Shajir Gaffar says one must learn passion, integrity and knowledge to grow and survive. Reem Mohammed / The National
Shajir Gaffar says one must learn passion, integrity and knowledge to grow and survive. Reem Mohammed / The National

Off hours: Shajir Gaffar, VPS Healthcare chief executive for Dubai and Northern Emirates



Shajir Gaffar is the chief executive for Dubai and Northern Emirates at VPS Healthcare. It was in medical school that Dr Gaffar, now 35, realised he was more attracted by the administrative aspects of running a healthcare group than practising medicine itself. After graduating from Gulf Medical University in Ajman in 2005, he interned at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City Hospital in Abu Dhabi and Mafraq Hospital, Abu Dhabi. He then joined Abu Dhabi’s VPS Healthcare as a corporate manager in 2008, after working at Samaya Day Care Surgery Hospital in Abu Dhabi and the Coastal Health Care Management in Qatar. Ten years on and the Dubai resident has risen up the ranks to become the company’s chief executive.

How do you spend your weekend?

I have two daughters, aged three-and-a-half and one, and weekends are for them and my wife and parents. We go out to the children's play areas and to the movies. The last one we went to see with the children was Jungle Book.

How did you become a chief executive?

By the time I was in the second or third year of medical school, I knew I wanted to be on the management side, and not in a doctor’s chamber. I am more of a people’s man. I became the corporate director of the group in 2009, and the chief executive of Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery in Dubai in 2013 (which is part of VPS).

What is your go-to gadget?

I use a BlackBerry and lately I am into Apple products. I use an iPhone and iPad.

What was the lowest point of your career?

You face multiple challenges when the organisation is growing. One situation I learnt from was during the aftermath of the 2010 crash of a plane going from Dubai to Mangalore, India. The same day Shamsheer Vayalil, the founder and managing director of VPS Healthcare Group, was flying back from India. Out of solidarity, we offered 50 jobs to the families of the deceased and eventually hired 42 people for our operations in the UAE and Oman. They are still working with us, and many have moved from the front desk to administrative roles (158 people died in the plane crash in 2010).

What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?

When I started out I was naive, but over the years I have learnt that you need passion, integrity and knowledge to grow and survive. As in a football match, not every kick will end up in a goal, but the right attitude and good teamwork will help you achieve your goals.

What is your most indulgent habit?

Eating out. Even though I am a doctor, I do not restrict my diet yet. I like to eat out with my family, and am fond of all cuisines. With so many restaurants opening in Dubai so often, you have many choices.

What do you have on your desk at work?

My desk is always clear, there is not much of clutter there. But I always have a laptop and one small diary where I write down things to do.

What can’t you live without?

My daughters, wife and parents.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

I try to spend time with my family even though I have to travel a lot for work. But I also enjoy the travelling as I get to meet people and different business cultures, and learn from them. Lately, I am into a fitness regime. I work out five days a week, for an hour, from 7am to 8am. My office on Sheikh Zayed Road is 10 minutes’ drive from my home in Al Barsha. I am in the office around 9am, and how long I stay depends on the projects I am working on.

If you could swap jobs with anyone, who would it be and why?

I thoroughly enjoy what I do and cannot imagine doing something else. I get to meet a whole plethora of personalities. My mother wanted me to be a doctor or an engineer. My sister is a gynaecologist. I, too, went to the medical school. But the administrative aspect of medicine attracted me. Though I was born in Kerala, India, we went to school in Saudi Arabia and India. And then went to the medical school in the UAE. From here, I want to grow to have larger responsibilities with the company.

ssahoo@thenational.ae

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Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
  • Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
  • Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
  • Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
  • Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
  • Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
  • Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
  • Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
  • Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
  • Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.

Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz

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Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Letstango.com

Started: June 2013

Founder: Alex Tchablakian

Based: Dubai

Industry: e-commerce

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Investors: Self-funded

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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.

The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:

Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.

Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.

Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.

Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.

Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.

Saraya Al Khorasani:  The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.

(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)

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Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)

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The biog

Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents

Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University

As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families

Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too