Streams of Progress

Isobel was born and educated in Cambridge and came to Dubai in 1968 which has been her home ever since.

Isobel taught at the Dubai Infants School for several years before her involvement in setting up Al Ittehad Private School and soon after co-founding Magrudy’s, a bookshop chain, in 1975.

In addition to Magrudy’s, Isobel actively set about publishing children’s books in Arabic and English that have relevance to children from, and living in, the region. Together with the support of the Mohammed Bin Rashid al Maktoum Foundation, Isobel initiated a new reading and teaching scheme in Arabic, called Bustan Al Qusas, which empowered teachers to write and use their own stories.

In 2008 Isobel founded and is Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word, bringing people of all ages together with authors from across the world to promote education, debate and, above all else, reading. The Festival won the Best Festival title at the Middle East Event Awards in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and in 2016 was declared Best Family Friendly Day Out at the Time Out Dubai Kids Awards.

Awarded the Cultural Personality of the Year by Dr HH Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah in 2010, an OBE by HM Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 2012, Cultural Icon of UAE by The 3rd Petrochem GR8! Women Awards-Middle East 2013, one of the Watani Humanitarian Awards in 2013 and more recently, the Al Owais Cultural Award 2014 and the Time Out Kids Outstanding Contribution to Children’s Award, Isobel has received official recognition for her tireless campaign to improve literacy and a love of books, particularly for children.

In May 2013 and 2014, Middle East Business selected Isobel as one of the most influential Brits and the most inspirational woman living in the UAE. She was also selected at the 2015 Femina Middle East Awards ceremony as an ‘Unstoppable Woman’.

On the eve of the 2013 Festival, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and also the Festival patron, issued a Decree forming the Emirates Literature Foundation, naming Isobel as one of the trustees on the Board. In addition, Isobel also holds the position of CEO of the Foundation.

Isobel was appointed a Trustee for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2014, the premier prize for novelists in Arabic.

As the co-host of ‘Talking of Books’, broadcast weekly on Dubai Eye 103.8 FM, Isobel has now found an enjoyable way to spend Saturday mornings discussing the latest titles and interviewing authors from around the world.

Enjoy the show! 

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Jean-Michel Gauthier is the CEO of InternsME.com, an online platform that connects students & fresh graduates with top employers for internships, traineeships and entry-level job opportunities. He is actively driving the growth of the company, which has attracted thousands of registered candidates and employers.

In 2015, InternsME was ranked amongst the top 100 SMEs in Dubai and recognized in the top 3 most innovative SMEs. In 2016, InternsME was awarded “Digital Startup of the Year” by Entrepreneur magazine. The company is now active throughout the GCC and planning further expansion and product launches in 2018.

Jean also manages Eternal Venture’s fund which has made 3 portfolio investments within its first year of operation. He has assessed hundreds of business plans and market opportunities.

Jean was educated in the UAE, followed by a Masters degree from Kings College in London. He founded his first startup in 2007 and successfully launched the world’s fastest PC in the UAE. He has since worked in a number of multinational organizations and in late 2013, structured a shareholder exit of his family retail & wholesale business. His specialties include entrepreneurship, innovation, digital startups, employment & recruitment, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, team management and growth strategy.

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Amel Murphy is the Co-Founder and Director of Sustain Leadership, which is a boutique Leadership, Change and Innovation consulting firm. Her clients include FTSE100 companies, Public Sector Leaders and Social Entrepreneurs. Before building her own consulting business, Amel had an 18 year career working for large multinationals, with 8 years of experience as an Executive in the O&G industry.

In this episode, Amel shares a powerful story about how she experienced a very tough time of uncertainty in her life and how she broke through to start fresh with a new vision of what success looks like, both professionally and personally.

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Jad Halaoui is the Chief Operating Officer of Washmen, which is the UAE’s fastest-growing DryCleaning and Laundry business. He has successfully transitioned from a promising career as an engineer in the oil & gas sector to building a thriving startup based in Dubai.

Jad is a passionate guy who gets right to the point and helps us explore how to effectively bootstrap your way to growth. In this episode, Jad shares how his social network and community around him helped to propel him to entrepreneurial success.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.