Podcasts about astrolabs

Headlines:- Pavel Durov has “Nothing to Hide”, says Telegram - Abu Dhabi's Marlan Space and Loft Orbital Invest $100 Million in UAE's Space Sector- AstroLabs Facilitates Aurora Media Worldwide's Expansion into Saudi Arabia

07 Feb 2024. We've got the latest on Dubai Taxi's preliminary results - they've seen a 54% increase in net profit year on year. Plus, retail Group LuLu is said to be picking support for an IPO - we look at the appetite for family company offerings with veteran market man Mohammed Yasin. Business Expansion Activity Across Saudi Arabia Sees 4X Increase Since 2018, Says AstroLabs first Saudi Market Entry Report - Alex Nicholls, Head of Enter KSA at AstroLabs quantifies the increase for us. We're also talking private jets with Thomas Flohr, Founder and Chairman of the Dubai private Jet company - Vista. They flew 87,000 flights last year – nearly double pre-pandemic levels. And, Wego data showed that Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and India remain the top travel destinations in Q4'2023. Mamoun Hmedan, Chief Business Officer at Wego tells us more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We get the latest on what we can expect to see from interest rates from Emirates NBD. We hear from Alex Nicholls, Head of KSA Expansion and Community, AstroLabs on the January 2024 deadline for global companies to move their regional headquarters to Saudi Arabia. which He explains how it will be implemented without delay as scheduled, following confirmation from the kingdom's finance minister. We'll also hear from Andrew Naylor, Head of Middle East and Public Policy, World Gold Council on the Q3 Gold Demand Trends. The report has revealed support for the asset continues as central bank buying maintains a historic pace, bringing quarterly gold demand (excluding OTC) to 1,147t, 8% ahead of its five-year average. Plus we'll hear from Ant Martland, Co Founder of Gymnation as we enter another month of the Dubai Fitness Challenge. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Muhammed Mekki is a Founding Partner at Astrolabs, the leading startup ecosystem building in MENA. Prior to starting Astrolabs, Muhammed was a co-founder at Namshi which went on to sell to EMAAR for roughly $300MM. Muhammed started his career in consulting before joining Delivery Hero and making his foray into startups. Along with his co-founder, Muhammed has bootstrapped Astrolabs to become the most well-known startup builders in the region. Muhammed is passionate about building ecosystems, supporting entrepreneurs and is an avid learner. We delve into his learnings around building teams, cofounder dynamics and takeaways from what the best founders do!I heard Muhammad say:Being a nerdy person at heart builds a learner's mindsetIn the early days, bring on anchor brands that help you win other clientsDeveloping depth in a topic allows one to winBootstrapping is about making smart investments#podcast #ceotalks #pod #entrepreneurlife #entrepreneurship #middleeastentrepreneurs #mena #startupstories #menaentrepreneurs #menastartups #menastories #businesspodcast #businesspodcasts #CEOwisdom #founderwisdom #founderpodcasts #founderstories

Welcome to another Storybeast LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests that are an expert within their area of storytelling. Faisal G. Binzagr is a creative writer, consultant, and music journalist based in Saudi Arabia. He enjoys storytelling in many forms, whether it's long-form fiction, theatre, poetry, or narrative design for video games.  Since completing his Certificate in Filmmaking from The National Film & Television School in the UK, he has been actively involved in a number of projects across a variety of mediums, including recently delivering his first ‘Storytelling for Video Games' course. He cherishes any opportunity to tell a great story and offer his unique experiences. He has a particular fondness for narratives that empower others, although his current work in progress is a bleak murder mystery/noir novel set in the Arabian Gulf. In this episode you'll hear about: Boldness in storytelling Faisal's perspective on the crossover of game writing with other modalities of narrative craft The necessity of honesty and boldness (and what that means) for Faisal, Ghabiba, and Courtney Parasites, unicorns and scarab beatles Where to find all of the interesting answers our Legendaries give on Storybeast Special mentions include technology ecosystem builder, AstroLabs, theatre and film producers, IStage, music journal, Everything is Noise, actor, director, singer, and writer, Zaberi, game designer, Mohammed Hashem, and musician, Imran Binzagr. You can find us at www.storybeastpodcast.com or on Instagram at @storybeastpodcast. Special thanks to Deore for our musical number. You can find her on Instagram @deore.music or find more of her creative work on Spotify. As ever, thank you dear listeners. Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/storybeastpodcast/message

