Yango Deli Tech and The C Mall.

RETAIL CONGRESS MENA

PROUD SPONSORS & PARTNERS:

PLATINUM SPONSORS

Arabian Centres Company, Hamat Holding, Red Sea Mall, Diriyah Gate Development Authority | Diriyah Square

GOLD SPONSORS

Yardi Systems, Azad Properties | Souq7, The Clock Towers Shopping Center, Ezdihar Real Estate Development, Kinan International Real Estate Development Co., Dalma Mall, Al Hokair Group

SILVER SPONSORS

OPM by Olaat Real Estate, Damac Properties, Vemco Group, Sensormatic Solutions, Trafiki Digital Marketing

BRONZE SPONSORS

Coniq, Unifynd Technologies, Aldrees Petroleum & Transport Services Company, Yango Deli Tech, The C Mall

SUPPORT PARTNERS

Official Airline Partner

Emirates Airlines

Official Signage Partner

Champion Digital

Official Exhibition Contractor Footprint Balabala, Dhamani, Orange Bed & Bath, Sahara Centre, McArthur Retail Development Specialists, V4TXX Music Group LLC, Xpandretail Powered by Savant, Right Selection, Pathfinder, Careem

MEDIA PARTNERS

Global Trend Monitor and Coral Coast Public Relations

GOOD HEALTH INSURANCE IS TOP PRIORITY RIGHT AFTER HIGH SALARY FOR MENA PROFESSIONALS, REVEALS NEW BAYT.COM STUDY!

84% WOULD EXERCISE MORE IF THEIR WORKPLACE HAD A GYM OR OFFERED DISCOUNTS ON GYM MEMBERSHIPS

A new survey by Bayt.com, the Middle East’s #1 job site, revealed a variety of insights about lifestyles of professionals and how employers can elicit a healthy change in the workplace. According to the ‘Health and Wellbeing in the MENA’ survey, the majority of respondents (94%) have the intention to become regularly active and follow a healthy diet and 80% reveal that their work schedule allows them to allocate time for physical exercise.

Interestingly, 92% of respondents believe that employers should be involved in the health and wellbeing of their employees. Further, 28% of respondents prefer working for an employer who provides health insurance over a higher salary, 13% believe that higher salary is more important and 59% believe that they are both equally important.

Ola Haddad, Director of Human Resources at Bayt.com said: “Our latest survey highlights how an increasing focus on health is shaping

MENA job seekers’ choices and what employers can do to promote a holistic approach to wellness at the workplace. The main aim of our research is to help both professionals and companies create a supportive environment to boost happiness and give rise to important conversations in relation to wellbeing.”

Professionals in the MENA region look for multiple health and wellbeing aspects while searching for jobs. These include relaxed and friendly environment (58%), flexible work hours (23%), health insurance (12%), gym facilities or free memberships (5%) and healthy meals or snacks (2%). In fact, 84% of respondents claim that they will exercise more if their workplace had a gym or offered subsidized gym memberships.

On a positive note, 70% of respondents say that their employer provides them with a health and wellbeing plan, workshops, or educational sessions. 80% believe that their current workplace provides

a relaxed and happy atmosphere. Additionally, two-thirds of professionals (66%) are satisfied with the level of communication that exists within their organization.

According to survey respondents, employers can take several actions to contribute in reducing stress at the workplace. These include offering a flexible workplace environment (53%), providing time / resources for physical activity (24%), organizing more social activities for the team (17%) and encouraging healthy eating habits (5%).

Data for the ‘Health and Wellbeing in the MENA’ survey was collected online from October 3 to November 2, 2022. Results are based on a sample of 2,833 respondents from the following countries: UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Sudan among others.

A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER LOS ANGELES

By Shereen Shabnam

Los Angeles is a trend-setting global metropolis with a fascinating history, a rich cultural heritage and the center of the global film industry. It enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate and moderate temperatures with low humidity yearround.

Every year in November, the world top motoring journalists gather in Pasadena to drive cars nominated for the World Car of the Year Awards and it is one of my favourite trips in the whole year. I enjoy driving the latest cars through the city and up to the mountains via the Angeles Crest Highway.

Los Angeles has a charm that makes you come back to the city again and again - we love the iconic Hollywood sign, behind-the-scenes tours of movie studios, cultural attractions, art galleries and more. It is truly the entertainment capital of the world with Michelin-starred restaurants and an amazing coastline.

Below I highlight some my top five favourite spots in LA.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD

Universal Studios Theme has mindblowing rides based on blockbuster

movies that change regularly, and it is also a working movie studio and an attraction everyone can enjoy. When you are tired of the rides, you can check out CityWalk, a three-block entertainment area, with shopping, dining, and theaters.

GRIFFITH PARK AND GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY

Griffith Park is the largest city park in Los Angeles, home to the Los Angeles Zoo, the Griffith Observatory, a planetarium, and a Greek theater. It has golf courses, tennis courts, hiking trails, walking trails and scenic drives through the mountains with views over the city and beyond.

HOLLYWOOD

Hollywood as a suburb has a unique history and iconic sites. The attractions in Hollywood are closely associated with the film industry and the glamour of the silver screen. Check out the hillside Hollywood sign, Hollywood Boulevard and of course a shopping trip on Rodeo Drive. My favourite hotel to stay in is Beverly Wilshire which has all the best brands close to the hotel.

PETERSEN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM

As a car lover, I go to a car museum in every city I visit that has one and love the incredible collection at the Petersen Automotive Museum. Spread over four floors are a mix of permanent and temporary exhibits featuring more than 300 cars and motorcycles, ranging from perfectly preserved items from 1886

to concepts for the 21st century. You can also do a guided Vault tour to get additional insights on rare and unusual cars.

GETTY CENTER

The Getty Center is world-renowned for its collection of European and American art from medieval times to the present. The museum has a campus with Modern design, open spaces, Central Garden and a lovely tree-lined walkway.

HOW TO GET THERE

I flew to Los Angeles from Dubai with Turkish Airlines. Ideally it is nice to stop in beautiful Istanbul for a break to see the amazing city but if you are short on time, the flight connection to Los Angeles is seamless. Turkish Airlines has daily flights from Istanbul to Los Angeles.

SPECTACULAR LANDSCAPES SOCHI

By Shereen Shabnam

During my trip to Sochi, I had a first-hand experience of the charm and liveliness of the ‘Russian Riviera’. As the summer capital of Russia, Sochi is located along the 150 km strip between the Main Caucasus Mountain Range and the Black Sea coastline and is Russia’s largest and busiest destination with sea resorts, glorious sunsets and a picturesque mountainous coastline that is vibrant and full of life.

It is a place for total relaxation, authentic local culture around every corner, unique natural surroundings, vibrant beaches, warm sunny days, and a bustling nightlife. It is an ideal place to be as it attracts tourists from all over the world, including celebrities and the political

elite of the country who love to spend their holidays in Sochi.

Our first stop was the Gorky Gorod Mountain Resort in the famous Krasnaya Polyana with breath taking scenic landscapes. There were signs of the infrastructure that supported the 2014 Olympics all over the mountainous ski resort from the cable cars, sightseeing areas and ski slope routes.

The "Lower" and "Upper" levels of the city is connected by road and cable cars for visitors to see the sublime views and experience the local cuisine and entertainment in restaurants, cafes, shops, entertainment centers and indoor water Parks. There are also spas, indoor

and outdoor pools, gyms and beauty salons.

Next day, the first stop was the Rosa Khutor Mountain Resort accessible via a cable car. We visited the Mountain Olympic Village at 1170m above sea level and went further up to Rosa Pick at 2320m above sea level. The fresh breeze in the Caucasus mountains was memorable.

Rosa Khutor and its surrounding region are truly unique. Stroll down the Mzymta River promenade and watch the sunset after a day of skiing and recreation.

Highlight of the second evening was an exquisite dinner at Brunello. The

Caucasus region has a rich variety of seasonings and herbs and combined with the creativity of local chefs, Sochi offers some of the best cuisines in the culinary world. To inject a bit of adventure into our trip, we also visited the SKYPARK AJ Hackett Sochi where we had a chance to do bungee jumping and try the world’s largest swing and zip lining.

