Nima Abu-Wardeh is a bilingual English-Arabic broadcast journalist specializing in Arab issues. She presents, Middle East Business Report (MEBR), BBC World’s weekly business and finance program. She has also reported, produced and presented programs for Al Jazeera and Dubai’s Business Channel. Nima is the founder of cashy and campus cashy. Cashy is the first dedicated personal finance social media platform in the Arab world. Informative and interactive, it is available in both English and Arabic. Cashy provides real world suggestions and solutions on a wide range of subjects that help individuals manage their money in all aspects of their lives, all in a friendly and entertaining format. Campus Cashy engages youth to think about the role of money in their lives.
Nima is keen to encourage talent and the region’s youth. She enthusiastically promotes Arab culture and is regarded as an opinion leader. Nima has written opinion pieces for Forbes Arabia and has taught media courses at Zayed University as a visiting lecturer. Nima regularly chairs, and is a speaker at, regional and global gatherings. She has received awards for excellence from regional businesses and communities. In June 2009 she won the first Oxford Alumni debate to be held in this region. Nima is a Young Arab Leader.
1. How do you like living and working in the UAE?
Living anywhere is what you make of it. I avoid people who complain, and would much rather be surrounded by those who see the good in things. I have had many wonderful adventures – the hiking, biking kind – during my years here. It's so easy to get up and go, explore and discover from this base. Also, the people I have met over the years have been inspirational and have become great friends. It's all about what you make of it! But I have found that many people here forget about saving for the future and have a constant water-cooler conversation regarding where they're going to retire to, what they should or could be doing with any money they have, or wonder how they can afford to look after themselves for the rest of their days. This is one of the reasons I set up cashy.me – to get us all to think about the role of money in our lives, share stories, and remind each other that we are after all guests in this wonderful place – and so, if we have nothing to show for our years of work here, we'll be in trouble.
2. What is your average day at work like?
I don't have an average day. I tend to split my days into various deliverables or functional elements. I do my best to work on cashy.me every day of the week – even if it's just thinking something through or logging online and interacting with the community or with my team. Two days a week are set aside for the BBC World programme that I present, the Middle East Business Report, and the rest of my time I juggle between focusing on the job at hand while allowing my heart and mind to bring to life my next venture(s)! Certain days are blocked out for training, public speaking, and moderating conferences and forums. So, really, what I do each day or week depends on what's booked for the week in hand. I do my best to live by what I preach on cashy.me – namely think about being contentious about where and how you spend on a daily basis. I pack every lunch and am very much a champion of deliberate, conscientious behaviour regarding money and how it's used.
3. What is the most important thing you look for in new hires?
Attitude is the most important thing. I believe people can learn a skill, but having the right attitude – which for me means having pride in what you do, having an inquisitive mind and being a constant learner – is vital. The ideal candidate should not just focus on simply doing their bit on the job; they should be willing to go above and beyond their task to make sure that the end result is achieved. For me, this is all part of pride in work because this spills over into every element of work and life.
4. What is the biggest challenge you face in hiring talent?
Meeting people with the right attitude and desire. Then I'd say people with what I admire – people with a “spider’s web” style of thinking – which means thinking things through, in an all-encompassing manner. For example how things affect status quo, where content would sit, how it would be accessed, the relevance, delivering within deadlines, and how information and content can be best used. Finally, people with good language skills in Arabic, and by this I don't just mean having good command over the language (though it is a beneficial) but also being aware of concepts and current affairs, such as what is a “property ladder” in Arabic or an “offshore bank account” or what do various economical terms mean and understanding them as well as communicating them well for the reader. For cashy.me finding people who can use simple, demystifying language to bring to life the all-important 'money and life' issues is a challenge because what we are trying to do through our website is empowering people to take control of their finances and, ultimately, their lives.
5. What is your advice to someone looking to start their career in journalism and media?
I'm a great believer in doing – volunteer your time and show people what you're capable of. Work begets work. Don't be precious about work hours. I don't mean you should be taken advantage of, but this industry is all about what gets broadcast or published, i.e. what goes out, not what you had planned to put together. If you miss a deadline, no one will ever know about that wonderful report you were putting together! So, you need to deliver. If it takes you working 16 hour a day to get up to speed, then that's what you have to do, until you're up to speed. You need to be tenacious too – you should have tenacity to pursue a story, or get that elusive interview. If you're easily side-tracked this is not the industry for you. I believe it should be about the best you can do – every time. The “it’ll do” attitude won’t work.
6. What is the most important thing you leant as an entrepreneur, which you would also like to share with other first-time entrepreneurs?
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. You need to sleep, eat, drink, and dream what you've set out to do. If you don't believe in what you're doing, who else would? I also believe that people who work alongside you need to buy into your idea or cause. Therefore, it is vital that you believe in what you're doing. In this market, cash flow can be a killer; bill payments don't come in when you'd like them to, so you must be careful that you are not overstretching yourself. Moreover, I truly believe that we all need so much more emotional and daily life support than we curently get. Reach out to your friends – those who believe in you and love you – and talk things through.
One more thing: take a step back. We sometimes sink so deep into the enormity of what we've created that we miss the bigger picture. It's very important that we take a step out of the rut and reflect, breath, think, and feel. You'll be surprised at the new found clarity of thought that comes with that. This is exactly why we have profiled entrepreneurs on cashy.me: We believe that sharing people's stories – their trials and tribulations –on cashy.me specifically shows how their relationship with money enabled them to do what they're doing! We'd love the Bayt.com community to read and interact with what we've put out there.
7. What do you read to keep abreast of industry developments?
I tend to scan online platforms that are making waves and are successful in their niche, so it's a mixed bag of top social media platforms. There's also the obligatory Twitter and online press – not so much hard copy these days and very little TV time!
8. How do you think the Middle East has evolved when it comes to HR policies and practices?
New laws being implemented in countries like Bahrain – which essentially give employees the freedom to change jobs and not be bound to their employer – are great and should work towards a better work environment encouraging staff to stay on in a certain place. There are downsides also though, I feel that the intrinsically transient mode of living here may tend to give employers a “take it or leave it” attitude and think that if someone goes, there will be others lining up for the job. Sometimes it can be the other way round; some employees don’t look for a long-term career with an employer – instead, they're looking at each opportunity as a stepping stone to the next one.
Due to the diversity of this region, we have everything here from best possible practice, to very shabby procedure. But things are evolving, and I hope with more markets opening up, the attitudes of people will also change; they will start to feel responsible for not only their prosperity and growth but also that of their organizations.
9. Anything else you'd like to share with the community of Bayt.com Employers?
I believe passionately that we must look at our relationship with money – today. Having money gives us more options to make choices in life. Not having it enslaves us to various things. I'm thrilled that Bayt.com is enabling people to find a job which is their chance to having a decent life, but if we don't start managing our finances wisely, we're headed for trouble. Saving is not about not having fun, or squirreling every penny away; it’s about living within our means and planning for the future. I would urge everyone to join our cashy.me community and share their money story with us – we all have one! It'll get you thinking about where you're headed with your life and you could also help someone else learn from your experiences!
