Omar Al Dhiyebi has been a football fanatic since he was a toddler kicking about with his four brothers at home.
The 26-year-old’s father has supported Manchester United for more than 40 years. As a result Al Dhiyebi’s passion for the game evolved and became his way of showing his personality.
“I’m a quiet, reserved person, and football gives me the freedom to express myself in my own way, whether it’s on the pitch or watching Manchester United play on television,” he says.
Despite having graduated with a degree in real estate and urban planning from Reading University in England and now working full-time as the tenant relations manager for Yas Mall, football has defined Al Dhiyebi, who is also a Level 2 coach certified by the English Football Association.
“When people think of Omar, football is the first thing that comes to mind,” he says. “After graduating and returning to the UAE, I started to pay great attention to the services provided here. I wasn’t happy with the standard of football and decided I needed to do something to change that for the sport that I love.”
He started Regional Sports, a sports-development company that focuses on promoting and developing grass-roots football in the UAE, and specialises in football-pitch bookings, leagues and tournaments and a Little Leagues football academy.
“I enjoy developing young footballers – being a qualified coach allows me to influence positive change,” Al Dhiyebi says.
And that he continues to do – during Ramadan he launched a campaign to donate old sports kits to children in need.
“We believe everyone deserves an opportunity to play and express themselves – small donations can help so many people,” he adds.
Al Dhiyebi's next goal is to develop The Football Community (www.the-fc.ae), an online platform for football coaches, players, investors, sponsors and fans to share ideas on how to promote and develop the sport in the UAE.
What music are you currently playing in your car?
[The Dutch remix artist] Sam Feldt’s Kriebels mixtape because his music starts off with positivity and inspiration and then becomes very chilled-out, which I like.
Describe yourself in a sentence.
A young and ambitious advocate of positive change.
Where do you go to relax?
The beach. It’s where I get to reflect on the past couple of days and think about my next step.
What football team do you support?
Manchester United, all the way.
Who's your favourite sportsperson?
Ryan Giggs, the former Manchester United player, now assistant manager. He is a person I admire and look up to. He shares a lot of the core [sporting] values I do – ambition, loyalty, passion and great sportsmanship.
What's your advice to young Emiratis?
Have big ambitions, do what you love, be innovative and learn from those around you. The UAE provides us with many opportunities to flourish in different industries. All it requires is the will, thorough due diligence, hard work and dedication.
Who inspires you and why?
My father and elder brothers, who are working hard for the right reasons – to learn, develop, grow and give back to the UAE.
What is your favourite quote?
It’s actually an Arabic saying: “He who has the right intentions will have a beautiful life.”
If you could have a superpower what would it be?
To stop time. I have so many things I would love to do and so much to give.
mhealy@thenational.ae
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ROUTE TO TITLE
Round 1: Beat Leolia Jeanjean 6-1, 6-2
Round 2: Beat Naomi Osaka 7-6, 1-6, 7-5
Round 3: Beat Marie Bouzkova 6-4, 6-2
Round 4: Beat Anastasia Potapova 6-0, 6-0
Quarter-final: Beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-0, 6-2
Semi-final: Beat Coco Gauff 6-2, 6-4
Final: Beat Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-2
The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 118hp
Torque: 149Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Price: From Dh61,500
On sale: Now
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
