Kelly Lundberg, 27, owns and runs Dubai's only personal shopping service, Divine. She styles clients from all over the Gulf region, offering a range of services from a one-day shopping spree to ongoing wardrobe consultation. She has lived in Dubai for five years.
I was born and brought up in Edinburgh, Scotland. I have always had a love for fashion and as I grew up I discovered an innate gift for styling. My friends would ask me for advice on outfits and I'd be only to happy to help. I never thought I'd be running my own business before I was 30 but I am a great believer in making the most of every opportunity, plus you never know what is round the corner.
I came to Dubai with Emirates airlines in 2003. I was working as an air hostess. I only ever saw it as a stopgap and took the job mainly because I wanted to see the world. At the time I was doing an open learning course in fashion buying and merchandising and I had decided I wanted to work as a personal shopper. I started looking for jobs but I was shocked to find nothing like that available, not even in major stores. In fact, nobody was even aware of the concept. I thought if there wasn't someone to give me a job in personal shopping or styling then I would give myself one. I set up Divine in September 2005.
My business plan started off as a doodle on the back of a napkin in a restaurant. I talked it through with friends and in the end saw no reason not to give it a go. So I copied the plan out, went to the bank, got a personal loan and quit my job with the airline. Looking back, it was a huge risk but I was young and naive and thankfully it all paid off.
Every day for me is different. My diary is always packed. Some days I have meetings with regular clients who come to me every few months for a shopping spree. Other days I am out with someone all day for a full wardrobe consultation and hair and make-up advice. Occasionally I do styling for TV adverts or photoshoots. I like to look after myself so most days I make time for the gym.
I love my job. There is nothing better than seeing the self-esteem I have inspired in my clients. When I bump into them in the mall and I see them wearing something I have helped them choose it gives me such satisfaction. Often they look 10 years younger and five kilos lighter just by selecting the right clothes, and the fact they are brimming with confidence makes them more attractive. I think my job is a great gift.
I would describe myself as a "half-full" type of person. In fact, with me the glass is always full. I am very positive and happy. At this stage in my life I feel I understand myself completely. I know how I work and what sorts of people I work well with, I know how to say no and I know my limitations. I hope that means that life will always be good for me.
I don't have any regrets. My mum says that is silly and that everyone has regrets. But even things I wish I had done differently I don't count as regrets because I believe that things always work out. It might not be how you imagined but they do work out. The only thing near to a regret that springs to mind is I wish I'd hired an accountant when I started out. I'm not very good at dealing with money or with saving so that definitely would have helped.
If I could go anywhere in the world I would go to Lapland in the wintertime. I would love to see the Northern Lights and go sledding in the snow. I am lucky to have visited some amazing places already in my life and Dubai is one of them. I am happy here and see myself staying for a long time.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
