Asma Darwish feels most creative in the afternoon and early evening. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
Asma Darwish feels most creative in the afternoon and early evening. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Business

Interior designer a very decorated lady

The Life: Asma Darwish, an interior design consultant, for Indigo Living chats about a typical day in her life redecorating residences in the UAE.

Neil Parmar

October 06, 2011

Asma Darwish spends hours poring over sketches and "mood boards" with clients before redecorating and refurbishing their apartments and villas in the UAE. The interior design consultant for Indigo Living discusses a day in her life.

6.30am

I usually wake up by this time. However, as I am currently preparing for a triathlon I sometimes have to be up by 5.30am for my swim training. My morning routine is very important: I shower, prepare my breakfast and head to a coffee shop for a nice and peaceful cup of coffee and to read the papers before my busy day starts.

Between 8.30 and 9am

I arrive to work, check my emails, create a list of what needs to be done, follow up with phone calls and site visits and plan my day.

10am

On Sunday mornings we have our sales meeting to discuss our current clients, new inquiries, challenges, ideas and how can we serve our customers better.

Between 1 and 2pm

Lunch. Home is very close, so sometimes I head home or grab a healthy bite from the closest place. There are days that I plan to go to the gym during my lunch hour. I usually don't arrange lunch meetings as I prefer to always keep the formalities with my clients.

Afternoon

I love designing in the afternoons and early evenings, as I feel most creative during that time. The materials, fabrics and the overall look always depend on the concept and ideas that I communicate with clients through meetings, pictures, mood boards, sketches, etc. And, of course, it always depends on the client's requirements, budget and time. I always try to educate clients to bring in a bit of culture from where they live into their living environments and make sure their homes represent who they are and their personalities. I cannot say that I like or specialise in one style; the real art is mixing and matching different styles and being very creative with it.

Late afternoon

In the afternoons, I also do daily research online and in magazines and books to ensure that I know what is happening in design all around the world. I make sure to respond to all my emails before leaving the office, read through my list of tasks, mark what has been done and plan my next day. [I also] have a quick chat with my colleagues.

Between 6.30 and 7pm

I usually leave work. I can be home in a few minutes so on the way I usually stop by the grocery store or meet my friends to unwind, watch a movie and catch up.

Evening

At home I spend time with my family, have a light dinner, watch TV and then have my "me" time.

By 10pm

I am a curious person and I always have unanswered questions, so just before bed is the perfect time to research them and find the answers. I also read a lot before sleeping.

Between 10.30 and 11.30pm

The usual time for me to end my day.

* Neil Parmar

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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.”

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Australia tour of Pakistan

March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi  

March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi 

March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore

March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi

March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi

April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi

April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi

BULKWHIZ PROFILE

Date started: February 2017

Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: E-commerce 

Size: 50 employees

Funding: approximately $6m

Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait

The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick 

Rating:****

Stormy seas

Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.

We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.