We loved the altitude attractions as we walked along the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in the world, stretching 439 m. From here we had panoramic views of the Black Sea and the Caucasus Mountains. We certainly enjoyed the Olympic Park.

For me, best part was the visit to the Sochi Autodrom, a 5.848 km F1 permanent racetrack in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi. The circuit runs around the Sochi Olympic Park and the inaugural World

Championship Russian Grand Prix took place there in 2014.

I wish I had more time to visit the Museum of sports and retro cars with a collection of 70 rare cars from all over the world including an authentic Formula 1 car.

As our trip was with friends, we also ventured out to Sochi Grand Marina for an afternoon tea. The harbor hosts up to 300 yachts, including superyachts up to 140 meters in length, with specialized facilities for different types of vessels. The Marina’s surroundings offer local authentic gastronomy, shopping as well as other cultural traditions. In the nearby area is a lovely promenade for walks.

A visit to Sochi is certainly a must to enjoy extreme adventures, discover splendid sea beaches as well as a wide range of leisure, culture, and gastronomy in one location.

THE SICILIAN TOUR

TAORMINA

By Shereen Shabnam

Seeing Sicily by road with a Jeep Cherokee proved to be one of the most exciting trips I did in Europe, visiting the most famous areas in Taormina, staying on the bay with a picturesque view of the bay, going on a dinner cruise and exploring ancient ruins before continuing the journey to other parts of beautiful Sicily.

Taormina is one of Italy's most historic holiday resorts perched on a slope high above the Ionian Sea on the eastern coast of Sicily.

It is a popular and trendy destination with numerous attractions and dining options close to the site of one of the earliest colonies founded by the Ancient Greeks in Sicily. It is

known for its favourable position, mild climate and captivating atmosphere.

The town is on the hill of the Monte Tauro, dominating two grand, sweeping bays below and on the southern side, the top of Mount Etna, the European highest active volcano. From my hotel room in Hotel Villa Diodoro, I still have a vision of a memorable view of almost one hundred miles of Mediterranean Sea and the mountains in the distant.

We drove through the tourist town and stopped at the town cathedral to explore the town for a taste of Sicilian dolce vita and ended up indulging in the best home-made chocolates, exotic cheeses and gourmet food while going through colourful art, roadside gelato stands and taking in the breathtaking vistas.

The best part of Taormina was visiting the stunning ancient Greek theatre, which although in ruins in most parts, has both a magical and mythical atmosphere, seeing the Roman “Naumachiae”, the 10th century Palazzo Corvaja, the 13th century Cathedral of Saint Nicolò, the 16th century Palace of the Dukes of Saint Stefano and the public gardens.

The preservation of history and culture is evident as we walked through streets with a charming atmosphere exuded from the old town pedestrian areas. We were given the option of seeing art performances at the Greek theatre, painting exhibitions held in local palazzi and churches but we opted to use the day to walk along the famous “Corso Umberto” with its classical music cafès and pastry shops.

Sicilian cuisine uses a lot of natural locally grown ingredients and this is reflected in the taste of the food in the restaurants, pizzerias and cafes.

We tried local pasta dishes, gelatos and cafes that were delicious and worth going back for. The quaint shops sold typical Sicilian products such as the renowned hand made ceramics, local gourmet items, fine leather, wrought iron and wooden products.

When we reached the bay area in the evening for a dinner cruise, we noticed a lot of locals and tourists enjoying water sports such as windsurfing, sailing, fishing, scuba diving and canoeing. Our guide mentioned that the Town of Linguaglossa is the point

of departure of most excursions heading into the Mt. Etna Nature Park.

We never made it to the top but seeing the live lava at night on the top from a distance was special and brought home the message of how nature can be so powerful in its different terrains.

Taormina is easy to reach from Catania Fontanarossa. The journey takes about an hour and a half and our journey was particularly special as we drove through different parts of Sicily and explored the best of the natural terrain.

LAPITA, DUBAI PARKS AND RESORTS A POLYNESIAN AFFAIR

Recently we headed to Lapita hotel, the UAE’s only Pacific islandthemed family resort for the reopening of the Hikina Restaurant which serves delicious Pan-Asian and far East food. We sampled some of the exquisite dishes after a wonderful traditional lighting of the torch sunset ceremony (Ahi - Ahi) and island dance shows from Fiji Islands.

The Ahi-Ahi Ceremony, meaning sunset in Hawaiian, takes place daily as a ritual that celebrates Polynesian heritage and begins with the blowing of the Conch (Pu), followed by the lighting of the torches to mark the beginning of the magical hour. Highlight of our visit was trying dishes at the Hikina Restaurant.

Inspired by the Hawaiian word

'Hikina', which means 'East', the restaurant celebrates an explosive roller coaster of Far Eastern tastes that draws on an exotic spectrum of textures and aromas, to bring guests a sumptuous, authentic, and wholesome dining experience.

An ode to the history of the Lapita tribe, which departed Asia on a journey to explore and settle throughout Polynesia, Hikina helps diners explore the diverse range of Far Eastern cuisines by elevating the well-known, casual street food experience with gourmet dishes and exclusive cocktails in a serene environment.

We tried some signature dishes such as Indonesian Chicken, Glazed Salmon, nasi goreng, and Singaporean Noodles, all of which remain loyal to their origins to

maintain the essence of true street food flavours. At Hikina guests will immerse themselves in dimly lit, and intimate dining space with a lively open kitchen that will certainly add to the authentic atmosphere.

The ambience made us feel at home as every detail of LAPITA hotel is made with the magic of Polynesia in its soul and the spirit of ‘aloha’ in its service. From the thatched-roof to the bamboo-lined ceilings and tribal furnishings, every detail is authentic.

The hotel offers a dedicated conference centre with a 710sqm ballroom, which can be partitioned into 4 sections,

as well as 7 meeting rooms with day light and access to an outdoor terrace for private coffee breaks/lunch, rooms and event facilities for companies who don’t want to do business as usual.

LAPITA is part of the Autograph Collection Hotels, a collection of individual, independent hotels selected by Marriott for their ability to create one-of-a-kind guest memories through enriching travel experiences. The hotel’s name was inspired by the pre-historic Pacific Ocean people and their journey and settlement into the islands, known as the Lapita movement.

CASUAL AND COMFORTABLE RESORTWEAR SCALZI&PAREATI

Inspired by the charming beauty of luxury beaches, resorts and cities around the world, with a particular touch of animalier, Scalzi&Pareati was founded in Italy by Paola and Max Gentile.

The brand reflects a unique style, which is reflected in distinctive and captivating textures, each piece made in Italy in limited runs, so as to make the wearer feel truly unique. The brand will now be able in Dubai retailing from Salties in Voco Hotel, West Beach.

All Scalzi&Pareati clothes are entirely handmade by a talented crew of artisans resulting in the best Italian tailoring as capsule collection, so the availability of fabrics remain limited.

The exquisite dresses by Scalzi&Pareati represents the desire for freedom, for summer, the desire to walk on a beach by the sea simply barefoot and with an enveloping sarong around the waist.

This mood is captured into a real lifestyle following a beach wedding of the founders in 2014 in Sardinia where the idea to create a casual brand for beachwear was born. Sardinia, and in particular the Costa Smeralda, is a land to which remains a continuous source of inspiration for the founders because of its colours, scents, wild beaches and the desire for summer and the nightlife it transmits.

The "Scalzi&Pareati" is a fashion line that enhances the femininity of even the most demanding woman, a woman who wants to stand out at all times and occasions of the day, from casual for an informal date to fashion for a trendy aperitif, up to evening dresses for an exclusive event.

The Founders choose every single fabric, constantly looking for ever-changing patterns, to then transform them into uniquely tailored dresses made by skilled and expert hands of Italian textile craftsmanship.

Every dress has a soul and can be bought only with the promise of taking it around the world in the best beaches and charming places ,otherwise leave it there as it will not want to come with you" be aware ".

