Katy Holmes’ Post

I’m sharing my own “return to work” story for two main reasons: - to encourage employers to be more open minded and to see the potential of hiring on a flexible basis for long term gain - to show that a woman’s career can take a pause and then restart with great benefit for business! Dubai has an untapped pool of talent of women with fantastic career experience who feel too restricted to apply for 9-5 roles. To quote the Founder of UK’s successful The Flex-Appeal Campaign Anna Whitehouse: “Part-time doesn’t mean part-talented, part-ambitious, part-driven, part-arsed. It’s not office code for ‘slacker’; It’s not a case of “she only works part-time” or “he’s just a part-timer”. It simply means fewer days on less pay.” There’s great opportunity for the businesses that can get this right: According to PwC Middle East: Women returning to the workforce following a career break have the potential to contribute nearly $385 billion to aggregate gross domestic product of nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. The MENA Beyond Careers survey tells us: 79% of women experienced a lack of confidence returning to the workplace after taking a career break. Would love to hear your thoughts. Full interview below, my thanks to Gulf News and The Loop

I attended and spoke at the British Chambers of Commerce #GlobalAnnualConference in London this week representing the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) with Chair Andrew Mortimer and past Chair John Martin St.Valery OBE [JohnMSV.] The day before the conference there was a day of networking, panels and workshops for the CEOs and Board Members of the extensive UK and international BCC network. It was truly energising to be around so many like minded professionals all striving for the growth and access to opportunities for their memberships. The British Chambers of Commerce is an impressive collective for British business - on a local and global basis. Each CEO represents 1000s of companies based all over the world. It was great to meet and reconnect with CEOs from across the UK and internationally to explore how to best optimise the fabulous network of networks. We are global super connectors! I’m very proud of my peer group and London was glorious in the sunshine! Thanks to The Other House for being my London home!! 💐

One more full week of diverse events for the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) before we reduce our schedule down to the “summer networking series” only! The visibility for our members doesn’t slow down though with: - weekly e-newsletter going to 6K+ subscribers (member content, offers, market insights) - member to member introductions facilitated by the BCCD team - guest articles shared on LinkedIn to 23K+ followers - a live directory of our 1,000 members (member access only) - BCCD App - BCCD Podcasf Don’t Do That! Do This! Our busy events schedule restarts end of August - members have priority booking. To become a member - or to first attend an event - please email; membership@britishchamberdubai.com

We are trying something new, as part of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) podcast Don’t Do That! Do This! Please help with this distribution channel experiment by registering for the live broadcast of our next episode (out tomorrow) featuring member Ummair Butt who has brought the direct debit system to the UAE! See how to register below and we would love your feedback! 🎙️

The local community online groups are currently very active with requests for information from people moving to Dubai from the UK this summer. For those in that position, do plan ahead and consider the benefit of becoming a member of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) as part of your market exploration and relocation planning ahead of your arrival! You can join as an individual member and benefit from being first to hear of local market news, regulatory changes and events, with priority booking. Our events schedule (70+ a year) will help you navigate Dubai with stunning venues and a warm welcome at every event! You can join as a business member to start connecting with locally established businesses to build your network and publish articles in the weekly e-newsletter to organically build your profile to 1000+ members and 6,200 BCCD news subscribers! All new members who join between now and end of August will be invited to our New Members Breakfast Networking - a fantastic way to kick start your #Dubai working life! See the carousel post below for more benefits and if you’d like more information on membership please email our dedicated email: membership@britishchamberdubai.com

A definite theme this week was bridging the gap between education and industry! - British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) hosted an AI Masterclass with ex-Tesla, AI/web3, crypto and blockchain expert Prashanth Irudayaraj (now an advisor for member Alba Partners) and it was an intense and fascinating knowledge transfer for our members - lots of Star Trek references! - I was invited on to the University of Birmingham Dubai Future of Work Podcast with Dr. Mona Mustafa, PhD, MCIPD and Dr. Vic Benuyenah [PhD, MBA, BA (Hons) Econ., MCIPD] We discussed generational gaps in the workplace, company culture and the disconnect between education and industry - I was also invited to Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS) to meet with their BTEC Business students ahead of their two week work placements. As Gen-Zs enter the workplace, there is a concerning perception of entitlement and perhaps resistance to meet the increasing demands of what employers are now ‘expected’ to provide; - Work-life balance - Mental health focus - Learning opportunities - Career progression - Personalised approach - A human-first approach - Clear expectations and communication (Who wouldn’t benefit from the above!) Personally, I view this new generation as a refreshing force of change in the future of work. I believe that the changing approach to work and the adoption and development of AI will create an exciting convergence that will alleviate the burden of time-consuming tasks in our daily working lives to enable us to live more fully!

