Sarah Omolewu of Maven Marketing & Events brings celebrities to Dubai to work with local companies. Sarah Dea / The National
Sarah Omolewu of Maven Marketing & Events brings celebrities to Dubai to work with local companies. Sarah Dea / The National
Sarah Omolewu of Maven Marketing & Events brings celebrities to Dubai to work with local companies. Sarah Dea / The National
Sarah Omolewu of Maven Marketing & Events brings celebrities to Dubai to work with local companies. Sarah Dea / The National

Day in the life: A star-studded career


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Sarah Omolewu has worked with dozens of celebrities throughout her career and counts many of their managers as personal friends. As managing partner for Maven Marketing & Events, the American brings celebrities to Dubai to support the marketing, communications and corporate social responsibility campaigns of companies here. She has recently orchestrated appearances by top US basketball players Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and worked with companies including Mubadala and Etihad Airways. She speaks about a typical work day which begins around the same time many others in the city are arriving at the office, but often ends some 14 hours later.

6.30am

I get up. I am a complete morning person. My mind is active and the first thing I do is go to the gym. And then I come out on my terrace. I have a beautiful view of Burj Khalifa. I do my morning meditation there. It’s excellent for balance and I have realised that it really helps me begin the day very centred and focused.

8.30am

I get to work. My mind is very sharp and I write quickly and get a lot of things done so I fire off emails and plan my day. I was headhunted to come here, so Dubai found me. I love it. I have been here five-and-a-half years. I have been able to travel the world because, obviously, Dubai is so close to so many exciting destinations. Being in the States, you could never imagine doing a weekend trip to Hong Kong.

10am

This is when we typically have our team briefings. Right now we are launching Maven Distribution with a focus on bringing or expanding celebrity fashion brands to Dubai and the region.

10.30am

It sounds very clichéd but there truly is no average day. I might meet with one of the luxury retail outlets. I look at the layout of where the clothes would be displayed, things of that nature.

12.30pm

I have lunch with the media. It’s very important for us to maintain strong relationships with the media. When a celebrity comes to Dubai, we put together a very solid PR and marketing campaign that really enhances their presence and brand recognition in the region. We have to choose celebrities who are very personable and enjoy what they do and understand that they are basically being an ambassador for a brand. Particularly in Dubai, a lot of our clients, the families, are worth billions … many are worth more than the celebrities themselves. So a stuck up attitude doesn’t work. There obviously are the diva celebrities but we just tend not to work with them.

2pm

I meet with my attorney because we have a number of celebrity contracts currently under way. I would rather not name them. Once we have a client who is interested in booking a celebrity we manage the contract, negotiate the terms of the agreement. What the celebrity is required to do while they are here, obviously their fee – things of that nature and their rider as well.

3pm

We have a big event for New Year’s Eve, a big celebrity event. I go to the venue with the client and run through the programme as well as look at where the screens are, how the branding is going to appear on the screens. Something big that we always need to be aware of when looking at venues is the security entrance and exit points for the celebrity, potential risks. People who attend these events just go and are completely unaware of all the thought and the planning that goes into these events, particularly with celebrities.

5pm

I go back to the office and finish off any pending emails.

6.30pm

I leave work. I don’t stay in the office too late.

7.30pm

I typically attend a launch event or a gala dinner; it is a way for me to network … and see what the market is leaning towards. It’s almost research.

9.30pm

I get home and schedule my conference calls with Los Angeles or Atlanta with celebrity management because that’s when they start waking up. I really love what I do and I think when you enjoy what you do it doesn’t necessarily seem like work.

10pm

I finish off pending emails and unwind, either by watching a movie or reading a book.

12am

I am in bed. Six hours of sleep a day is all you need.

business@thenational.ae

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What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

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The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

FIGHT%20CARD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meydan Racecourse racecard:

6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 1,900m

7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m

7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh265,000 1,600m

8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) Dh165,000 1,600m

8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh265,000 2,000m

9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m

10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,600m.

Types of fraud

Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

* Nada El Sawy

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C600rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C500-4%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.9L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh119%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Transmission: seven-speed auto

Power: 420 bhp

Torque: 624Nm

Price: from Dh293,200

On sale: now

Super Saturday race card

4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m

UAE SQUAD

Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)