In 2018, when the Dubai Institute of Design & Innovation opened its doors, its dean at the time, Sass Brown, told The National: “Design has a much more important role in business, and designers are becoming part of the research and development process.”
This week, DIDI celebrates its first crop of graduates, who received their bachelor of design (also the first degree of its kind in the region) at a ceremony held at the Museum of the Future on Monday. Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and member of the Dubai Council, was on hand to confer the certificates and interact with the aspiring designers.
Hailing from all over the Mena region, as well as India, Pakistan and South Africa, the student-designers have dreamt up, worked on and realised some ground-breaking ideas over the past four years.
Ayesha Abdulla Al Suwaidi and Shamma Ibrahim Al Mulla, for instance, created MiFloof, a cheery yellow phygital companion, which assists children in developing emotional regulation skills.
Improving the quality of children’s lives was also top of mind for Nikhilesh Mohan, Sana Elmardi Mohamed, Maha Khalid Baseed and Vaidehi Pal.
Mohan built a visual stimulation device to assist teachers and therapists to engage better with children who suffer from low vision, in a bid to boost participation, while Mohamed’s MindPlay is a headset and app that explore how the gamification of neurofeedback therapy can support the treatment of ADHD.
Baseed and Pal worked together to explore the behavioural patterns and choices of children with autism when they are exposed to different textures of clothing. The results of the study showed that most experienced fabric sensitivity, embellishment issues and fastening difficulties.
Accordingly, the duo created a collection of garments with Velcro fastening, QR code tags, magnetic buttons and elastic waistbands.
Another fashion-forward idea, called the Customisation of High Heels using 3D Printing Technology, was put forth by Sara Nael Alnajadawi. The project uses a three-step process that includes pressure identification tests, scanning and 3D-printing to redesign a woman’s pre-existing pair of high heels or create new, more comfortable ones.
Finally, with the metaverse on everyone’s mind, DIDI design student Nayef Faisal Albastaki took it a step forward and proposed a metaverse space that will promote feelings of comfort and safety in virtual worlds, for those still not comfortable or savvy with this parallel universe.
“The graduation of the first bachelor's of design class from DIDI represents another milestone in our progress towards a vibrant creative economy [for which] we need to make sure the infrastructure and the right programmes and institutions are in place for creatives to develop, grow and flourish. This is not only for our community in Dubai, but for the region and beyond," Sheikha Latifa said.
The ceremony was also attended by Malek Al Malek, director general of the Dubai Development Authority and chairman of DIDI; Hala Badri, director general of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Mohammad Abdullah, president of DIDI; Rachel Schreiber, executive dean of Parsons School of Design; Hani Asfour, dean of DIDI.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
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.”
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