The guest of the week is one of the most active individuals in the start-up support ecosystem in the UAE today, Louis Lebbos; the co-founder and board member of Astro Labs, and the ex-founder of Namshi.Louis and his partner created Astrolabs with a mission to drive digital growth in companies and people, and they are doing that today through their educational programs, start up support services as well as the co-working spaces and communities they're running across UAE and KSA.Prior to kicking off Astro-labs, Louis co-founded Namshi back in 2011, which today is one of the largest online fashion ecommerce platforms in the region.Some of the topics that Omar explored with his guest this week include:- Various self-development strategies- Reasons why traditional educational system cannot fulfill job market needs- The importance of practical hands-on education that is closer to job market needs- Why entrepreneurs fail, and the critical factors that would make any venture succeed- Why stress at work can only harm than ever do good- The difference between positive and negative stress 

UPS President for Indian subcontinent, Middle East, and Africa Jean-Francois Condamine on the e-commerce boom in the Middle East, promoting sustainability in the logistics industry, and empowering small and medium enterprises to become regional and global exporters.Key Takeaways:0:00 Intro1:10 Jean-Francois talks a little bit about the current state of the logistics industry in the Middle East2:00 Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince launches National Transport and Logistics Strategy (https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2021/06/30/Saudi-Arabia-s-Crown-Prince-launches-National-Transport-and-Logistics-Strategy)5:05 E-commerce in the region set to be worth $48bn by 2022 (https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/technology/e-commerce-in-the-region-set-to-be-worth-48bn-by-2022-1.745643)6:16 2020 UPS Corporate Sustainability Report (https://about.ups.com/us/en/social-impact/environment/climate/2020-ups-corporate-sustainability-report.html)8:55 Jean-Francois explains if the new Saudi strategy is trying to compliment or  compete with UAE in terms of positioning in the logistics industry 12:08 Jean-Francois talks about the trends in terms of the e-commerce companies looking to enter the Saudi market, the challenges they face, and if the market is expanding 14:01 Jean-Francois talks about digitalization and how it enables the ease of doing business and facilitation15:25 Jean-Francois talks about the similar characteristics that the best-emerging markets have other markets could learn from for them to also be good17:36 Jean-Francois talks about how different economies pivoted and sort of transformed themselves during the pandemic 18:00 Dubai restructures business chambers to lead 'economic transformation' (https://www.arabianbusiness.com/politics-economics/465250-dubai-restructure-business-chambers-to-lead-economic-transformation)19:44 Jean-Francois talks about the role that UPS is playing and the programs that it has embarked on in helping the SMEs expand in the market 20:28 The impact of SMEs on the UAE's economy (https://u.ae/en/information-and-services/business/crowdfunding/the-impact-of-smes-on-the-uae-economy)21:24 UPS Women Exporters Program (https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/small-business/women-exporters-program.page)25:14 Jean-Francois talks about why the SMEs need to be exporting their products outside of their own geography26:18 UPS Smart Logistics Challenge - AstroLabs (https://astrolabs.com/ups-smart-logistics-challenge#:~:text=UPS%20partnered%20with%20AstroLabs%20in%20advance%20of%20Expo,solutions%20with%20UPS%20in%20an%20emerging%20markets%20context.)26:45 Jean-Francois talks about why they decided to partner with logistics startups rather than compete with them 29:30 Jean-Francois talks about what they are focusing on in the logistics technologies that they need to pay attention to that could be exciting in the next decade 30:53 Jean-Francois explains if we should expect to see an all-electric lead in the region and why it is important 31:54 Jean-Francois talks about the short term changes that he would like to see in the region pertaining to increase in GDP and economic activities Shows Mentioned:Atlantic Council: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/ G-Market: http://global.gmarket.co.kr/Home/Main Expo 2020: https://www.expo2020dubai.com/ SMBs or SMEs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_and_medium-sized_enterprises AstroLabs: http://astrolabs.com/ Quotes Mentioned:“You cannot be unsustainable.”“The biggest mall in Dubai is open during the night.”“There is always room to grow.”“What the pandemic brought very clearly is a change in consumption.”“Be humble because if you are not humble, you miss a step.”“Delivering a package will still remain A to B and doing it right the first time.”“Put people at parity with compliance.”“Compliance is the key.”Guests Social Media Links: Website: https://www.ups.com/us/en/Home.page? LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-francois-condamine-b634318/?originalSubdomain=ae 

