Could you tell us a bit about what your role as Regional Partner for Residential Sales UAE at Knight Frank Middle East entails?

Since joining at the beginning of December last year, I’ve been overseeing all the residential business lines across the MENA Region which includes UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. My role encompasses eight service lines ranging from Dubai Prime/Super-Prime to The Private Office in MENA, covering everything from mortgages to exclusive project sales in various countries with a few new potential services being introduced soon:

1.     Dubai ‘Prime/Super-Prime’

2.     Dubai ‘Exclusive Project Sales’

3.     Dubai ‘Non-Exclusive Project Sales’

4.     Mortgages (across the UAE)

5.     KSA ‘Exclusive Project Sales’

6.     Qatar ‘Prime/Super-Prime & Project Sales (potentially)’

7.     Egypt ‘Exclusive Project Sales (only)’

8.  The Private Office in MENA

How has your role evolved since initially joining Knight Frank?

It has been a terrific first four months and they have flown by! The culture within Knight Frank and the people are fantastic and so aligned and joined up for a Global firm. The role hasn’t evolved so much from what I expected, although we have made a lot of changes as we strive to continuously improve the calibre of our staff and in turn the level of service to our clients as they rightfully expect from such a great brand. The only change is the addition of one new service line ‘Non-Exclusive Project Sales’ aimed at not only driving new revenue, but also linking up with our other offices around the world to give a continuous flow of projects to sell which will also help foster those relationships to help sell exclusive new projects as and when we launch them giving our clients a seamless end-to-end service.

How long have you been in Dubai now, what do you enjoy about it?

Oh goodness, now I show my age… I moved here in 2004 and so 20 years on 1st May this year!  I enjoy so much about Dubai, the lifestyle, the safety, the infrastructure – we don’t get train strikes for example!  My kids were born and raised here and love it.  I love the weather, even the hot summer months don’t bother me, I still play golf, cycle, run outdoors. It’s a city that has so much to do if you get out and do it! It has become a truly Global City and a great one in which to live.

Have you found that the differences in culture influence the working environment?

No, not really for me. I love the fact that it is so multicultural and so rich in local culture and customs throughout the region. I like the fact that my children are growing up in this environment so that they have so much exposure to other children from all around the world. Given globalisation, I believe that this helps equip them better for later life in jobs and personal life mixing with people from all backgrounds.

In the real estate industry, how crucial do you believe interior design is in influencing property value and client satisfaction?

I think it is a simple answer. If a property is ‘dressed’ well it will not only sell faster but also for a premium. Added to this, everyone leads such busy lives nowadays that being able to arrive and unpack some clothes and a toothbrush, and feel like you have settled into your new home is a real benefit. As they say, moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do in life!

As we enter the new financial year, is there anything in particular you are looking forward to?

Yes, building an ever-growing business continuing to leverage the amazing brand and continuing to work closely with fantastic colleagues locally and internationally.