5 UNIQUE TIPS FROM SWISS ARABIAN TO MAKE YOUR PERFUME LAST LONGER

Learn the art of applying your fragrance correctly

If you find that your fragrance wears off quickly, chances are that you’re probably not applying it correctly. Finding the right scent is one thing but making sure you make the most of it is an entirely different art. Yes, there is in fact a right and a wrong way to spritz on your perfume – and the solution is all in the application.

It’s about knowing where and how to apply fragrance, and how to correctly store it so it retains its quality. Swiss Arabian has some easy and simple scent tips that can enhance the power of your perfume from day to night.

APPLY MOISTURIZER ON PULSE POINTS

Dry skin doesn’t quite absorb and hold fragrance the same way as hydrated skin, so rub on some unscented moisturizer or body oil to help the fragrance hold longer.

Using petroleum jelly also works wonders in holding the scent longer, especially when applied on your wrists, neck, inside elbows, knees and the ankles!

STORE YOUR PERFUME SMARTLY

Perfumes should always be stored away from daylight to avoid breaking down the fragrance. Swiss Arabian perfumes come beautifully packaged in elegant boxes that look great on top of your dresser and if you want them to last longer, you can also put them inside your fridge to preserve its strength.

CARRY SCENTED COTTON BUDS

A simple and easy hack for instant reapplication through the day – another trick is to just spritz some perfume on cotton balls and carry them with you for

the perfect perfume touch-up on the go! An easy alternative is carrying Swiss Arabian’s wide range of concentrated perfume oils that are perfectly packed in deluxe, travel-friendly sizes, ideal for when you’re on the go.

LAYER FRAGRANCES

An interesting way to give your perfume a longer life; try fragrance layering which involves starting with a heavier scent and then spritzing a lighter one on top of it to tie in the notes.

You can also try layering it with Swiss Arabian’s range of concentrated perfume oils and incense to intensify the fragrance and improve its longevity.

Try combining Swiss Arabian’s Rose Malaki oil with Musk 01 perfume for a floral musky scent or mix the Oud Malaki oil with Oud 01 perfume for a rich, woody fragrance.

ELIZABETH ARDEN WHITE TEA EAU DE PARFUM

A New Scent of Wellbeing.

White Tea celebrates the pleasure of a life finely crafted. Discover the simple joy of defining a moment for yourself and savoring the personal reflection that comes with it. Tailor the world to your own private pleasure.

Bottle the spirit, add a touch of serenity, and enjoy. White Tea invites you to share in the beauty that surrounds you every day.

From the creators of the original White Tea Eau de Toilette, Elizabeth Arden introduces the NEW elevated fragrance White Tea Eau de Parfum, offering a distinctive way to experience the fragrance.

The White Tea Eau de Parfum offers a new chapter in fragrance making, introducing the unique VivaScentz™ technology, a sensory innovation that awakens a deeper sense of well-being.

Developed to enhance well-being with mindful, sustainably sourced ingredients, this new fragrance leverages the olfactive territory of florals infused

with a crisp, clean aspect taking you to a moment that is just for you to enjoy.

THE FRAGRANCE

NEW White Tea EAU de PARFUM: A crisp and vibrant floral with a lingering warmth that takes you to a moment of blissful escape

Top Notes

Italian Mandarin, Sea Breeze Accord, Clary Sage

Heart Notes

White Tea Accord, Mate Absolue, Upcycled Rose Water, Jasmine Petals

Base Notes

Tonka Bean Absolue (Ethically Sourced), Trio of Tranquility, Musks, Amberwood

Instilling feelings of joy, peace, confidence, and comfort, the fragrance is both a sanctuary and a catalyst for positivity. White Tea invites you to enhance every moment by rejuvenating your energy. This soulful approach to well-being is also a form of self-love. An

invitation for the mind and body to feel freer, more connected, and more whole.

KEY BENEFITS1

• Formulated with collagen and antioxidant-rich ingredients

• Leaves skin feeling…2

• Hydrated

• Firmer

• Softer

• Smoother

• Younger

1Based on a clinical study of 33 Asian women, ages 30+ years old.

2Based on a consumer study of 50 Asian women, ages 30-65 years old after two weeks of use.

PACKAGING

White Tea Eau de Parfum

An exquisite take on the current White Tea silhouette that adds dimension and serenity. A tall, slender bottle with soft white matte spray on full bottle. Soft matte gold cap. Carton is FSC certified.

UNVEILING THE LIMITED-EDITION UAE

NATIONAL DAY COLLECTION BY TERZIHAN

BEAUTIFUL AND DIVERSE COLORS OF THE COUNTRY ADORNED ON EACH PIECE

Terzihan, the makers of modern and extraordinary Turkish fine jewellery, introduce a vibrant and unique collection with the luxurious heritage brand, Al Fardan Jewellery showcasing the ethnic and cultural details of the UAE National day.

The collection features delicate rose gold bangles that showcase a tasteful combination of diamonds along with the enameled iconic colours of the UAE flag, designed to celebrate the 51st anniversary of the nation and to recognize the wonderful opportunities it has provided its people.

Together, TERZIHAN and the much-loved Emirati jewelry brand, Al Fardan have produced only limited pieces of these elegant bangles. Each piece of the bangle is engraved with its own individual serial number, which further reinforces to the wearer that their precious gift is unique and sublimely special. A touching gift for anyone who is proud to be Emirati or living within this strong country, the

green, white, black and red shades of the flag are immediately recognizable, while the vibrant pops of colour also perfectly accentuate the precious diamonds and distinctive textures.

Exclusively available at Al Fardan Jewellery and expertly crafted by the Istanbul-based designers with care and love, the collection showcases effortless style and timeless sophistication.

The subtle colours and minimal look make the bangles perfect for every-day wear, and the chic and elegant design compliments any style of fashion or personality. Providing an imaginative way of professing affection for the UAE and recognising the importance of National Day, each iconic bangle has been crafted to work wonderfully when stacked with other jewels.

These enchanting bangles provide an elegant reminder of how Sheikh Zayed and the Founding Fathers came together to form the seven emirates 51 years ago,

and how far the country has come since its birth in 1971.

Renowned across the region for its unique styles and quality bespoke pieces, Al Fardan Jewellery was founded by a family of pearl connoisseurs. Today it prides itself on staying true to its Emirati heritage, while still embracing the leading trends of the current day and adapting to the changing modern world.

Al Fardan Jewellery is proud to have partnered up with Terzihan highlighting that its modern, sleek, and progressive collection perfectly matched its own values and contemporary concept. By combining their talents and skills, the two brands have created a magical and imaginative tribute to the UAE.

The charming National Day collection is available to purchase from Al Fardan Jewellery flagship boutique located at Nation Towers Mall, Abu Dhabi. It is available for a limited time only.

SELFWINDING FLYING TOURBILLON CHRONOGRAPH

CODE 11.59 BY AUDEMARS PIGUET

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor unveiled in 2021, this new timepiece is limited to 50 pieces and combines contemporary design with ancestral know-how.

This complicated timepiece comes in a twotone black ceramic and 18-carat pink gold case that highlights the complex architecture of the collection along with the threedimensional aesthetic of the movement.

Even though ceramic has already been used in the Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet chronographs in 2021, this is the first time that a number of complicated models in the collection have been crafted in this ultraresistant material. Part of the beauty of black ceramic is its technicity, with each model requiring specific manufacturing and handfinishing processes.

With its contemporary design, black ceramic provides a blank canvas for the traditional skills of the Manufacture’s craftspeople. Each component is pre-polished and presatin-brushed before being painstakingly hand-finished with the brand’s trademark alternation of satin brushing and polished chamfers.

The ultra-thin bezel, stylised lugs, crown and push-pieces are all crafted in 18-carat pink gold for a powerful and elegant contrast

that harmoniously matches the ceramic and illuminates its dark aesthetic.

Echoing the two-tone case, the architectural movement is comprised of openworked bridges in both black and pink-gold tones, matching with the pink gold-toned balance wheel. The 18-carat white gold hands bring light into the heart of the movement, while the bridges and decorative elements feature 111 V-angles that have been sandblasted, satin-finished and polished by hand.