Our guest is Dr. Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Founder of The LightHouse Arabia, a premier mental health and wellness center in the UAE. We check in on mental health in our "new normal" and we discuss unlocking our potential as individuals and business leaders, listening to our spirit, taking back our power, unleashing creativity and healing both our body and mind. If you're looking for inspiration, this episode is for you!Find out more about The LightHouse Arabia by visiting their website: www.lighthousearabia.comThank you to our sponsor Astrolabs. To avail exclusive discounts visit: www.astrolabs.com/loulouTo reach out to us, visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

Our guest is Dr. Saliha Afridi, Clinical Psychologist and Founder of The LightHouse Arabia, a premier mental health and wellness center in the UAE. We check in on mental health in our "new normal" and we discuss unlocking our potential as individuals and business leaders, listening to our spirit, taking back our power, unleashing creativity and healing both our body and mind. If you're looking for inspiration, this episode is for you! Find out more about The LightHouse Arabia by visiting their website: www.lighthousearabia.com Thank you to our sponsor Astrolabs. To avail exclusive discounts visit: www.astrolabs.com/loulou To reach out to us, visit: www.conversationswithloulou.com

What is the best way to learn? Do you really need a degree? How do companies learn? More importantly, how can you keep learning at work and outside work? Ahmad AbuGosh, Director of Marketing & Learning Programs at AstroLabs, discusses all these questions and more in our launch episode. If you'd like to learn about what we do in the digital and tech space, be sure to visit our website astrolabs.com

AstroLabs founder Muhammed Mekki discusses the new ruling that Saudi Arabia is requiring organizations to have regional headquarters in the Kingdom if they wish to bid on government contracts.

We ask Vinamra Longani of the law firm Sarin & Co. whether these digital documents could make travel easier. Plus, we look in depth at the big announcement out of Saudi Arabia - that anyone who wants a government contracts will have to open a regional headquarters in the Kingdom. And, KitKat is introducing a new flavour - but it will be without one specific ingredient. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Baz is a seasoned executive with nearly 2 decades of experience in sales, marketing and management having worked with Accor Group, DaimlerChrysler Financial Services and ActiveM before launching Nabbesh.com in 2011, the region’s first and largest online marketplace connecting 120k independent contractors with 15k businesses. To date, over 20k projects were posted on Nabbesh.com, further cementing its position as a leader in the gig-economy. In 2017, Baz co-founded Kickstart Studio, an agency with a core team of design and tech experts to help non-tech entrepreneurs and SMEs build their MVPs. Baz also worked over the course of 15 months as a Digital Transformation & E-commerce consultant with Cedar Bridge, a UAE based PE firm with global investments in healthcare, education, beauty and CPG. In 2018, Baz founded Kickstart Ventures, a network of angel investors looking to invest in early stage startups. Baz is also a mentor for Wamda X, Hult International Business School and most recently (2019) Startup Bootcamp Coach with Astrolabs. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/georges-khalife/support

Dr. Wael from King's College Hospital London in Dubai explained what symptoms we should be looking out for, as the PCR tests have become cheaper through DHA & SEHA. Plus, as Oman gets ready to reopen International flights next month, we speak to Karl Marshall, General Manager of the Alila Jabal Akhdar about the enquiries they're receiving. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

From our LIVE Facebook conversation with Louis Lebbos, Founding Partner at UAE-based Astrolabs. Louis chats with Hashem about why his co-founder Muhammed Mekki and him left their previous startup Namshi to start Astrolabs and the risks of raising money from the wrong VCs. He also shares his thoughts on digital marketing in the region & why we have yet to see a true “super-agency” of ex-global agencies creatives with local insights and a true appetite to make their own mark. They talk about why everything worthwhile takes a really long time and how Hashem was inspired by Maria Popova's blog brainpickings.org.

