The first quarter of 2017 ended with the exciting news of Amazon’s acquisition of Souq at more than US$650 million. Souq has long been an inspiration for the local entrepreneurial community and this news has certainly brought a cheer in the region. Though the actuals of the deal are still unclear, it surely is a huge milestone for the home-grown brand and would definitely inspire more entrepreneurs to build their dreams in the MENA region.

If you were asked to give an example of a person you believe to be a true leader, who would you name? This question is the key to a successful and sustainable business, ecause there’s no replacement for good leadership. An effective leadership is key to solving critical challenges that might threaten the existence of the SME – examples being, insufficient cash flow, rising costs, turbulent markets, impulsive customers, and compliance issues. Leaders in SMEs need to manage things, both big and small.
Consequently, it is the mental framework and strength of the leader that decides the fate of the enterprise, very much like any other organisation.

However, unlike other organisations, an SME leader does not have the luxury to hide behind titular roles, like in a big organisation; nor can they give up, as the stakes are really high than a start-up and failure isn’t an option. In spite of constant struggles of employee engagement and retention, and seeking validation amongst a sea of competitors, SMEs have a strong sense of purpose and the ability to innovate coupled with underlying values that the leader needs to leverage effectively.

This is especially true now as the UAE economy is extremely dependent on the relentlessness of the region’s SMEs.It is important for the leaders now to strive on while keeping the employees motivated enough so that when opportunities present themselves, each one is in the right frame of mind to realise it, grasp it and utilise it to the fullest.

Leadership is no doubt a tricky domain; leaders need to be practical yet empathetic, strict yet trustworthy. But, once a leader has identified their leadership style and has the willingness to adapt to the situations and challenges, propelling a business can be thoroughly educative, awarding and excitable experience in itself.
Happy Reading!

This year has already set a milestone for SPI and the SME community of Dubai & UAE. The Emirates NBD Global Business Series has completed its 25th session at the luxurious Grand Hyatt, Dubai, amidst the crème-de-la-crème of the business industry, media and the top millionaires and billionaires in the region. A mustattend event, the centenary honored two of the most illustrious business leaders of the  region – H.E. Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME & Magnus Olsson, CXO & Co-Founder of Careem.

The December edition of Intelligent SME carries articles ranging from finance to politics,and risk management to life philosophy. It has two interviews; both of them are SME enablers, they believe in creating a better tomorrow for the SMEs, they are symbiotic, they work towards enriching the UAE community; they are committed to building a successful ecosystem; just different approaches. 

Approach ideas; approach people; approach one’s dreams with a renewed sense of conviction and passion. Let that be our New Year resolution.

The third quarter of 2016 ended on a high note, as we celebrated the 4th edition of Global Business Summit with more than 2000 high-profile delegates and multibillionaires coming together under one roof. It was the largest congregation on innovation in the region and was held at Atlantis, The Palm on the 21st of September 2016. Adhering to the UAE Government’s initiative – ‘Customer Happiness Formula’ – we decided to center our theme on the same
lines. So the theme for Global Innovation Summit 2016 was ‘Happiness and the Smart Future’, which witnessed an array of globally acclaimed speakers and panelists, all striving towards innovation and creating a better and happier lifestyle.

People rubbed their eyes in disbelief when a regional transportayion player announced that it had signed an agreement to bring battery-powered, self-driving electric pods to the MENA region. We predict that public sentiment will swiftly change from, "Oh, we are talking about the distant future," to "Are we there yet?" Such is the march of technology and innovation. In this issue, we have brought you a complete snaposhot of the driverless car phenomenon that is eclipsing any other discussion in the automotive world.

It was a pleasure to host and interview Ramy Jallad, CEO of RAKIA and RAK FTZ at our 22nd Emirates NBD Global Business Series session. In an up close and personal interactive discussion moderated by me, Ramy opened up about his work, motivations and decision making and gave a clearer picture about the economic development on the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.....

