For Katrin Greiling, a furniture designer, architect and photographer living in Dubai, functionality and simplicity have always been part of her ethos. So it is little surprise that she gets the most out of her 2008 black Jeep Wrangler by exploring the UAE for inspiration.
The Wrangler design has hardly changed since it took over the mantle from the Jeep CJ in 1987. With the CJ tracing its heritage back to the Willys military Jeep in the Second World War, its working past was a major selling point for 32-year-old Greiling, who originates from Munich, Germany, but spent 10 years in Sweden.
"My Jeep needs to be dirty and it needs to be taken off road," she says. "I am a practical person who takes photos out in the desert, so it is important that the car is functional as well as exciting. I am from the form of full functionality. It does not need to be decorative or have too many buttons.
"I use my car as an additional tool, like a tripod. I like to get out on the roof for a vantage point for my photography. Above all, it is good for exploring the UAE's culture and geography."
Greiling has made the most of off-roading around the Emirates and, as a regular visitor to the Empty Quarter, she has captured its serene beauty through the lens. But it was on a shoot a little closer to the tarmac where she has had her only embarrassing mishap to date.
"I have only been stuck once before," she says. "I was only on the side of Emirates Road taking pictures of billboards. It was a stupid drive and I could not get out. I had to call a friend's husband, who drives a bigger Jeep, to rescue me."
Arriving from Sweden in 2008 after learning her craft of furniture design, Greiling was never sure how long she was planning to stay in the UAE. However, by the eighth week her mind was made up thanks to her purchase of the Wrangler. "I did not even have an apartment and I was living [in a flat] only temporarily," Greiling recalls. "I was not committed, so to actually buy a brand new car was quite intuitive.
"It was the best thing I could have done. It has opened up a lot of freedom for me and has become a necessity for my lifestyle. I have even gone as far as sleeping on the roof while out taking photographs."
Greiling was always in the market for an off-road vehicle, saying that, although she likes sports cars such as Porsches, she would only drive them elsewhere. The Jeep was up against some tough competition from the Land Rover and the Mercedes G-Class. Eventually she let her designer's instinct take over.
"I like the design of the Jeep. It is not too rounded and was appealing. It is not too big, but it is higher. I would not want to drive a small car here."
Indeed, back home in Sweden, she was fond of the simplistic yet iconic design of its famous car manufacturer. "I drove a Volvo, of course," she grins. "It was a family estate car, a 700 series. I liked the designs of Volvo in the 1980s with their square designs rather than their rounder, modern ones."
While being involved in furniture design in Dubai, which has seen her showcase her talents at the Milan furniture fair in April, Greiling is keen to see what happens with the future of how cars will look in the future.
"New car design is very interesting. With new technologies and materials available to designers, they can play with everything. It will only help cars become more energy efficient and, with electric cars becoming more readily available, they can be creative."
However, Greiling maintains her philosophy that car design should refrain from being too radical. "I can see the industry staying quite conservative for now. It is important that people can recognise what the designers are doing.
"Take the concept that a car can be built out of Lego. I would like to see people have the ability to transform their car to how it suits them. It is what I have done with my Jeep. I like nothing more than to take the roof off to get the best views for my photography."
motoring@thenational.ae
Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House
Racecard
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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
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
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