Louis is Founding Partner of AstroLabs, an organization on a mission to create a thriving tech ecosystem in MENA. AstroLabs launched MENA's only Google partnered tech hub, hosting tech entrepreneurs from across the world in Dubai and delivers classes focused on teaching digital skills through AstroLabs Academy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dubai-works/message

Louis is Founding Partner of AstroLabs, an organization on a mission to create a thriving tech ecosystem in MENA. AstroLabs launched MENA's only Google partnered tech hub, hosting tech entrepreneurs from across the world in Dubai and delivers classes focused on teaching digital skills through AstroLabs Academy. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dubai-works/message

Application deadline is approaching for the Forward KSA Accelerator program by AstroLabs, if your startup has significant traction and at least 1 Saudi (co-)founder then you are eligible to apply ; BeyondCapital was awarded $450K from Mercy Corps to collaborate and invest in rising early-stage start-ups in Jordan ; STEP Group, organizers of the annual technology festival, STEP Conference, has launched Dreamers, a platform dedicated to preparing children with skills needed to succeed for the jobs of tomorrow ; Careem enters micro-mobility space with acquisition of Cyacle, the UAE-based bikeshare company ; Emirates NBD, one of the biggest banking groups in the region, has recently opened a Virtual Reality (VR) Academy to make their employees more efficient through an engaging and intuitive learning experience ; Eksab, the leading Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) platform in MENA and the GCC, announced a six-figure seed investment from 500 Startups as it looks to capitalize on the prestigious African Cup of Nations being hosted in Egypt for the first time in more than a decade ; Amazon Prime has launched in the UAE and is available to customers for AED16 ($4.4) per month, or AED140 ($38) per year ; Domino's Pizza, the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales, and Nuro, the robotics company transforming local commerce, are partnering on autonomous pizza delivery pilot in Houston ; Orcas, the mobile application that connects parents and students with tutors and babysitters, has raised $500K in a pre-Series A funding round led by Algebra Ventures, Egypt’s leading VC fund, with participation from NFX Capital ; Tenderd, a heavy equipment rental marketplace for the construction industry in the MENA region, has launched with the region’s largest seed funding round of $5.8 million from a spectrum of high profile San Francisco and international investors ; The Hunger Games is getting a prequel next year that takes place 64 years before the first book, set for release on May 19th, 2020. Watch the full episode and join the conversation at startupminute.co.

WyzAnt CEO and Founder Drew Geant discusses the best and worst ways to learn, particularly when engaging a tutor one-on-one.You'll Learn:1) The most in-demand hard and soft skills2) When you should consider engaging in one-on-one lessons3) How to give and receive good feedbackAbout AndrewAndrew Geant is co-founder and CEO of WyzAnt, which brings the proven impact of personalized learning to all learners via the largest tutoring marketplace and community. WyzAnt has one of 75,000 tutors available within 10 miles of 97% of the US population offering their services in-person and online. Drew co-founded WyzAnt in 2005 with his Princeton classmate, Mike Weishuhn. Today, WyzAnt has 80 employees in offices in Chicago and San Francisco. With now over 2 million tutors and students that have used the platform, the company was bootstrapped with just $10,000 and has been cash flow positive since inception. Items Mentioned in this Show:Sponsored Message: Sleep Better on a Casper MattressSponsored Message: Learn Faster with BlinkistDrew's company: www.Wyzant.comTool: Google SuiteResearch: The 2 Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One TutoringBook: Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G. LaPrevious episode: 036: Detoxifying Teams with Steve RitterPrevious episode: 346: Seizing Career Opportunities with AstroLabs' Muhammed MekkiPrevious episode: 382: The Immense Power of Clarity with Karen MartinView transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep395.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Setting Up Your Company In Saudi Arabia with AstroLabs - Meetup by AstroLabs

