A Dubai Police officer has overcome her fear of water to become the first woman to lead the marine rescue department.
Maj Atiqa Al Dhaheri, 51, stepped up to cover for the department's chief, who is away for three months, and is undergoing diving and first aid training in her quest to become the first female rescue diver on the force.
She has achieved all this after overcoming a deep-seated fear of water.
On my first day [of swimming lessons] I refused to get into the pool and I spent the time sitting on the edge with only my feet in the water
Maj Atiqa Al Dhaheri,
Dubai Police
Her fear was the result of an incident when she was 11, when she and her cousin ventured too far out to sea.
Not knowing how to swim, they almost drowned and were rescued by their uncle, who pulled them out of the water unconscious.
The experience left her scarred and deeply fearful of water, something that stayed with her until recently.
Chance meeting
Maj Al Dhaheri's career with Dubai Police was due to a chance occurrence.
While taking Arabic language studies at Alwasl University in 1994, she accompanied her aunt to the force's headquarters.
“It wasn’t a childhood dream to work with Dubai Police, nor was it something I even thought of or considered,” she said.
“My aunt wanted me to accompany her in her third attempt to apply for a position with the force.”
The recruitment officer suggested that Maj Al Dhaheri, who was 22 at the time, should also apply, which she did without hesitating.
A week later she was accepted into the force but her aunt was not.
She went on to hold desk jobs in the archives department and the customer happiness centre before finally deciding to join the maritime police station in 2002.
Years later in 2013, she received a best service award from Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, in recognition of her contribution.
Growing confidence
The turning point came in 2022 when Maj Al Dhaheri decided to enrol in a specialised marine rescue training programme, despite her deep fear of water.
“It didn't cross my mind to take part in a marine rescue training programme and when they announced one in 2017, I didn’t take part,” she said.
“I told my superior officers when they asked why I didn’t take part that I didn’t know how to swim and that I was really scared of water.
“But I received encouragement to at least try, so when the programme was announced in 2022, I thought to myself why not.”
Initially, she found herself frozen on the edge of the pool.
“The first thing would, of course, be swimming lessons and, on my first day, I refused to get into the pool and I spent the time sitting on the edge with only my feet in the water,” she said.
With some encouragement from her instructor, she took the first steps towards conquering her fear.
“The trainer held me by the hand and told me she didn’t want me to swim at all and that all she wanted me to do was stand up in the water while holding on to the railing.
“She then convinced me to put my head under water as I held the railing with both hands. She said just make bubbles.
“One day after the other, I thought the water wasn’t that bad and I wasn’t that scared.”
Her confidence grew and a year later, she is now an extremely competent swimmer.
After completing her training on how to operate a rescue boat, Maj Al Dhaheri set her sights on deep sea diving and is currently training to be Dubai Police's first female rescue diver.
The dives can last hours and also have to be conducted in the dark.
Maj Al Dhaheri believes everything in her life has unfolded according to plan.
“I am grateful for the outcomes this plan has led to in both my professional and personal life, and I remain optimistic that it will guide me towards greater successes,” she said.
“But I hope to see the Ports Police Station establish a specialised women's department in the maritime sector, a plan for which is being considered.
“I also hope that a department in the police headquarters or a police station that is fully led by women will be established and that I take on the role of its director.”
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
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.”
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
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