The decoration of the movement alone represents over 70 hours of work, underlying the technical and extremely precise knowhow of Audemars Piguet’s artisans.

The result of this meticulous work provides an interplay of shiny and matte finishes that create a captivating play with light reflections, bringing depth to the different levels of the movement.

The transparent chronograph counters and the flying tourbillon cage at six o’clock also reveal parts of the watch mechanism below, allowing the viewer to admire the finesse of the different decorative techniques.

This new model, which joins other references released in recent years, is powered by the Calibre 2952, Audemars Piguet’s latest automatic movement that is equipped with a hypnotic flying tourbillon and a contemporary flyback chronograph.

This mechanism allows the chronograph to be reset and restarted with one push, without having to stop it first. A 65-hour power reserve and water resistance of 20 metres complete this sporty complication.

The sapphire caseback reveals essential elements among the movement’s 479 components, including the 22-carat pink gold oscillating weight. The caseback also bears the engraving “Limited Edition of 50 Pieces.”

Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer

Audemars Piguet introduces a new variation of its Code 11.59 by Audemars Piguet Selfwinding Flying Tourbillon Chronograph, interweaving 18-carat pink gold and black ceramic.

NATURAL, ORGANIC AND HANDCRAFTED SKINCARE FROM THE ISLANDS

G R Foundation General Trading retails Pacific Products to support island cultures, traditions and communities in building a prosperous future together

By Shereen Shabnam

Coconut oil, due to its unique and organic properties helps bolster the skin's protective layer, trapping moisture inside and keeping skin supple and hydrated. It smells great, and has anti-inflammatory properties, making it beneficial for irritated, chafed skin and helps with collagen production.

G R Foundation General Trading based in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates currently retails Pacific products, including coconut products from the Solomon Islands.

Coconuts have been central to the Solomon Island rural communities for many decades, shaping the lives, tradition and livelihood and is fundamental to food security. It provides islanders with an income stream.

Some of the Pacific products sold

by G R Foundation General Trading include virgin coconut hair and body oil, Massage oils, handmade coconut cleansing soap as well as a variety of lip balms.

Ahmed Shak Ahmed, CEO of G R Foundation General Trading is excited to bring the island products to the UAE and is passionate in assisting South Pacific Island countries of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Fiji, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Tonga to have their unique products sold around the Middle East. He believes there is a scope for more handcrafted island products to be used in the region.

Currently G R Foundation General Trading sells KOSI and Banana Hands products.

Banana Hands organic coconut cleansers, oils, soaps and balms are gentle and luscious, made in the

Solomon Islands from certified organic coconut oil.

For KOSI products, coconuts are sourced from local plantations and are supplied from farmers in the surrounding villages. KOSI’s source network covers over 3,000 hectares of registered coconut groves owned by more than 1,000 farmers across the Solomon Islands.

This altogether revitalises the evolving coconut industry using modern technology while partnering with local communities and firms, NGOs and Governments to ensure that the right support systems are in place to develop and support rural communities in a sustainable and continual cycle.

Products retailing at the G R Foundation General Trading in Al Ain can also be bought on https://productspacific.com.

AN INDULGENT HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

With the season of festivities upon us, our favorite agency, The Qode puts together a curated gift guide and wardrobe edit, bringing together the best of fashion, beauty, lifestyle & home accessories that are sure to impress!

LOOKFANTASTIC’S FESTIVE GIFT GUIDE

NARS AFTERGLOW LIP SHINE DUO

This duo of magical minis deserves a prime spot on your gifting list. The NARS Afterglow Lip Shine Duo is designed with a comfortable gloss formula that provides up to eight hours of hydration. The set features the iconic peachy pink shade and a shimmering mauve.

M.A.C ART LIBRARYNUDE MODEL

Capture the magic of the holidays and get the dual advantage of creating subtle daytime looks or bold evening looks with the M.A.C Art Library in 'Nude Model’. The 12 neutral shades in matte and shimmer finish give the perfect, seamless blend for the festive season.

NUFACE MINI SUPERCHARGED SKINCARE ROUTINE

Gift your loved ones the perfect in-house pamper session with the NuFACE Mini Supercharged Skincare Routine. The collection consists of the iconic mini toning device, a serum, an activator, a brush, and a travel bag – all designed to give you a contoured effect while reducing the appearance of fine lines on your face.

Get ready with LOOKFANTASTIC’s ultimate selection of beauty favourites perfect for gifting everyone on your list, yourself included!

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

As the end of year festive season approaches, many consumers across the world are looking for the perfect gift for their friends and family. Natasha Dury, Curator of New Technology Trends brings you the latest gadgets to gift loved ones this festive season.

HUAWEI NOVA Y

The HUAWEI nova Y series has impressed many with its design philosophy, strong performance and smooth user experience. As a series designed with the younger generation in mind, the HUAWEI nova Y series evolves according to the needs of younger users. The newest member of the series, the HUAWEI nova Y61, inherits its design DNA and incorporates a 50MP AI Triple Camera that produces picture-perfect photos. With practical features like fast charging and a large battery alongside a dazzling design, the HUAWEI nova Y61 is an excellent choice for an entry-level smartphone.

ACER SWIFT 5

A thin and light laptop with an Anodic Luxury Gold Treatment on sides to produce a luxurious golden hue and an aesthetic looking case.

• Processor type: Intel Core i7-1260P

• Display: 14” Full HD Touchscreen display

• Storage Size: 16GB LDDR4X Memory; 512 GB SSD

• Color: Mist Green and Gold

LENOVO THINKREALITY™ VRX

Lenovo™ releases the new all-in-one virtual reality (VR) headset engineered for the enterprise. The comfortable fitting, slim profile six-degreesof-freedom (6DoF) ThinkReality™ VRX features pancake optics and full color, high-resolution pass-through capabilities for mixed reality (MR) applications. The ThinkReality VRX is also supported by a full suite of end-to-end services to help businesses achieve speed-to-solution and realize return on investment faster. The Lenovo ThinkReality VRX is built to be the VR solution for workers everywhere. From improving efficiency in employee training and virtual collaboration to expanding design and engineering tasks in 3D, XR technologies are becoming more important than ever for businesses enabling hybrid workers to do more.

Poly has the perfect tools to gift from a collection ranging from headsets, speakers, and cameras. Choose from their latest headset, the “Voyager Focus 2” or the “Poly Sync 20” speaker with a variety of features that are capable of connecting with a number of devices.

POLY

REAWAKENING: TIMUR D’VATZ

Andakulova Gallery is delighted to present the artworks of Timur D'Vatz in our gallery space for his latest exhibition “Reawakening” from 08 December, 2022 to 07 February 2023 supported by Freedom Finance (DIFC) LTD.

Timur D'Vatz is an artist bestowed with unique talent and knowledge. He is inspired by ancient history, medieval tapestries and Celtic mythology. His paintings also reflect a fascination with alchemy and the ideals of Pre-Raphaelites. D'Vatz has won several other awards, including the Guinness prize for First Time Exhibitor at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition in 1993, the A. T. Kearney Prize, and the B.P Portrait award at London's National Portrait Gallery 2002. The Grand Prix at the NordArt exhibition in 2021.

This is a series of works he painted in his new studio during an unusually warm summer in Normandy. The sunlit golds, amber reds and bright blues were revealed . The wind would stop short in

tall dry grass and birds would go quiet. In the beginning all windows and doors were kept open, then the shade and soothing darkness were much needed. Behind drawn curtains, in the dimmed shimmer, new ideas came to light. Midsummer's dreams. Reawakening.

How often do we wonder, how often do we daydream - reawakening into our inner self? Thus 'Reawakening' is a return to our esoteric dreams and visions. It’s a never-ending journey into the midst of our imagination; to conquer that critical distance which exists between our inner space and outer reality. This process is not just switching off from everyday reality, it is a rather complex state of mind through which we can reach the depths of our subconscious, to the wonder world of our inner universe.

This collection of recent works is an attempt to take the spectator on the journey away and beyond to the archetypal realms of myths and legends. Through our active imagination we

can revisit and restore our primordial personalities. The painting helps to achieve this mystical experience; to bring the spectator to the mysterious source of our existence.

