My UAE: Hala Badri embodies the strength of a woman

The executive vice president brand and communications for the UAE telecommunications giant du, is also a pioneer for women in this country.

The 40-year-old mother-of-four Hala Badri at her du office in Dubai. Sarah Dea / The National

As a youngster Hala Badri never considered herself ambitious, but looking back she says she was always “quite competitive”.

“I was honoured with the Sheikh Rashid Award for Scientific Excellence in high school,” says the mother-of-four, adding it was then that her career-mindedness kicked in.

Badri was 17 when she received that award and it was the first of many. Now, 23 years later, she holds the position of executive vice president brand and communications for the UAE telecommunications giant du, and is a pioneer for women in this country.

“I also run an independent food and beverage business, volunteer for community projects, sit on five boards and mentor other women in my network,” she says.

It is this commitment to her work and her country that has seen the Zayed University graduate, who holds a master’s in managing e-business, become a female role model.

“There is always more that can be done. It is my hope that through my actions I might inspire others to take up a similar cause, to the benefit of the country,” she says.

Badri’s role at du involves directing the brand’s development through strategic communications, and, while she thoroughly enjoys it, she says the biggest challenge is managing people and their expectations. “As women, we are born nurturers. I try to look at my team as extended family that I have to nurture – be friendly when I need to and firm when I have to.”

Badri rates strength and determination as her greatest traits. “I think transparency, friendliness, determination, generosity and responsibility have got me to where I am today,” she says. “I think [my greatest achievement is] the ability to demonstrate as strong and ambitious women that we are equal to men in all aspects of life, including business.”

And while she has achieved a lot workwise, Badri’s commitment to family is right up there with her list of top priorities. She recalls her fondest childhood memory as the trips she and her siblings took from Deira to Al Diyafa road, to the only Baskin-Robbins ice-cream shop in the area, and now, as a mother herself, she spends any downtime she has with her children, or in the kitchen.

Quick chat

What is your favourite music group or what is your favourite song, and why?

I love the song Hotel California by The Eagles – I suppose it tells you a sincere story of innocence to experience.

What do you never leave home without?

My manners, my prayers to keep my home safe, my mobile phone and my handbag with everything else in it.

What sort of car do you drive?

I have had my BMW for the last decade – it’s a brand that I have so much respect for.

Describe yourself in four words.

Generous, adventurous, sociable and family-loving.

If you had a movie made about your life, who would play the lead role, and why?

I think Jodie Foster would do me justice. She’s intellectual, cultured and seems responsible, even when acting. She has a degree in literature from Yale, and that makes her ambitious yet makes you believe in any character she takes up.

What is your favourite type of food, and why?

I love Japanese cuisine because everything is bite-sized, and I don’t feel guilty after I’ve had sushi.

Where do you go to relax, and why?

I love going to the beach – there is just something incredibly relaxing about gazing at the sea and seeing how vast it is. It really has a calming effect on me. I guess that it makes me feel insignificant, and makes any issue that I may be facing just as small, offering me a renewed perspective on the matter.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given, and by whom?

My dad gave me some advice that really resounds with me: never ask for favours.

If you could have three celebrities around to a dinner party at your house who would they be, and why?

I would love to have George Bush, Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden over for dinner to quell my curiosity about what really happened from their perspectives after September 11.

What is your favourite book or book series, and why?

In fiction, I would say Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code – I simply couldn't put the book down, so rich is it in terms of storytelling style. Business-wise I would say Lean in: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg. It's a book that enlightened me about everything I needed to change to become a better female leader.

What is your favourite holiday destination, and why?

San Francisco, without a doubt — it’s very laid-back and the customer service is exceptional.