Muhammed Mekki lays out how to optimize your career opportunities.   You'll Learn: Why NOT to over-plan your career How to identify and capitalize on each career opportunity The nobility of management   About Muhammed:  Muhammed is a Founding Partner at AstroLabs, a startup hub and training academy for tech entrepreneurs in the Middle East. AstroLabs Dubai is a specialized coworking space that hosts high potential digital technology companies, assisting founders to establish their startups and providing them with a platform to scale globally. AstroLabs Academy delivers a variety of practical training courses on topics related to digital business. Prior to AstroLabs, Muhammed co-founded Dubai-based Namshi, now one of the largest ecommerce companies in the MENA region. He built and led the operations teams and helped raise venture capital funding to fuel the company’s growth. Muhammed is a former McKinsey & Company strategy consultant with clients across the GCC. Muhammed received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He was selected for a full academic scholarship as a Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Fellow based on professional achievements as well as a demonstrated commitment to the development of the Arab World. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania as a member of the Huntsman Program in International Studies and Business.   View transcript, show notes, and links at http://AwesomeAtYourJob.com/ep346

The State of SEO in the MENA Region with Naguib Toihiri by AstroLabs

Making It Happen in MENA by AstroLabs

Startup Stories - Ariika by AstroLabs

Learning How To Code by AstroLabs

Setting Up Your Company Through AstroLabs by AstroLabs

How To Set An Effective Marketing Budget by AstroLabs

Episode 0 - AstroLabs Podcast by AstroLabs

With so many startup’s emerging from the UAE, it’s no easy affair to pick something that stands out. Insydo.com has done just that, and we were here to interview the digital disruptor behind it. In case you’re interested to make best of the local startup scene, Tenaz Disadji has a few takeaways to benefit from. Click through to read more. Insydo is a platform that helps Dubai residents make decisions easier. The website recently won for Best Design & User Experience at the Seamless Awards 2017. The project launched with a campaign aimed to differentiate itself. This was entitled ‘Save Steve’s Job’. Instead of focusing on what Insydo can do for the people, they decided to focus more on the team & the character behind the brand identity. The campaign was effective in terms of leaving online users curious to know more. The challenge after brand awareness was ‘how to get people to understand the brand’ + sell the benefits. Being in the UAE, one of the biggest challenges that startups face is recruitment. In case you’re looking for the best talent, shifting a person’s dream (to work in cities such as New York & London) all the way to Dubai… can be a challenge. “It is imperative to form a team that goes in line with the company's vision.” Although it might be a bit risky, the key is to bring in talent from anywhere across the globe. Never the less, Dubai has gained a name for itself so the city does attract. The website generates curated content that entices users to spend an ample amount of time in simple exploration. Although the team does have alternative content-based performance metrics (events, page views etc.), fortunately, their mission is not to make users buy anything. The goals: Make decision simpler Get to the right place Create the ‘best experience’ Unlike other listing websites, Insydo stands out by focusing on saving people’s time through curation. They consider different criteria (locations, price points etc.) to ensure their content is note-worthy. Their USP: Every business (listed) on Insydo is vetted physically & independently, way before businesses know who they are. Startup life is a learning curve. You cannot get to the fruit without making a few mistakes. One must be able to see the direction in which the company is heading. Although it’s only a while later that one realizes decisions that could have been better taken, what’s more important is how quickly one must react to mistakes. These are general issues in startup life anyway. Companies looking to hire talent from abroad must ensure that the UAE (or any other place) is not simply a transit place for the candidate. One of the biggest wins for Insydo was ‘finding its two founders’. These are individuals willing to share the possibilities, the excitement and the risk. i.e. People to share the experience with. “I would never recommend starting up a company by yourself.” In case you’re planning to launch a startup business, here are 3 tips: Create & focus on a business plan – You may have an awesome idea. And although your starting with assumptions, you have to start with something. This plan is used to build out something solid. For Insydo, ‘The business plan’ helped save a lot of time. Try not to build a tech team (or tech specs) while you havent yet focused on creating a minimum viable product - Once you’re ready, never understand what you need to achieve without testing it. Get it into the market, see people’s reactions and start tweaking. Simply Google to buy website template samples for cheap, test them and find out which works best. Get a feel and then begin investing. Find the right people to match your skill-sets - Think about how much knowledge and experience you have set about for that career. Tenaz had to spend her first six months trying to learn the basics, whereas this could have been better utilized through a resource is critical. In Dubai, licenses are easy to set up and there’s so much flexibility. Rent may be an issue, but then, there’s plenty of schemes and incubators around. Astrolabs in one such example. That would ready help in setting things up. Insydo had a solid business plan and therefore, had it’s own independent formation setup. However, in case you have a risky business model, an unknown market or a shortage of necessary funding needed, you’re better off avoiding the stand-alone route. Thanks for listening Please leave us a rating and review on iTunes. Never left a review before? Here’s how.