Hidden symbolism in painting's details helps to reawaken the longing for our Journey towards personal depths of our imagination. Myths become uncovered and the story opens up in tapestry-like vision. Animals represent our senses and desires. Figures, like angels, guide us in search of Knowledge and Source of Life. The Path leads through enchanted woods and lakes, full of magic and wonder. The colours of eternal gold and red support us all the way. We are going onto the Journey of Reawakening to our Eternal Youth.

Each figure displayed in Timur's paintings is symbolic. If the mission of Art is to transfer inner meaning, the light of the plot, comprehended through contemplation and if a painting is not just a design spot on wall, but rather a means of contact with another space,

then the artist involves the viewer in the world he has created, with special energy and a certain aura. Timur D'Vatz was born in 1986 in Moscow. In 1983, he attended Art College in Tashkent. It was a beautiful complex of old buildings with a few enclosed courtyards shaded by tall trees and refreshed by fountains.

There was the ambience of an inspiring little oasis in the middle of the big and busy city. It was wonderful to be painting in the atmospheric art studios. Lunch breaks would be just across the street, in a little café situated above the Anhor River.

Traditional food such as pilaf, lagman and nan bread, were accompanied by the music of a mountain river, as artists talked about their current art projects and dreams about the future.

Timur D'Vatz's journey continued when he moved to Moscow in 1990, where he

started to exhibit. He was a regular visitor to the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, where he was drawn to works of antiquity. Timur also did extensive research on the human body in the museum library.

Five years later, he moved to London, where his education continued at the Royal Academy of Arts School. He was the recipient of the Sir James Walker and Jack Goldhill Scholarships and while studying, began exhibiting in several art galleries. He actively participated in the London art world.

He was commissioned by the church for an altarpiece painting in Notre Dame de France Catholic Church in London and also won a commission to paint two paintings in the Four Seasons hotel Moscow as well. His artworks are collected by King of Bahrain and British Royal families. Timur D'Vatz's artworks are displayed in the magnificent Coutances Cathedral, which is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral

constructed from 1210 to 1274 in the town of Coutances, Normandy, France.

The artist explores pictorial space with his stylishly constructed mis-en-scenes. The art offers a modern day take on ancient legends and re-appropriated symbols sourced from early Byzantine art and medieval tapestries.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Timur D'Vatz's works is the way in which his art is inextricably linked to the world of textiles: he excels at depicting the rich fabrics of Chinese silk printing and is influenced by intricate patterns of the Nabis School.

The School consisted of a group of young French artists active in Paris from 1888 until 1900, who played a large part in the transition from impressionism and academic art to abstract art, symbolism and the other early movements of modernism.

D'Vatz's shapes and patterns take on a life of their own, giving to the composition a lyrical harmony. The painter alleviates any possibility of visual heaviness or monotony by leaving elegant and refined forms to serve and to complicate the pictorial space.

The splashes of Baroque color and elongated body shapes create a surface pattern, which communicates the decorative and abstract qualities of his compositions.

The insistent flatness of the image, moreover, renders the elongated figures of his protagonists, the hounds and the falcons, inseparable from their environment: they seem not so much to inhabit the space, as to merge with it.

Timur D'Vatz spends time between his studios in Normandy and London.

INTERIORS LUXURY GIFT GUIDE CELEBRATES THE FESTIVE SEASON

Interiors, home to premium furniture brands in the UAE, is all set to embrace the celebratory spirit of this festive season by introducing a sophisticated collection that exudes nostalgia, tradition and magic.

The festive gift guide echoes enchanting and cosy tones in line with the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. The luxury retailer aims to add a joyful elegance to home interiors with this unique line of accessories that are perfect to gift this winter and will elevate any corner of the home.

ROAD LESS TRAVELLED HAND PAINTED CANVAS – UTTERMOST

Effortlessly adding beauty and grace to a modern space, this striking piece is hand painted and encased in an antique gold leaf gallery frame. The canvas features an abstract collection of brush strokes of grey and blue tones with contrasting gold leaf accents, that come together to depict beautiful winter imagery of "a road less travelled".

COIN TOSS TABLE DÉCOR –UTTERMOST

This contemporary tabletop décor features 3 solid white marble rings supported by polished chrome rods and an elegant crystal base. Creating a subtle focal point in the room, add this snowwhite trio to a floating shelf, mantel, or side table. Makes for a unique gift this holiday season.

This beautiful tray is the missing ingredient to a great festive dinner party this holiday season. With a silver finish and antiqued mirror interior, the Bechet tray makes for an elegant gift that can be used either to serve holiday treats and beverages, or as a handy storage option for an arrangement of candles, keepsakes or even house

BECHET TRAY – UTTERMOST

HOW TO STYLE & DECORATE WITH FAUX FLOWERS

Nothing can spruce up your home better than plants and flowers. However, real plants and flowers require a lot of maintenance, such as regular watering, pruning, and many more. But this doesn’t mean the end of your option; faux plants and flowers can cater to your floral decor needs.

If you frequently buy plants to liven up your space with the best of intentions, only to have them not last long enough, perhaps it's time to embrace the faux plants. Not only are they absolutely stunning, but faux plants have begun to adopt a new reputation for being an easy, low-maintenance way to breathe life into any interior space.

From individual stems to full, centerpieceworthy flower arrangements, leading home furniture brand DWELL completely transforms your home with varieties of artificial flowers that adorn and completely elevate any space in your home.

Below are some tips on DWELL on having faux plants and flowers in your home.

• COMBINE DIFFERENT TEXTURES

While arranging your flowers, combine flowers of varying textures. From big ones to small ones. Doing this will make your flower arrangement look complete and wholesome.

• USE THE RIGHT VASE

Using the right shape vase for the flowers will make a real difference to the look of the display. Opt for a black base for your greenery and a beige or gray ceramic vase for your coloured flowers.

• OPT FOR REALISTIC COLOURS

To perfectly pass them as real ones, go for realistic colours. Resist the temptation to go for colours like purple, green, blue, etc. and instead go for believable colours like red, pink, white to make them look realistic.

ARCADIA A96 WELLBEING ON THE WATER

A strong and almost overwhelming desire for a new form of wellbeing is trending in many areas, embracing not only physical and mental wellness linked to sport and meditation, but also the search for an authentic bond with nature that engages all five senses and for a social life based on genuine sharing.

This across-the-board trend is the springboard for the new project from Arcadia Yachts, the shipyard that has always had a focus on emerging trends and a willingness to innovate in the industry: A96, a yacht over 29 meters long (CE Category A) and almost 8 meters in the beam, with five cabins and crew quarters sleeping five.

Wellbeing is this project’s guiding star. The concept, exterior styling and choice of technology for A96 have been developed by the shipyard to reflect this search for wellness in every detail, reprising and amplifying the benefits of the two previous lines: on one hand A96 offers spacious stern terraces with views of the water and a propulsion system providing excellent manoeuvrability and a top speed of 24 knots, typical for Sherpa yachts, and on the other delivers the huge volumes and superior service levels of the brand’s A range.

In addition, the effort to make contact with nature is much deeper than the current market offering: the settings establish an ongoing dialogue between interior

and exterior, with huge transparent SLIDING doors and windows that can be opened to let nature in, quite literally as a beloved guest. The spaces are flooded with natural light and immersed in the sounds and scents of the sea, becoming at one with the surroundings.

From the swim platform to the bow, the settings flow seamlessly into one another, allowing the owner to choose between the conviviality of the main deck, a more discrete setting on the upper deck, and total privacy in a bow area ideal for

spending time at anchor in roads and marina. These features all contribute to the idea of the yacht as an ideal resort to get back in shape and restore the energy needed for everyday life.

Sliding doors make for highly versatile interiors. In the living areas on the Main and Upper Decks, the extensive side and aft walls can be completely opened, transforming these settings quite literally into open air spaces. High service standards are ensured by the clear separation of guest and crew flows (with

a dedicated crew stairway), by the supermodern and fully appointed pantry, and by the possibility of including a second day toilet on the Upper Deck.