We were hearing conflicting reports about the region's economic growth prospects over the past few months and decided to investigate. The result is our cover story about the "Continued Strength in the Pillars of Economy - Trade, Tourism, Healthcare, Retail."

 The resumption of UAE's trade with Iran will add one percentage
point to GDP growth between 2016 and 2018. UAE could see trade growing further in the coming years, as it continues negotiations on a free trade agreement with China. The economy has been given a push in the past couple of years by government spending on infrastructure that has included not only airports but other civil projects such as roads, hospitals and museums.

In this issue, we have shone the spotlight on two events that have a direct bearing on SMEs in the UAE. One is the announcement of Dubai SME of their Top 100 SMEs and the other is the upcoming SME World 2016.

Dubai’s Top 100 SMEs are the most prestigious list of its most watched companies. In the past, these companies have gone from being SMEs to multi-million dollar, multi- location based companies in quick time and the current crop of companies have the same potential. A common feature among these companies is their drive to reach out and be present in more locations across the MENA, EU and South Asia regions. We hope to see more multinationals emerge from the companies on this list.

The SME World 2016 is the third edition of the largest entrepreneurship conference in the Middle East & North Africa region and it will be held on 15th March 2016 at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai. Themed ‘Enabling Global Ambitions,’ the conference is a celebration of success that aims to engage small and medium businesses and help them emerge as leaders in their respective fields on a global scale. I hope to see many of our readers there and to reinforce my commitment to help develop the SME ecosystem in the UAE.
I wish you well for the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Monkey. Stay safe and stay strong. 

Best Regards,
Shantanu Phansalkar,
CEO & Publisher, SPI Group.

In this issue, we have shone the spotlight on sectors where the slowdown in demand will have a minimal impact in light
of the UAE's commitments and plans already in place. These sectors include transportation, alternative energy, logistics
and telecoms.

A business ecosystem is held together by innumerable elements. One of these prerequisites is a fleet. Today, a fleet is known to
be an integral part of business as it is directly related to processes such as production, manufacturing, sales and distribution.

An automobile is not an obstacle for large corporations, but an expense for small and medium businesses, who face financial
challenges in their journey. With the automobile industry elevating its prominence by delivering tailored options to SMEs, auto-financing becomes a part and parcel of the deal.

In the UAE, we have banks and financial institutions who lend money in the form of car loan for SMEs. Financial Institutions
and banks not only help you to drive away with the car of your choice but also offer flexible payment options and reliable services. They help SMEs for financing new or used/ pre-owned cars and commercial vehicles as well.

UAE is the second largest automotive market in the GCC and is also one of the largest importers of used cars. With Dubai 2020 Expo, many businesses are shifting the base to the UAE, further boosting the demand for heavy trucks and other commercial vehicles. 

The Intelligent SME October-November 2015 issue focuses on Autofinance for SMEs and covers special features on importance of SMEs in the auto industry from Al Nabooda Group and commercial vehicle financing from Emirates Money. The magazine carries an interview on easy payment options from Toyota along with many informative articles on sales and marketing, insurance etc. from experts.

Share your valuable feedback and informative articles at editor@theintelligentsme.com

Insurance is a form of risk management used to avoid uncertain loss. It is important for SMEs to realize that unforeseen threats such as natural disasters, accidents and legal fights can lead to disintegration of strategic assets and wipe out their long-term efforts. So it is necessary for SMEs to identify the potential risks and have an effective enterprise insurance strategy in place.

The vibrant Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) are propelling the economic growth of the country and are accountable to majorly contribute to the economy in 2015.  Several banks and lending platforms identified this segment as a key strategic focus in the coming years due to its high performance last year. Most of the banks are allocating more funds and have developed special policies for SMEs to boost its vitality to reinforce a flourishing economy.

