The first female Emirati aircraft engineer, who has spread her wings within the traditionally male-dominated aviation sector, is also making an impact on the ground by planting mangroves in the UAE.
When the country announced its ambition to plant 100 million mangroves by 2030, Suaad Al Shamsi, a senior programme manager with Etihad Airways, came up with an initiative to offset the airline’s carbon footprint and address climate change.
“It came to my mind: 'Why don’t we plant a mangrove and people can adopt it?'” says Al Shamsi, who is a mother of two young boys.
Last February, the Etihad Mangrove Forest launched on Jubail Island in Abu Dhabi, with Al Shamsi planting the first tree. Since then, thousands of mangroves have been planted.
“We have an application through which people can adopt a mangrove, visit the mangrove, 'chat' with it and see how it's growing,” she says.
One mangrove tree absorbs 12.3kg of carbon dioxide in a year and more than 300kg over its lifetime.
On the day The National visited the mangrove park, workers offloaded hundreds of seedlings from a truck, put them into baskets and carried them through the swamp. They then waited until the afternoon for the water level to recede before planting the saline-tolerant shrubs. Mangroves are planted on site all year except during extreme summer, between the end of May and July.
“After planting each tree, the planter will capture it with their phone because we want to be totally honest with our customer that this is the tree that belongs to you,” says Al Shamsi.
Travellers can adopt a tree using their Etihad Guest Miles or by booking an economy space seat with the airline. The donation finances the growth of the seedlings and their maintenance needs.
Details of every tree are captured using an app called TreeCorder, including photos, GPS location, date of planting and the farmer who planted it. Adopters will then receive a link to name their tree and watch it grow. They can track its location, age and height, and even “chat” with a chatbot connected to the tree, for up to 10 years.
Al Shamsi has named two of the mangroves after her sons Yousuf and Sultan. “I often bring my kids to see their mangroves, to educate them on how to save the environment and how to be part of the sustainability journey, not only for the country but also for the Earth," she adds.
“When my children and I travel, they always ask me: ‘Mommy, when will the Etihad mangrove forest become international?’ And I tell them always: ‘It's coming soon, wait for it.’”
Inspiring other women
Al Shamsi qualified as an aircraft engineer in the UK before returning to Dubai. She defied all odds when she started her career 18 years ago as the first female aircraft engineer in the UAE. She then progressed to other areas of aircraft operation, including being a technical service engineer. She now works as a technical adviser for the Midfield Terminal Project with Etihad in Abu Dhabi.
Besides managing a hectic work schedule and raising her sons, she also advises and inspires other women to take up roles in male-dominated fields, such as aviation. “I'm proud to say I am the first female Emirati aircraft engineer, but it has made me more responsible to give back to society and educate the new generation," she adds.
“When I retire, I want to see as a percentage, not only three, four or even 10, but 50 per cent of women working in aviation, including the operation and technical areas,” she says. “If you can dream it, you can do it. So be the leader you were born to be.”
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