To continue this design approach in the interiors, the yard asked Lobanov to decorate the settings with natural and where possible eco-friendly materials, opting for a design with soft lines and furnishings that are pleasing to the touch.

DESIGNING THE YACHTING WELLBEING EXPERIENCE

A96 has been designed not only to be the ultimate representation of wellbeing on the water in the 90 to 100-foot segment, but also to offer three unique pluses in terms of volume, top speed (up to 24 knots with the optional motorization) and usable surface area totalling more than 400 square meters. A chain of highly challenging objectives, all to be combined in one project.

Arcadia Yachts technical department therefore worked hard on optimizing the weights and increase the structural comfort using the most sophisticated software available, carbon fiber inserts in addition to resin, and through an extensive use of infusion technology in particular on the main and upper decks and the deckhouse.

Finally, all the wiring and piping systems have been optimized and the thermoacoustic insulation solution of the engine room was made even more efficient through the use of innovative materials.

The final result of displacement at full load of "only" 130 tons allows the project to achieve the top speed target.

To deliver high performance and resort-

level comfort, the propulsion system consists of four Volvo Penta IPS1.200 units (or optionally IPS1.350), making it possible to optimize the living space and shift the source of noise and vibration aft. The benefits of this integrated solution are undeniable, with excellent manoeuvrability through joystick as well as pitching stability thanks to the interceptors and dynamic positioning system.

The shallow draught and the limited size of the engines, which allowed to upgrade the engine room in compliance with the increasingly stringent emission regulations standards, make A96 a yacht that can cruise in any waters.

Finally, the optional silent mode system rated over 100kWh, powered in part by the solar panels, provides up to 8-9 hours in silent mode on board at night, while the cabins offer guests the possibility of setting the temperature and taking advantage of a quiet-running air-conditioning solution that delivers a uniform temperature in each individual

area, ensuring a good night’s sleep. Adding to cruising comfort are CMC Marine’s latest generation of environmentally friendly Waveless Stab40 stabilizer fins.

A96 will be premiered at the 2023 Cannes Yachting Festival, ushering in the new course charted by the shipyard founded in 2008, which continues to be ahead of the curve, as it was for environmental awareness, and designs the yacht of the future, created in response to an increasingly clear trend in our everyday lives.

PREMIUM PRIVATE JET PROVIDER FLEXJET TOUCHES DOWN IN THE MIDDLE EAST

After successfully launching in Europe in 2019, premium private jet provider Flexjet is expanding its services further in the Middle East, with a launch of its newest Gulfstream G650 taking place in Dubai this month.

As one of the world’s leading providers of private jet travel, Flexjet was established in the U.S. in the shared jet ownership market in 1995. Its EMEA operation is located in London’s Mayfair, alongside a Tactical Control Centre at Farnborough Airport, and an Operational Centre in Malta.

Following the success of its Gulfstream G650 programme in the United States, Flexjet will now provide discerning travellers in the Middle East with the same in ultimate long-range private travel – the first time the iconic aircraft has become available in the region through a shared ownership programme. Already flying regularly in the Middle East for its Owners

based in North America and Europe, Flexjet is now offering a dedicated shared ownership service to those based here. Boasting a maximum range of nearly 11,500km and an impressive top cruise speed of Mach 0.925, the Gulfstream G650 from Flexjet offers fast and seamless connections across the world, with its EMEA-based aircraft allowing non-stop flights of up to 14 hours - such as Dubai to New York or Abu Dhabi to London.

The Gulfstream G650 is complemented by Flexjet’s existing EMEA fleet of high-performance Praetor 600 supermidsize jets, which have a range of up to 7,441km, allowing non-stop connections such as Dubai to Dublin.

The multi-zone spacious cabin in Flexjet’s Gulfstream G650 offers exceptional space and amenities for 12 to 15 passengers to relax, work, dine, sleep or entertain, including a private entertainment area with a 42-inch TV. Ultra-fast Ka-band Wi-Fi connectivity allows multiple device connections, video conferencing or HD entertainment streaming.

Featuring oval panoramic windows, the Gulfstream G650 also has one of the quietest cabins in private aviation, while 100 per cent of the cabin air is refreshed

every two minutes. The exceptionally low cabin pressure (holding steady at a comfortable 3,290 feet, even at a cruising altitude of 51,000 feet) means passengers arrive at their destination feeling rested, alert and less fatigued.

The new Gulfstream G650 joins a number of Flexjet’s super-midsize Embraer Praetor 600s in being registered in Malta and operated by its Maltese operation. With a second operator certificate and base at Farnborough Airport in the UK, this gives Flexjet broad operational flexibility across its key markets.

Within its Red Label service offering, each specific Flexjet aircraft is assigned a dedicated flight crew for a highly-

personalised experience; and each features a custom LXi Cabin Collection interior décor balancing exceptional comfort and functionality with striking, high-specification design. Every unique design concept uses the finest materials from across the globe, such as silk-accent wool carpets, textured metal accents and fine, hand-stitched leather details.

This elevated experience continues beyond the cabin. Flexjet’s premium flyers receive private invitations and VIP access to prestigious events such as Royal Ascot, TEFAF and the St Moritz Snow Polo World Cup, and exclusive benefits through partnerships, including with some of the world’s finest hotels.

MODERN DESIGN & SMART TECHNOLOGIES

ALL-NEW FORD TERRITORY

By Shereen Shabnam

By Shereen Shabnam

Last month, we headed to Riyadh Saudi Arabia as guests of Ford Middle East to drive the all-new Ford Territory, a small SUV that combines a modern and striking look, ample cabin space, and filled with smart, safe technologies perfect for young professionals and small, busy families.

The all-new Territory was put through rigorous and extensive tests on diverse terrains for the Middle East region to confirm that its performance, comfort, and design would suit conditions in the region. It did not disappoint.

The Ford DNA is visible externally with an integrated grille and signature light – balanced with lower graphics, full LED lighting, which drives the focal point

higher and communicates purpose, stability, and capability.

The headlamps show off a unique design, with daytime running LED lights incorporated with a strong horizontal grille bar, which adds to the eye-catching appearance. From front to back, a strong shoulder line front to back enhances the power and progressive energy of the allnew Territory’s contemporary design language.

The interior provides a convenient and sophisticated space. The cabin is designed with vigorous and well-matched color arrays while comfort and function are maximized through Premium Leather seats, with a 10-way adjustable ergonomic driver’s seat.

The all-new Ford Territory is equipped with an EcoBoost 1.8L engine on all versions, delivering 320Nm of max torque at 1,500-3,500rpm using moderate fuel and impressive power up to 190 hp (187 bhp).

It comes with an advanced dual clutch Seven-Speed automatic transmission and a suite of driver-assist technologies that offer maximum safety and enhance customers’ driving experiences. The vehicle enables customers to drive with confidence by offering an impressive array of safety features available in Ford Co-Pilot.

The center area in the all-new Ford Territory comes with a large 12-inch central touchscreen to support the driver with easier command over all functions while ensuring they remain focused on the road.

Other premium features that support drivers include wireless, USB type-C, and type-A charging; wireless smartphone connectivity through Apple Carplay and Android Auto.

Ford Middle East is offering the all-new Ford Territory in Ambiente, Trend and Titanium variants, with a host of features and a suite of driver-assist technologies to offer maximum safety for all passengers.

TIMELESS DESIGN, EXPERT CRAFTSMANSHIP & ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES

GENESIS G90

By Shereen Shabnam

During my recent visit to Los Angeles to test drive cars for the World Car of the Year Awards, the highlight was being able to drive the luxury sedan G90. On return to the UAE, I had a few days to drive the elegant car in the Middle East, which was a total delight to be able to experience the car for longer.

The regal G90’s appearance is the most elegant interpretation of the brand’s design philosophy of Athletic Elegance, capable of providing truly luxurious experiences. It offers a driver and passenger experience unlike any other, with a new level of world-class comfort and enjoyment, from its easy to close power doors to its a front and rear massage seats and of course the intelligent memory system.