Thank you for the work anniversary acknowledgments. I had no idea I had that on in my profile settings!! It is indeed five years since I started with the - then British Business Group Dubai and Northern Emirates - now British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD)   My first day was the BBG AGM in 2019 at the Mina Al Salam Ballroom and the struggling financials were presented to a glum audience - it did cross my mind to back away in that moment! However, through my interview process with Andrew Mortimer and John Martin St.Valery OBE [JohnMSV.] (Chair at the time) I already had a sense of what ‘could be’.   I could see the huge potential of the relationship with the Department for Business and Trade, the power of the connection to Dubai Chamber and perhaps most convincing was the commitment from the Board and Business Team.   On Friday, I stood at the podium, in the same ballroom that we held our 2019 AGM and felt enormous pride reporting alongside Andrew (uncontested BCCD Chair) that revenue over the last three years has grown by a compounded average growth rate (CAGR) of circa 25%, resulting in revenues almost doubling.   During this period, we have invested significantly in people and technology to ensure we enhanced the value proposition to our members and sponsors. Investment in costs has been successfully managed in line with the revenue growth, resulting in turning around a loss-making year (ending March 2021), into three consecutive years of healthy profitability 2022-2024. The strong profitability has ensured liquidity is at a record level and put the BCCD in the fortunate position to be able to donate to registered Dubai charity - the British Community Assistance Fund for two consecutive years and in addition this year, to the Rashid Centre for People of Determination. My sincere thanks to Andrew Mortimer and John Martin St.Valery OBE [JohnMSV.] for taking a chance on a 'stay at home mum' keen to get back to work to apply years' of working experience; and providing the space and allyship for me to reach my potential and therefore grow the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) and reward and develop the incredible business team - Charmaine Luck Dylanco; Nishanth P CMA; Lindsay Parlane; Kerry Ann Smith; Corey Avila; Giulia Cibotti Bishop; and Lily Hunter My thanks also goes to the Board members over the five years, our members - the new, the long-term and the returning - and our loyal industry stakeholders! Information on BCAF: https://bcaf.ae/ Information on Rashid Centre for People of Determination: https://lnkd.in/d5yk9ZYn Both are very dependent and open to donations to run their operations.   AGM 2024 highlights video:

I am proud to be a Founding Partner of the first GCC Menopause Summit to be held in October at the Museum of the Future through my role at the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD). In 2022, the BCCD held the first business briefing on this subject 'Understanding the Impact of the Menopause on Women in the Workplace', following the great awareness campaigns in the UK and statistics such as 'six in ten women say that the menopause has a negative impact on their working life'. With the guidance of Sharon James - Womens Well-being and UAE Menopause Coach; the expertise and support of King's College Hospital London – UAE and rich data provided by the CIPD Middle East we delivered an event that had positive impact for the individuals in the room and many of our business members went on to embed workshops on menopause and providing support for those going through the menopause in their employee wellbeing programmes - many welcomed male employees who were keen to understand more to support the women in their lives. Fast forward to now, I am working with the first GCC Menopause Summit Founding Partners Sophie Smith سوفي سميث at Nabta Health; Sharon James - Womens Well-being and UAE Menopause Coach; Natasha Hatherall at TishTash Communications; Dr Eloise Phillips at University of Birmingham Dubai; Ayesha Sayed at AFAQ Group for General Investments; and Dr Harmeek of Women's Run on bringing regional and international experts together to discuss the natural biological process that will affect the majority of women worldwide. Held at the iconic Museum of the Future, the summit will have a full schedule designed to educate and inspire attendees from both the medical profession and the community alike. More information to follow. Please reach out to me via info@britishchamberdubai.com for information on sponsorship.

Limping to the finish line of the working week and everything is a bit of a blur to be honest! It’s only when I scroll through my LinkedIn notifications I am reminded of the week’s events: moderating a panel for a 100 delegate turnout for a business briefing on KSA; in person meetings with London Chamber of Commerce and Industry ambassador Sanjeev Bhavnani; David Bell of PCD GROUP; BCCD Annual Partner reviews; managing the election process and comms for a new Board of Directors; a talent fair with Beyond Careers, ReJoin and Informa matching talented women looking to get back to work with recruiting companies, coaches, personal brand and HR experts from the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai (BCCD) membership; attendance at Emerging Markets Intelligence & Research | EMIR Q2 Boardroom; the filming of two podcasts for #dontdothatdothis! and running a 1000 member organisation! And here is the main point of my message… In the cracks of all of the above, I was able to pick my daughters up from school; take them to ECAs; make a well overdue eyetest (no more popeye squinting at my phone) 🤓; even squeezed in some exercise! Dear Employers and Hiring Managers, Do not discount working mothers in your hiring strategy. We work effectively, efficiently with empathy and are incredible multi-taskers. Please also be considerate through the interview process of the time and emotional strength it might take someone who has been out of work for a few years and is doubting themselves (despite years of experience and an abundance of potential); please also have the courtesy to respond with constructive feedback to support their ongoing job seeking. The above is a summary of what I heard this week from the talented women who I met at our Return to Work talent fair, who are enthusiastic but automatically underestimating their abilities through a lack of confidence. *If you have any influence on hiring for your company - please improve the process* Wishing you all a great and restful weekend!