Welshman Doran Davies is the chief executive of Bounce Middle East, a freestyle terrain and trampoline parks concept he helped bring to Dubai after a corporate career with telecoms firm HTC.
Bounce has since opened in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, added venues in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai, and also introduced virtual reality concept Arena Games.
Mr Davies, 44, who has been in Dubai since 2012, lives in Arabian Ranches with his wife, son and daughter.
How did your upbringing shape your attitude to money?
I was born in Liverpool and moved to Wales with my father’s work at Swansea University offering students career advice.
My parents instilled an early sense of being sensible with money and a work ethic. We were never a family who’d buy the latest TV or go on exotic holidays. Everything was provided but if I wanted something, I had to save for it. I was never into fads. On my doorstep were rolling hills, moorland, stunning beaches … I was more interested in going out on my bike.
What was your first paid job?
In Joe’s Ice Cream parlour, scooping ice cream when I was 14. I started on £2 ($2.80) an hour. It had a cult following in Swansea. One of my best friends worked there. It wasn’t about earning, I wanted to be part of that gang and ended up part-time for seven years.
My first “proper” job was as a graduate manufacturing engineering trainee with Rolls-Royce for around £14,000 a year. I was 21, but left after 12 months. It was planned … I wanted to go round the world.
Why swap mobile phones for trampolines?
I met my business partner, Ross Milton. At a barbecue, he showed me a video of a place (in Australia) called Bounce. I hopped on a plane to Melbourne. It reminded me of Joe’s; a lot of young, like-minded people, the job was about fun, interacting, smiles on faces. It was infectious and I felt like there was a strong sense of purpose about the brand – great exercise, but fun first and foremost.
Technically, it’s a licensing deal. I jumped in with both feet. Dubai piques your entrepreneurial spirit and I’m a sucker for a start-up. The other part of my decision was my kids … do I want them to say “my dad is a mobile phone guy” or “dad runs Bounce”.
How did you fund Bounce?
It was all myself and Ross. We put our life savings into this; that really focuses the mind. You’ve got the rational side of the brain thinking, “Don’t do it, you’ve got a secure salary, career trajectory” and the emotive side saying, “This looks exciting, a good opportunity, go for it”. There was no plan B, but I’m a firm believer that reward follows hard work. If you are single-minded, you can make it happen. I learnt young that you get out what you put in.
I'm not one who spends on credit cards. I can't remember the last time I took out a loan
What is your approach to spending?
I’m not one who spends on credit cards. I can’t remember the last time I took out a loan. I still follow that ethos drummed into me early; spend what you have, don’t overspend or borrow. We’re not wasteful and don’t spend a lot as a family. We prefer to re-use rather than buying new. In that sense, I’m more a saver than a spender. You’re talking to a guy who probably hasn’t bought his own clothes for about 10 years. My wife does all that. I don’t like shopping.
When it comes to business, the times we’re in, I take a cautious view to how we manage our money and our liabilities. We have around 300 people working in Bounce across the region, so decisions have to be with those people and their salaries in mind.
Where do you save?
I dabble a little in equity markets. I wouldn’t say I spend enough time on it, so I have investments with experts in London. Also, I invest in my children; their education and giving them as broad a range of interests as possible, whether that’s karate, rugby, gymnastics.
What has been your best investment?
Bounce, financially and personally. When it comes to money invested versus what this business is worth now – also, it gives me a strong sense of purpose. If you love what you do, you’re always going to work harder. And I’m always aware not to forget where we came from, which was to make money work very hard for us. Just because the business is making money, you should still have the same approach to managing it. I never want us to be wasteful.
Do you have a spending regret?
It’s against what I stand for, but when I came here I bought a Range Rover Sport. I loved driving it, but then it went wrong. It ended up so expensive to fix and turned out to be one of my most detested purchases. From then, I decided I’m not buying new or flashy cars. It just has to get me from A to B.
How much do you value money?
I’ve never stressed about income and bonuses. Chasing paycheques is never something I’ve been concerned about. People talk about having a number, but that’s not important so long as I have that cushion, security for my family. I do not measure my success by the money I have in the bank. It’s not about a Ferrari. The days I remember at work are not the ones where we have record takings. It’s about what impression I can leave on individuals, how I can get people active, learning back flips, how I can create a culture that’s go-getting, inspired, energetic … that’s a measure of worth for me.
What luxuries are important to you?
I’m more than happy to spend on holidays, something I’m going to remember and the family will always retain. It’s a necessity; it’s not healthy to not disconnect or wind down.
Has the pandemic impacted Bounce?
Seriously, and I don’t expect the effects to be over until 2022. Our new Festival City venue operated for two days, then closed down. The timing couldn’t get any worse, a lot of financial impact. But we re-opened in Dubai on July 4 and had a queue outside. We’re in a healthy position as a business because we’ve made the right decisions at the right time, so we’ll get through it.
And at home?
Back in February (2020), I could see this coming; our numbers started going down. I sat with my wife and said, “We’re going to be in for a pretty tough ride”. We made sacrifices; moved house to save money, had conversations with the school around fees. We had to further budget. I started baking bread. You look at your cashflow as a family and make judgement calls.
Do you plan for the future?
My ambition is to grow the business into a large sports entertainment platform. What we do in terms of the culture and the model can be adapted and adopted by multiple strands. Getting people active and socially connected … that will always be valued.
There will be a point when we relocate to the UK, closer to family. But plans are tweaked and changed.
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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)
Racecard
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections: 6.30pm: RM Lam Tara, 7.05pm: Al Mukhtar Star, 7.40pm: Bochart, 8.15pm: Magic Lily, 8.50pm: Roulston Scar, 9.25pm: Quip, 10pm: Jalmoud
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2a)
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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
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Honeymoonish
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
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RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
