‘TAKING OVER SOCIAL WAS AN ACHIEVEMENT’

MAI CHEBLAK, VICE PRESIDENT, GROUP MEDIA AND SOCIAL, EMIRATES NBD

Working in the banking sector… was not something I planned for. After graduating in business studies from the University of Florida, I joined the Al Tayer group as a media executive. I was – and still am – extremely passionate about media marketing, and in four years became media planning and buying manager. I was proud that the management believed in my capabilities and helped me scale the corporate ladder.

I had my second child… while working at Al Tayer. Realising my child needed a little more attention from me and being a perfectionist, I found it a struggle to manage work and the needs of my second child. So I resigned my job – a tough decision particularly because I’ve been working from a young age. Once my two children started school, I felt ready to return to my career. At just that time, Emirates NBD was looking for a senior person to manage their media responsibilities and I fit the bill. Now, 10 years with the organisation putting media marketing and communication plans, and working with our partners closely, I’m enjoying the role. Emirates NBD launched the social media channels in 2012. We were one of the early adapters. It was a critical decision because we knew that once we are on social media we have to be on par with the sector internationally.

Handling social media... is an extremely responsible job. It is a space that is constantly changing; so rapidly that we are unable to put a strategy in place for more than six months.

The challenges are many... Emirates NBD is a leader and we want to continue holding that position.

Succeeding as a mother… is as important as succeeding as a career woman. One is not less important than the other. I believe that being a successful career woman will have an impact in that I will be a role model for my kids. Seeing how hard their parents are working will make them want to work hard and be achievers. If it wasn’t for the support I had from my family, my mother in particular, I wouldn’t have reached where I am today both on the career front as well as with raising my own family.

I’m very conservative… when it comes to my kids. I wouldn’t want nannies to do things for them; I prefer doing that myself.

I’m proud that… my three children are excellent swimmers, horse riders and tennis players. My daughter is a pianist as well.

I am tough on my kids…. and want them to achieve success in whatever they do.

Staying up to date is critical… especially in the space of digital and social. Emirates NBD is very hungry to keep learning. We constantly keep pushing ourselves and our teams to do even better and learn more. To that end, we organise networking events for the team, attend courses, conferences and workshops.

To be successful… I need to equip myself with a strong and knowledgeable team that I can take along with me. When I was requested to look into attracting and growing the calibre of Emiratis at my organisation, I had to put in place a process which included grooming candidates for success – a plan to attract, retain and mentor UAE talent.

When recruiting, I look at… the candidate’s interests, strengths, presentation skills, education background, skill sets, experience and personality, among other things. During the orientation process, the candidate is aligned on his role, his objectives, responsibilities and what is required of them over three months, six months and so on. Regular mentoring, coaching and feedback is provided to the candidates so they know what they are good at and what areas need to be focussed upon.

We believe that… because we spend more of our waking hours at work than with our families in home, offices need to be inspiring so workers are creative, comfortable, hungry to learn, productive and efficient. To that end we are creating invigorating work areas.

What makes me sad… is if year on year I’ve not been learning and achieving on the personal and career fronts. It means I did not go outside my comfort zone. Similarly, I’ll be sad if I don’t see progress in my kids’ development.

I’m happy… when I see a low performer who joined my team going on to become a top performer. I’m also happy to see that my husband, a doctor, has done well in his career. I encouraged him to give up a permanent position in a hospital and set up his dream neo paediatric centre in Dubai Healthcare City.

I’m convinced… everyone has a skill. Finding and developing that will lead to success.

My strength is… I’m positive. I learn from mistakes and move on. If I’ve set a goal, I’ll not allow anything to come in the way and prevent me from achieving it.

My weakness… is that I am very emotional. I try hard not to become emotional at the workplace, but I guess that’s part of being a woman. Another weakness is that I’m a multitasker. When you juggle a lot of things, there is less focus on the tasks. A trait I dislike in others… is lack of honesty.

My greatest achievement… on the personal front is having three healthy kids. I’m also proud that my husband is doing well in his career. My learning in the bank is also an achievement – it shaped my personality. Taking over social was another success for me and a huge achievement.

A lesson I’ve learnt in life… is to never underestimate your capabilities.

My dream… is for this world to become a better place full of love and happiness. On the personal front, to see my kids turn out to be good people in thought and deed, do well academically and be in leading positions and give back to the community.

I relax… when I’m with my family listening to their stories.

My greatest achievement on the personal front is having three healthy kids. I’m also proud that my husband is doing well in his career. My learning in the bank also has helped shape my personality.