Genesis’ impeccable attention to detail makes the G90 an unsurpassably alluring ride. The model introduces a bold new direction, with advanced assistance features that make driving easier, along with a variety of new technologies that add value to passengers’ journeys.

The Powerful performance of G90 effortlessly commands attention. With adaptive technology built to deliver a more responsive ride, G90’s available 409-hp, 3.5L twin-turbo V6 engine with 48V e-Supercharger offers sophisticated strength balanced by pulse-quickening power.

Genesis customers can expect new driving specifications to offer the utmost in terms of comfortable mobility along with many new features designed to enhance both the drive and the cabin experience. For safety, the new G90 features an array of advanced sensors, cameras and radar technologies to help warn of and mitigate potential collisions

The G90 offers numerous features that highlight the vehicle’s sensitivity, upgrading it from a mere means of transportation to a customizable personal space. With The G90, Genesis is offering a glimpse into its vision for the future of mobility and thoughtfully crafted luxurious cars.

DYNAMIC DRIVE EXPERIENCE THE VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG

By Shereen Shabnam

The new Volkswagen Touareg is the most technically advanced Volkswagen of its era, with the potential to impress drivers of any type of luxury class model with an affinity for technology and design and it comes equipped with comfort, high-end massage seats and impressive infotainment systems.

The Touareg wows us with the digital ‘Innovision Cockpit’ which consists of merging a high definition 15-inch touch screen with a 12.3-inch Active Info Display that replaces traditional analogue gauges, both of which can be fully personalised to the driver’s preferences.

The Innovision Cockpit represents

a watershed – because no other Volkswagen interior has ever been digitalised to such an extent, offering wider ranging connectivity to vehicle functions and the outside world. The Touareg comes with the largest range of assistance, handling and comfort systems ever to be integrated into a Volkswagen.

The Innovision Cockpit is a head-up display, which projects key information into the virtual space in front of the driver on the windscreen. Natural light enters the interior through the large panoramic sliding roof implemented in a Volkswagen to date.

The digital cockpit with a 12.3-

inch display and the Discover Premium infotainment system serve simultaneously as a radio-navigation system, telephone information centre, and a user interface for various vehicle functions. Night-time drives are made more pleasant by a newly developed form of LED ambient light.

On the outside, the highly expressive front end defines the Touareg’s design. Accentuated wheel arches at the front and muscular shaping of the shoulder edges at the rear underscore the Touareg’s confidence on any terrain.

The Touareg is also available in R-Line trim and offers buyers exclusive sport styling and premium features, such as

comfort seats in Savona Carbon with stitching in contrasting colour (front and rear) and R-Line logo on the front backrests.

The R-specific features include aluminum inlay, central console in high glossy black R-Line logo on the welcome screen, ports pedals in stainless steel including footrest, R-specific leather multifunction steering wheel with R-Line logo, paddle shifters, armrest, steering wheel and selector lever with stitching in contrasting colour.

The driver experiences include a variety of different systems ranging from night vision, lane assist, front cross traffic assist, LED matrix headlights, windshield head up display, driver personalisation, wireless mobile phone charger and many more features to make travel safer, more convenient and more intuitive.

As one of the most technically and visually progressive SUVs of its time, the Volkswagen Touareg has the potential to impress drivers of any type of luxury class model with an affinity for technology and design and reach new target groups.

FUTURE-PROOFING AUTOMOTIVE ICONS

WORLD-LEADING CLASSIC CAR EV CONVERSION SPECIALIST ELECTROGENIC OFFERS EASY TO INSTALL ‘DROP-IN’ EV CONVERSION KITS

British EV technology company Electrogenic, known for its worldleading classic car EV conversions, has revealed details of its newly expanded range of ‘drop-in’ EV conversion kits, future-proofing the world’s most loved automotive icons.

The easy-to-install EV conversion technology kits for the Land Rover Defender, Jaguar E-Type and classic Porsche 911 will be offered by the Oxford, UK-based Electrogenic’s recently expanded ‘Powered by Electrogenic’ arm.

The drop-in kits, which have been

developed and engineered in the UK, will be offered globally through an international network of exclusive installation partners - delivering sustainable, silent and reliable electric motoring to a wider audience. Powered by Electrogenic, the drop-in kits are defined by their quality and depth of engineering, developed inhouse by a research and development team comprising leading automotive engineers, programmers and electrical experts.

The expanded range of drop-in kits reflects Electrogenic’s approach of developing and manufacturing its own

technology, which includes in-house designed software, printed circuit boards (PCBs) and digital dashboards, as well as bespoke Battery Management Systems and vehicle charging technology.

The driver interface also gets attention, with sport, eco and traffic modes, as well as a regen-based hill-descent control function for the Defender.

The drop-in kits also use highly innovative mechanical componentry, including a unique system for creating high-density battery packs, as well as exceptionally compact in-line and transverse reduction

gearboxes. The cleverly packaged units ensure that for each ‘drop-in’ kit variant, the existing vehicles’ existing structure and architecture is preserved. This approach ensures that all Electrogenic conversions are entirely reversible.

LAND ROVER DEFENDER RANSFORMED PERFORMANCE ON AND OFF ROAD

The expanded Defender EV conversion range will comprise three different variants, each tailored to suit different customer needs and offer transformed driveability and performance in both on and off-road driving scenarios.

Batteries are packaged under the bonnet and beneath the boot floor, ensuring that interior and luggage space are in no way compromised, while the proprietary drivetrain technology is carefully integrated into the vehicle’s existing architecture, so no modifications are required.

JAGUAR E-TYPE PERFORMANCE TO MATCH TIMELESS LOOKS

Powered by Electrogenic have developed state-of-the art drop-in kits to modernise

another British automotive icon, and to many the most beautiful car of all: Jaguar E-Type.

Options are again available to suit a variety of customer needs - compatible with both E-Type coupes and convertibles. For instance, the high-performance E-Type EV conversion kit, gives the E-Type the reliability, driveability and effortless performance to match its looks.

PORSCHE 911 AN ICONIC SPORTS CAR READIED FOR THE FUTURE

Powered by Electrogenic has also created an EV conversion drop in kit for what many consider to be the most iconic sports car of all: the Porsche 911.

The exhaustively engineered and tested packages give this famously practical machine a new lease of life, combining sensational, clean performance with excellent everyday useability and total reliability.

The innovative range of Powered by Electrogenic drop-in kits kicks off with an expanded range of road-optimised Land Rover Defender EV conversion packages, available for all pre-2016 Defender 90, 110 and 127 models.

ROMANOVAMAKEUP TO EXHIBIT AT WOMEN'S EXHIBITION 2022 FOUNDER, OLGA ROMANOVA, TO SHOWCASE HER VERSATILE MAKEUP PRODUCTS AND ACCESSORIES AT THE PRESTIGIOUS DUBAI LADIES CLUB

Leading beauty brand, Romanovamakeup will be showcasing a wide range of beauty products and accessories during the Women's Exhibition 2022 at the Al Mahara Ballroom of Dubai Ladies Club on the 5th and 6th this month.

With over two decades of experience, Romanovamakeup was conceptualised by celebrity makeup artist Olga Romanova. Olga’s passion led her to introduce a signature brand of cosmetics with exceptional cruelty-free ingredients that suits skin types of users from all over the world.

Olga Romanova, Founder of Romanovamakeup said, "Our wide range of high-end easy-to-use cosmetic products are suitable for both the local and international audience. Suitable for all skin tones and skin types, our products are perfect for the different nationalities living in the UAE. As a makeup artist, my goal is to simplify the makeup process for women and ensure our products highlight

the natural beauty of cosmetic users, so they feel confident in their skin."

Thoraya Al Awadhi, Founder of Thoraya Alawadi Group added, "We are delighted to have Romanovamakeup exhibiting at our exhibition and look forward to sampling the brand’s extensive range of products just in time for the end of festive season when we look for gifts to end the year on a happy and positive note."

With core values that help cosmetic users express individuality and enhance

their natural beauty, Romanovamakeup products are thoughtfully designed for individuals and professional makeup artists who use versatile and multifunctional accessories and colours to create flawless looks. Romanovamakeup also supports users with high-quality multifunctional brush kit along with stylish practical makeup bags, pencil sharpeners, eyelashes and also updates on new looks and products via their social media channels.

