My 2020

All industries experienced disruption in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but for the aviation industry it was an unprecedented crisis. “Heartbreaking”, is how group chief executive of Etihad Airways Tony Douglas described the moment when the airline’s entire fleet was grounded on March 23 2020, in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, he also said “it was absolutely the right thing to do”. Mr Douglas, who has over three decades of experience in the aviation industry, said Covid-19 has “eclipsed” all other crises faced by the sector “because of the impact that it has had”.

In the last of the seven-part “My 2020” series of conversations with leaders on how they and their industries were impacted by Covid-19 this year, Mr Douglas spoke of how the aviation industry has changed – and will have to continue to change. He said there are so many negatives in 2020 but “you can learn an awful lot from negatives”. As Covid-19 developed into a global health crisis, Mr Douglas said it became increasingly clear that leaders had to handle a "certain degree of ambiguity". He added "the one thing you can't create is what I would describe as false certainty”.

“My 2020” is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, who speaks to leaders about how their lives and industries have been altered by Covid-19.

The worlds of academia and the arts were greatly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Sultan Al Qassemi, one of the most established authorities on Middle East arts and the visiting senior lecturer at the American University of Paris, speaks of how Covid-19 changed his life, and changed societies. Mr Al Qassemi is the guest for this episode of “My 2020”, where he speaks about his personal experience, and how the pandemic forced him to prepare for his two upcoming books on architecture, and also allowed him to start an “online majlis” that brought artists and audiences together all over the world.

“Covid-19 allowed me to reassess my priorities in life. It did displace me. So when I found out that this was happening, I was in Boston teaching at Boston College. And I had to fly back to the UAE and continue teaching the class online. So there was the physical displacement, there was the emotional displacement”. Mr Al Qassemi spoke about his decision to isolate at home for 155 days, “Obviously, spending time with my mother was very good for me, good for the soul, I should say. But also spending time away from friends and other family members was very difficult”. Despite what he described as the difficulties of “emotional isolation, and the physical and geographic dislocation”, Mr Al Qassemi says: “I know many people hate 2020 but I don't hate it. I realize this is part of our human experience.” 

“My 2020” is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by Covid-19.

A major part of a journalist’s life is about meeting with contacts, conducting interviews, travelling to different parts of the country and the world. Covid-19 upended all aspects of normality, including the way many journalists do their jobs. One journalist whose life was greatly changed in 2020 is New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman.

Reflecting on the year, Mr Friedman is the guest for this episode of ‘My 2020’. He speaks about how a number of factors, including the Black Lives Matter movement and US elections, have changed America, alongside the chaos caused by Covid-19. The author who coined the term “the Earth is flat” says that the new reality we are living in means “the world is flatter than ever”.

‘My 2020’ is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by the pandemic.

As the severity of the Covid-19 pandemic was realised throughout the year, plans and events were cancelled around the world. The Olympics and Expo are only two examples of the cancelations that organisers from all walks of life announced in 2020. One major milestone the world was meant to celebrate was the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. World leaders were slated to descend upon New York to mark the important occasion. Instead, travel was halted and heads of state gave their brief pre-recorded speeches to a largely empty General Assembly Hall.

Mrs Fleming spoke to The National of the role of the international organisation as a guest of the “My 2020” podcast.  Global cooperation is needed to tackle the challenges brought about by the pandemic. In addition to combatting the health and economic fallout from Covid-19, the United Nations has declared an “infodemic” that must be tackled. Mrs Fleming said that disinformation and fake news "in a public health crisis, is public harm. It makes people anxious, it leads them astray". The UN has launched an initiative called "Verified" to face this infodemic

Next year, a major task for the UN and governments will be getting Covid-19 vaccines  to people around the world - a logistical and resource challenge, complicated by disinformation campaigns against vaccines. Mrs Fleming warned: "We need to make sure that everybody has access, and even if it's only in our enlightened self interest, you know, nobody is safe until everybody is safe". “My 2020” is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by Covid-19.

Living through the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a vast array of emotions, from fear and anxiety over the unknown, to appreciation and gratitude for what we have. One person who is considering how the individual and how society will work through these challenges is Dan Shapiro, founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program. He teaches a course on negotiation at Harvard College and is an Associate Professor in psychology at Harvard Medical School/McLean hospital. He also has several publications, including “Negotiating the Non-negotiable: how to resolve your most emotionally charged conflicts”.

Considering how to make difficult decisions – life and death decisions during this pandemic – means not always having a “right answer”. Dr Shapiro suggests the focus should be on “what is the best process to get us to find those answers”. “My 2020” is a seven-part series, hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi, The National's Editor-in-Chief, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by Covid-19.

“Amazing hurdles of learning”. That is how Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chair of the UAE Space Agency, will remember 2020. Speaking to The National for a podcast series reflecting on the past 12 months and the complexities brought about by Covid-19, Ms Al Amiri explains how she and her team were able to launch a probe to Mars at the height of the pandemic. “That is what space teaches you”, she says, “just by the nature of the risk that is in the business”.

She also gives management advice for those who have to lead a team through uncertain times: “Change is not something that comes naturally to us… but on the other hand, adaptability is something that does”, adding that we must learn to find balance between the two.

My 2020 is a seven-part series, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by Covid-19.

“A year like no other year.. everything changed”. That is how former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair described 2020 in a conversation with The National for a new podcast series titled My 2020. Mr Blair spoke of his personal experiences during lockdown and how he now lives his life “completely differently”, while expressing his awareness that for a lot of people “things got worse”.

Turning to politics, Mr Blair reflected on the “profound mistake” the UK is making in leaving the European Union, adding that the country needs to reposition itself on the global stage.

My 2020 is a seven-part series, speaking to leaders on how their lives and industries have been changed by Covid-19.

2020 has been an extraordinary year because of Covid-19. Every aspect of our lives has been affected, as have political, economic and societal norms. 

My 2020 is a series of conversations with leaders from a number of fields speaking about how their lives - and our world - have changed. From former UK prime minister Tony Blair to Sarah Al Amiri, the woman behind the UAE’s mission to Mars, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Thomas Friedman, these guests have unparalleled insights.

Intimate and open, this podcast series captures reflections and learning from a truly historic year.

Hosted by Mina Al-Oraibi