Neil Petch advocates on learn the skill of prioritising tasks
by embracing a productive outlook. His philosophy goes: "if
you want to be truly successful in business, balance is key.
The trick is learning how to work smarter

With suitable guidance and education,
entrepreneurs can scale up their business and
positively impact the economic situation of
a country, believes Noor Shawwa, Managing
Director, Endeavor UAE.

SellAnyCar.com introduces you a new concept
of knowing-all about your car in just a click,
not more than 15 seconds precisely. In a
candid chat with ISME, Saygin Yalcin, CEO
of the online venture discussed the growing
gap in the market for accurate information
on the real value of used cars, the iPhone app
empowering information for users on the go
and much more.

Emirates NBD, the leading
banking group in the region,
announced that its investment
bank is ranked as the leading
arranger of US dollar denominated
sukuk globally, according to a daily
newspaper report.....

In the past, I have interviewed and engaged extensively with successful businesses of various hues and contours in this region to provide the SME community an up-close and personal account of strong business models, tricks of the trade, and, in-short, what keeps them going. But, wouldn’t it be an interesting feature to list out the reasons why companies fail to reach their potential, or fail to grow beyond mediocrity, or just fail to grow?

Failure could be an outcome of multiple reasons in business, but one major letdown could come from the lack of passion to grow or spot new trends in the market, and work towards outpacing competition. A large number of start-ups involve \"forced entrepreneurs\", where a person sets up a company because he doesn\'t have a job, leading to not very pleasant outcomes. Not many entrepreneurs have the desire, appetite, ambition and training required to build a bigger business.

As the curtains comes down on 2013, it’s time for us to pause and reflect at the achievements, failures and investigate companies that have been rewarded for translating concepts into solid profits. In an exclusive coverage, the ISME team has put together a mixed bag of most admired companies that have used human capital, corporate governance, international orientation, innovation and financial growth to their advantage. 

In addition, we have also done an in-depth report on the man and the team behind the widely respected quality stamp for SMEs in the region, the Dubai SME 100 rankings. We also had an enlightening experience while investigating the assessment processes, benefits proposed for companies to realise their true potential post earning a rank, et al.

Lastly, the eleventh edition of the Emirates NBD Global Business Series bore witness to profound insights from the corporate youth icon of Dubai, Ahmed Bin Sulayem (executive director at the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre).  Running the biggest free zone in Dubai at an age of 35, he’s  a visionary  with lots of plans for growth and development, not just for himself or the free zone that he administers, but the entire UAE. We hope it makes for an interesting read.

In the current edition, we have Tony Jashanmal taking us through the three generations of their family business. Another interesting interview featured in this edition is that of Gerald Lawless, who had such an important role in taking the Jumeirah Group to such great heights, as he redefined leisure and luxury for travellers coming to Dubai. We also reported on things that SMEs closely follow like the SAP MENA SME summit organised in Turkey. We also featured a curtain raiser on the 2013 SME 100 rankings in this edition. The SME 100 initiative started in 2011 has managed to become quite a phenomenon in just a matter two years, with the SMEs in the UAE queuing up to feature in the latest ranks. We have done an in-depth feature on what one should look forward to in the next rankings, scheduled for release on November 9, 2013. We have taken a close look at the history and the making of these rankings, constructing a report on how companies have benefitted from being ranked. Happy reading.

In our current edition, the team has relentlessly explored insightful achiever’s stories to motivate and inspire our readers. We have portrayed an array of unique businesses: starting from a web-based social platform, which enables small-to-moderate businesses to take loans from micro finance institutions (MFIs) through its website, followed by a video production company catering to corporate advertising, and the renowned door manufacturing firm (Dorma Gulf). Besides, we have also featured a host of new communists who have shared their views on how referrals can become game changers in the exports industry, importance of branding, and why companies close down in less than two years due to ignorance and inadequate knowledge. Finally, our cover story offers an up close and personal account of the man who constructed Danube from nothing to one the biggest building materials company in the region- Rizwan Sajan, chairman of the company. A believer in consistence, determination and hard

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Intelligent SME - April 2017

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