Our guests today are Abdul Rahman Risilia and Muhamman Aly from Simply Digital, a Dubai-based recruitment agency specializing in hiring for the digital and tech spaces. Simply Digital is a subsidiary of the well-known Mackenzie Jones. Topics Covered What is the state of the digital and tech job market in 2017? What are the main differences with regards to hiring in this region as opposed to more mature markets? What are the main challenges faced by employers and candidates? How do local candidates compare to international? Who do you look for when hiring for digital and tech? Shady recruiting agencies and deceptive practicies Which industries are doing the most hiring in this region for digital and tech jobs? Hot roles in the digital and tech spaces in 2017 The unrealistic expectations of employers Why employers need to look at recruiting agencies as partners and trusted advisors How to get a recruiter's attention when applying for jobs The role of recruitment agencies in educating the market on trends in the digital and tech landscape The importance of building community in the digital and tech spaces Time Stamped Show Notes [00:30] Our guests today are Abdul Rahman Risilia and Muhammad Aly from Simply Digital, a recruitment agency in the UAE specializing in the digital marketing space. [00:40] Our topic today is the UAE job market for digital and tech related jobs. [01:00] Abdul Rahman's been in recruitment for over 15 years over multiple industries and agency types. [01:21] Simply Digital is a subsidiary of Mackenzie Jones Recruiting. [01:30] Last year they worked as part of Mackenzie Jones but realized it was difficult to break away from the perception that it is a corporate HR & Finance recruiting specialist. [01:50] To solve this, Abdul Rahman and Muhammad pitched creating a separate entity positioned as a digital marketing recruitment specialist. [02:15] Muhammad's been in recruiting for around 6 years and specializes in the digital space. [03:00] There are two main differences in recruiting for digital and tech in this region vs. internationally. [03:15] The digital and tech spaces are in their infancy in this region, so not many people know how it should be implemented. [03:40] The timelines, sales cycles and decision-making in this region are much slower. [04:00] Some segments of the digital and tech spaces, and some industries, are progressing faster than others so there's no uniform growth. [04:30] Over the next year or so things will become easier for recruiters and candidates as more people will digital skillsets enter the market. [05:00] On the client side of recruiting employers have a general idea of what they need in digital roles but don't fully grasp the job requirements, what skillsets are required, where they go in the organization etc. [06:00] Simply Digital does a lot of work to educate clients about their needs and what would work best for them. [06:14] They try to develop trust with the clients as advisors and not just recruiters. [06:34] It's the same problem faced by agencies, when they create and promote campaigns for clients. [07:00] Some employers in this region only want to hire people with industry experience and that limits their options. [08:00] Ubrik's own employees don't have a digital background because the skillsets can be learned and the digital landscape is evolving constantly. [08:30] Ubrik focuses on hiring for the right attitude and a general grasp of digital concepts. [09:20] Candidates coming from a more mature international market (North America, Europe, Australia) face special challenges [09:30] Sometimes told that they are too senior for a role. [09:40] Rejections because they don't have industry experience. [09:55] Some settle into a job but then find out the responsibilities are not what they were initially hired for. [11:10] Some employers want their hires to fit into their idea of the role rather than letting them use their skills to do more advanced work. [11:50] These employees will feel that there won't be career growth in such roles and end up leaving. [11:56] It's challenging to find local talent because prospective international hires have been operating in a more mature market for longer. [12:20] International hires can add a lot of value to this region. [12:55] A digital marketing manager from the U.S./U.S. will be better equipped than a digital marketing manager from this region is the latter only has experience working in this region. [13:05] Not every client can afford to relocate an international hire, so that's where local talent becomes much more appealing. [13:20] Shady recruiting agencies