Amber Rashid is the managing partner of Zebra Crossing, a children's indoor entertainment centre opening in Dubai this month. The Pakistani entrepreneur trained as a doctor before taking an MBA, setting up a medical services business and later, a beauty company.
Describe your financial journey so far.
In Pakistan, there is a big rich-poor divide and my parents were quite well-off, so life has been comfortable for me and I can't say I struggled when I was growing up. I've had a good education and went to the most prestigious and expensive medical school in Pakistan. When my dad was growing up, he was not as well off, but he funded his own studies in the US and set up his own business, which has been quite successful. Because of his upbringing, he has always been very particular about money. Even now, his accounting has to be perfect and he has a better knowledge of my assets in Pakistan than I do. He wanted me to get an MBA and initially I went to business school, but I was passionate about medicine; it was something I had wanted to do since I was a kid. I worked in New York and later London, but the opportunities weren't there in London. I was a senior doctor, but was expected to work at a junior level and I didn't want to work with people who were less qualified than I was. It didn't make sense.
Why did you decide to leave medicine?
It was very frustrating not being able to find a job as a doctor, so after struggling for a couple of years, I decided to do an MBA. Then I set up a school to help foreign medical graduates take their exams and secure interviews to get into the system. My second business was a beauty-services business, which is still running. I haven't regretted leaving medicine. I enjoy setting up a business; it's fantastic the way things start gelling together.
Why did you decide to open a children's play centre?
My husband is a banker and we moved to Dubai in 2007, where I met my business partner at a nursery because we have children the same age. Both of us find it difficult to find a good entertainment space for our children - I have three, aged nine, six and three - at the weekends. It's an idea we've been toying with for almost four years. In May last year, we sat down and decided that this was what we really wanted to do. It's a children's entertainment area and we cater to toddlers and children up to the age of 11. There's a jungle gym with slides, a laser arena with shooting games, a large video arcade, arts and crafts and a cafe, party rooms and a spa.
What has been your biggest financial challenge?
The learning curve we've had to go through to set up a business here. We're spending almost twice our initial budget. Dubai is an expensive rental market and we had to go way above our budget for a premium location like Sheikh Zayed Road. It's also taken us a very long time to find the right people and to understand how Dubai regulations work. Our next venture should be smoother, but this one has taken a lot of time and each day is extra rental costs.
Have you experienced any financial difficulties?
The beauty business I have in London was a big struggle. We started in 2005 and now have six branches, but it was very difficult at first. We were working without a salary, all hours of the day and night and giving out flyers because we couldn't afford to hire anyone.
Are you a spender or a saver?
If you ask my husband, he would say I save in jewellery and clothes, but I like spending on luxury items and nice holidays. We're going to China in the summer and went to Kenya and Zambia last year. I have never been in debt, pay my credit-card bills every month and had the savings to put it into the business.
What do you like to invest in?
In art. I love beautiful things and have some very nice pieces. I love South East Asian art and bought them here, in London and in Pakistan at auction. There are a few artists I love that have become extremely expensive, but there are some things you just have to buy. I don't know if it's an investment because I'm not sure if I could re- sell them, but I might if I needed money for my kids' education.
What has been your biggest financial lesson?
The property crash in Dubai. It was a nightmare for us. We moved to Dubai when it was booming and both my husband and I invested heavily. We've sold them now for less than half of what we spent, but it's not the first time we've suffered. In the dotcom crash of 2000, I watched three years of savings collapse to 10 per cent. I guess you don't always learn from your lessons, but I think that Zebra Crossing is the way for me now. My partner and I have put our hearts into it; it's all we've done for the past six months, from 8am to 9pm, with our kids coming there from school. This is our baby and we have a lot of hopes for it.
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Company%20Profile
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Mountain%20Boy
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
THREE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
RIVER%20SPIRIT
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Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
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If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
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JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The biog
Born November 11, 1948
Education: BA, English Language and Literature, Cairo University
Family: Four brothers, seven sisters, two daughters, 42 and 39, two sons, 43 and 35, and 15 grandchildren
Hobbies: Reading and traveling