JEWELRY LAB DEBUTS IN DUBAI AT THE WOMEN'S EXHIBITION 2022

BRAND TO SHOWCASE EXQUISITE CONFLICT-FREE JEWELLERY PIECES AT THE PRESTIGIOUS DUBAI LADIES CLUB

Jewelry LAB, an emerging Ukrainian jewellery brand that has evolved to shift focus to laboratory-grown diamonds will be showcasing conflict-free jewellery and environment friendly man-crafted gemstones during the Women's Exhibition 2022.

According to Anna Piskunova, Founder & Designer of Jewelry Lab, the brand takes an unconventional stance on luxury of the new generation with effortless pieces and organic design. Jewelry LAB’s laboratorygrown diamonds offer the ultimate way to capture your vision of life in a beautiful gemstone, sustainably and with respect for nature.

Anna's jewellery offers the ultimate way to capture the vision of life in a beautiful gemstone, sustainably and with respect for nature. The jewels are precisely identical to the mined ones and match

in terms of chemical, optical and color properties.

Laboratory cultivation technique has become more than a method. It unites aesthetics and ethical production and forms a whole new community of those who value luxury and mindfulness in harmony.

HPHT technology is used to grow diamonds - it reproduces the natural geological conditions that occur at a depth of 140-160 km in the Earth's mantle. This is a powerful combination of extreme pressure (35-50 kilobars) and very high temperatures (1100-1300 degrees Celsius).

The Emerald Lace collection is dedicated to a powerful, timeless and infinitely beautiful tandem. Meditative emeralds and luxurious diamonds are

Jewelry Lab man-made emeralds are cultivated from corundum residues, a natural raw material, collected in mines. The crystals are grown by the innovative technology in the laboratory and thus obtaining emeralds of highest transparency which are precisely identical to the mined ones by all chemical, optical and color properties.

Thoraya Al Awadhi, Founder of Thoraya Alawadi Group added, "We are delighted to have Jewelry Lab exhibiting in Dubai as an environment friendly brand. We look forward to welcoming guests to embrace cruelty free products that are ethically sourced using innovation and sustainable methods and we are confident Jewelry LAB will appeal to the exhibition visitors."

complemented by rounded gold frames, mimicking weightless airy lace on the body.

SILICON CENTRAL MALL SOLAR CARPORT READY TO GENERATE 1.7 GWH OF CLEAN ENERGY ANNUALLY

SILICON CENTRAL BRINGS

Line Investments & Property LLC, the shopping mall and management division of Lulu Group announces the launch of 1MWp solar carport and 4 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations at Silicon Central, installed early this year by SirajPower, the UAE’s leading distributed solar energy provider as part of the mall's sustainability initiative.

The solar carport project covers 5,500 sqm and will produce 1.7 GWh of clean energy annually, offsetting more than 1,205 metric tons of CO2 emissions equivalent to nearly 20,000 tree seedlings grown for 10 years. The brand-new Silicon Central boasts a GLA of 80,000 sqm of retail, F&B, and cinemas, including a 9,000 sqm Lulu Hypermarket and department store spanning 7,800sqm totaling 16,800 sqm.

Salim M.A., Director of Lulu Group International, said: “With the solar carport as an environmentally friendly

SIRAJPOWER

ON BOARD FOR SOLAR CARPORT

project at Silicon central, we are committed towards a healthy and sustainable future and fully support the region's vision to mitigate carbon emissions to create a more sustainable economy. The solar plant system is a testimony to our commitment to sustainable development and to reducing its carbon footprint, in line with Dubai’s vision to transform into a carbon-neutral economy by 2050."

Laurent Longuet, CEO at SirajPower, said “Congratulations to Lulu Group’s Dubai Silicon Central Hypermarket on this significant step towards Net Zero Emissions. SirajPower is honored to support a multinational conglomerate such as Lulu Group in its net positive sustainability strategy and we look forward to operating and maintaining the solar carport for many years to come.

This solar project, which is in line with the UAE’s Clean Energy Strategy, reaffirms

our commitment to empowering businesses in making the green transition to renewable energy and to supporting them in reducing their environmental impact through innovative and costeffective solar solutions.”

"This initiative will help us transition to clean energy via our innovative solar carport solution and we will continue working towards reducing our greenhouse gas emissions using state-of-the-art technologies for waste management, energy savings and electrical charging stations in the car-parking area," added Salim.

Other than providing energy for the dayto-day operations of the Lulu Group’s Dubai Silicon Central Mall, the Dubai Silicon Central Mall’s Solar Carport will also provide shaded car parking for cars alongside charging slots for electric cars. The facility will help reduce the mall's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

AUDIT AND TAX ADVISORY EXPERTS SHARE INSIGHTS HLB EMERGING MARKETS 2022 CONFERENCE

HLB HAMT, the region's leading audit and advisory services provider recently brought together global experts to share industry insights at the Emerging Markets 2022 conference held in Abu Dhabi.

The 3-day programme, curated by HLB HAMT, was filled with activities, networking with peers, talks with worldclass insights and content from key stakeholders, business advisors and international technology leaders sharing knowledge to provide real-time solutions to clients.

Discussions covered the outlook of HLB HAMT practice globally with talks on Audit Updates, Use of Data Analytics with Caseware Idea and Digitalization and Metaverse Impact in Business. Other topics covered included Advisory Growth Strategies in Emerging Markets,

Cybersecurity Panel, Executive leadership and Turnaround, Restructuring & Insolvency.

Speakers also addressed the areas of ESG, Digital Marketing Strategy for professional firms, Indirect Tax and Corporate Tax in the region, Supply Chain (Agri Food & Beverage and food crisis), NFP, Real Estate & Hospitality, Emerging Tech for smart cities, construction projects and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Emerging Markets.

HLB HAMT takes a professional and tailor-made approach to drive business transformation with value-added services and fosters a collaborative and supportive environment for clients, building on the company's 20-years old heritage and expertise. The company's local expertise and global capabilities

ensures a consistent high-quality client experience and personalized service.

Partners attending the event included Hisham Ali Mohamed Al – Taher –Chairman & Partner, HLB HAMT, John Varghese – Managing Partner, HLB HAMT, Vijay Anand- Partner & CEO, HLB HAMT and Corney Versteden- Chairman, HLB International. key speakers included Jim Bourke, David Springsteen, Corney Versteden, Coco Liu and Bettina Cassegrain.

HLB HAMT clients to benefit from the outcomes of the conference include Government and Ministries, Banking and Financial Institutions, Telecom, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Insurance, Real Estate, Oil and Gas, Energy and Utilities, Retail and Education.

BUILDING A LIFESTYLE BRAND

Nishrat Nazeen, Founder and CEO, Aromas Fiji

There is so much to think about when you start a new brand and when it involves products of different types, shapes and colour, the challenge of staying focused on the look and feel is even harder.

Most lucky sellers have a retail offering on their own platforms or through offline stores. This segment places a good amount of interest on ecommerce giants like Amazon, Back Market, ReBoot but it works only when they are present in the sellers’ market. Most of the Island nations are not geared up for e-commerce and support for delivery of products but it is getting better.

As a small business owner, my supply

chain is fairly small with few points of sale including community markets that are popular on the islands. The process of developing a product includes sanitization, testing, quality control, packaging, transportation and shipping.

Packaging is key especially for our products. We do soaps, candles, oils and a lot of emphasis is placed on how the product is presented to the customer. During the festive season, we find that putting a few products in a beautifully designed box sells better as customers are looking for gift ideas.

There is also emphasis placed on branding, the official colours of the brand,

the font used on the labels etc. The best brands are those that users recognize at a distance, so consistency is key in terms of presentation.

When building a brand from ground up, there are a lot of lessons we learn along the way. For instance, after selling at different venues, there is the need for inventory stock checks to ensure we do not run out of the popular products before the next market day.

To become successful, a lot depends on offering a good, reliable, regular supply of quality products and backing it up with quality service.

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