A week in the life of… Rowdha Al Sakit, CEO of D-Town Enterprises

Sunday

It is the beginning of a busy week, with an agenda packed with meetings, so I start my day with a biking routine. This exercise before going to work gives me a boost of energy to start on a good note. I hold a team meeting to understand the status of all the projects, decide the next steps, do performance reviews and get involved with the workflow of the organisation. I then head to a meeting outside the office to see a possible site for the construction of D-Town Library – the largest materials library in the world – to be built in Dubai. At lunchtime, I meet with our legal consultants to discuss the contract for the materials library and later I meet a client to plan a business trip to New York and Italy.

Monday

As usual, I have a number of meetings to attend. But first: coffee. After my kick of drinkable energy I go directly from home to visit another possible site for the materials library. We are in the process of selecting the right spot and checking which one best suits our project. I then meet with top management, including the marketing head, to deliberate on strategic moves for the several sectors of the company. I spend my afternoon in between a conference call with our partners in New York for the library and meeting a client who wants to display his samples at the library. Before the day ends, I help the living and the branding teams to finalise the concepts for the new fit-out of a flower shop project and the store design and brand identity for a food and beverage franchise that will be kicking off in Abu Dhabi. After an exciting day, I spend my evening relaxing at my grandmother’s majlis. She is such a character, full of life and young spirit. I love spending time with her.

Tuesday

Today is a cycling day again. I try to do it twice a week before going to the office. The first work task is a meeting to discuss the strategic plan for the materials library. This is our most ambitious project, which is requiring most of our attention and focus. Today we also meet Dubai Smart Government entities to get their input on the project, which is aligned with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s vision of making Dubai a hub for innovation and knowledge. I return to the office to dispatch some administrative work with the finance department before catching up with friends over dinner.

Wednesday

This morning, two colleagues and I head to a seminar dedicated to developing our presentation and communication skills. I believe we can all improve through continuous training, as long as we are working on the same page, as a team and as equals. We end up getting to know the representative of an Italian brand for design products that we might use in the future for our interior design projects. The team heads back to the office and I spend the afternoon dealing with numbers and figures. I meet potential partners for the materials library and also with the auditor who gives a positive forecast for return on investment in the first year. The future looks promising and I finally go home to relax, with a feeling of accomplishment.

Thursday

We have a new project in hand and I start the day meeting the marketing and branding teams to pass on the briefing from the client and lead a brainstorm session. We will be creating an e-commerce portal for an upcoming local fashion brand. This will set the work pace for the upcoming week. I spend the rest of my day replying to emails and taking care of pending issues. To close the week in a relaxed way I go the spa to pamper myself and set the mood for the weekend.

Friday

On weekends, I allow myself to sleep a bit later. I enjoy waking up slowly, having breakfast while feeding my brain with a book. At around 11:30am I start my Friday ritual visits by going to my grandparents’ house where all the family gets together for lunch. At night, a few of us go to a friend’s house to relax and catch up on each other’s news.

Saturday

I am a licensed diver so whenever I have the chance I go diving. The beach and water excites me. I am a water person and I dare to say I would live in the sea if I could. This Saturday I’m in Musandam – one of the best spots to dive, in my opinion. The water is clear and, fortunately, the heat is bearable. I spend the rest of the day relaxing in Musandam and get back home in the evening to prepare for the next week of work.