engage in deceptive practices when advertising for jobs. [14:00] Abdul Rahman says this is a common problem with recruiting all over the World - it's his job to do things better. [14:40] Some recruiting agencies set up shop without any experience or knowledge of the industry they operate in. [15:20] 10-15 years ago you would have needed 10-15 years of experience recruiting before you started your own agency. [15:50] Now, with 2-3 years experience recruiters think, "I can do this myself instead of working for someone else." [16:00] It's not difficult to start an agency but most of them go bust in 2-3 years. [17:10] When hiring for digital there are few recruiters who know the space well enough to have credibility. [17:24] Many of Simply Digital's clients end up offering Muhammad a job because he's one of the few recruiters that do have a deep understanding of the digital landscape. [17:48] A HR, Oil & Gas or Finance recruiter can't recruit for digital because they don't know the space well enough. [18:50] Hot digital roles right now - UI/UX designers, product designers, front-end developers, digital marketing managers and social media specialists (junior roles.) [20:20] Clients want unicorns - Arabic speakers with perfect English from specific universities and special certifications. [21:20] A lot of marketing agencies are looking for Account Managers. [21:45] There is big demand for content marketers. [22:30] In most mature markets the banking sector is the biggest hiring machine for digital, but in this region the banking sector has a lot of catching up to do. [23:10] Simply Digital does a lot of work for retail FMCG and agencies. [24:00] Some agencies and clients do understand UI/UX design but in general there is a lot of education required. [25:00] There is not much hiring going on in the startup space but there is potential. [25:30] In Austrialia, Abdul Rahman says around 85% of clients are startups. Over here, less than 10% of Simply Digital's business is from startups. [25:55] Abdul Rahman thinks the UAE is around 5 years behind mature markets in the digital and tech spaces. [26:25] When a recruiter sees you've applied for several roles with hugely different skillsets, it's a turn-off and they are less likely to contact you. [27:15] Apply for one role, and follow up with an email and phone call. [27:35] Make sure your portfolio is clearly provided via URL or attachment. [27:50] For digital hiring don't care about your resume, we care about what you can do. [28:35] If you're applying for a content marketing job you better a content creator and have an active social media presence. [28:55] Show us results, show us a report from one of your campaigns. [29:30] Digital marketing is highly measurable so there's no excuse for not having numbers to back up your resume. [29:50] Employers have totally unrealistic expectations with job requirements for digital hires [30:30] Serial appliers - applying for digital marketing roles, sales roles, finance roles etc. [31:00] On the client side the important thing is creating a partnership with recruiting agencies [31:10] Do the research internally, then talk to the agencies - test them. [31:20] Are they credible? Then trust their advice. [31:40] Agencies want to find you the best possible hires over the long term. [31:50] They want to commit to you and they want you to commit to them. [32:30] If more clients viewed the recruiting agencies as advisors and partners, the agencies would take their jobs much more seriously and dedicate more resources to a client. [33:40] Recruiting in 2017 has been busy so far but it has been slow at times. [34:00] The second half of 2017 should pick up, moving towards a very exciting 2018 for digital and tech in the UAE. [34:20] The key is education - Simply Digital is partnering with Astrolabs and Glass Qube to offer thought leadership workshops [34:40] They want to educate employers and prospects about the development of different verticals in the digital landscape. [35:00] The UAE and the region in general have huge potential for developing the digital and tech spaces. [36:00] More opportunities for networking and learning need to be created to foster a sense of community in the digital and tech spaces. [37:00] As the market matures and employers become more knowledgeable, more of the right roles will start to appear. [38:00] Check out Simply Digital's website - simplydigital.ae - where you can look for jobs and sign up for their newsletter to receive announcements on new jobs and events. Thanks for listening Please subscribe and leave us a rating and review on iTunes.  Click here to do that.