In this episode of The Dollar Diaries, we sit down with Emre Aksahin, the CEO of EdGenie, a trailblazer in the education sector. Emre shares his journey from tutoring during university to founding EdGenie, focusing on revolutionizing the way students learn and succeed. With a passion for efficient learning solutions, Emre sheds light on the challenges faced in the education system and how EdGenie is paving the way for a more personalized and effective learning experience.During the conversation, Emre delves into the limitations of classroom time, emphasizing the need for continuous support and guidance beyond traditional teaching methods. He discusses how EdGenie serves as a study companion for students, offering round-the-clock assistance, live classes, exam practice, and personalized tutoring to enhance learning outcomes. Emre also touches upon the inefficiencies in the current education system and shares his vision for optimizing the learning process by providing high-quality guidance in a more time-effective manner.Tune in to this episode of The Dollar Diaries to discover how EdGenie is reshaping the education landscape and empowering students to excel with personalized support and innovative learning tools. Gain insights into the future of education, the impact of classroom limitations, and the importance of efficient learning strategies in today's fast-paced world. Don't miss this engaging discussion with Emre Aksahin as he shares his expertise and vision for a more effective and empowering educational experience.Meet the Team:A dynamic mix of personalities and expertise, each bringing unique energy to the table. Abubakr Sajith, the unofficial leader (even if he didn’t ask for it), keeps things running smoothly with his finance, IT, and entrepreneurial background. Gazala Parkar, the PR pro, is the team’s caring yet no-nonsense mother figure, while Guhaesh Subramanian, the ever-networking master's student, plays the carefree uncle. Anas Memon is the resident numbers guy deep in finance, M&A, and private equity. At the same time, Aditya Poddar, with his love-hate relationship with his 9-to-5, embraces his role as the team’s laid-back producer. Eiman Ansari, the cybersecurity expert, provides comedic relief when she shows up alongside Liz Ann D’Souza, the creative force with a film and content creation background. And then there’s Zainab Netterwala, the IT and computer science whiz, who takes on the role of the little sister in this eclectic, ever-evolving crew.Connect with Us! 🌐X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/dollar_diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dollardiariespodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedollardiariespodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedollardiaries📬 Join Our Community!Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://thedollardiaries.media/Join the SPEND LESS Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FG67aEgWQa5IP1W1ue5J8sJoin us weekly as we explore how to make, manage, and multiply your money! 🎧💵 Let's make those dirhams dance! 💃🕺Chapters:00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:12 - Comparing Countries: Dubai and London00:03:17 - Challenges in Education Systems00:07:30 - Efficiency in Learning Methods00:24:39 - Personalized Learning Support00:34:10 - Shifting Education Dynamics00:41:45 - Individualized Learning Approaches00:50:13 - Academic Potential and Support00:55:30 - Inefficient Educational Spending00:58:01 - Role of Universities and Systems01:01:20 - Success Beyond Traditional Education01:07:38 - Employment Perspectives and Qualifications

In this episode of The Dollar Diaries, we have the honor of hosting Mohamed Samir, a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience as the Group CEO and former President of Halwani Brothers and P&G. With a background in FMCG and a passion for business development, Mohamed shares invaluable insights into the world of consumer goods and marketing strategies. His impressive career trajectory and dedication to writing as a critical skill set offer a unique perspective on what it takes to succeed in the competitive business landscape.During the conversation, Mohamed delves into the importance of efficient data utilization, the power of marketing in influencing consumer decisions, and the essential skills of concise writing and communication. He emphasizes the significance of contextualizing information based on the audience and highlights the challenges and strategies involved in achieving visible distribution for products in a competitive market. Mohamed's expertise shines through as he navigates complex topics with clarity and practical examples, making this episode a must-listen for aspiring business professionals and marketing enthusiasts.Join us as Mohamed Samir shares his wisdom on building shareholder value, go-to-market strategies, and the art of succinct communication in the business world. Discover how to leverage data effectively, craft compelling marketing campaigns, and hone your writing skills to stand out in your industry. Whether you're a seasoned executive or a budding entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable lessons and actionable takeaways to elevate your business acumen and succeed in today's dynamic marketplace.Meet the Team:A dynamic mix of personalities and expertise, each bringing unique energy to the table. Abubakr Sajith, the unofficial leader (even if he didn’t ask for it), keeps things running smoothly with his finance, IT, and entrepreneurial background. Gazala Parkar, the PR pro, is the team’s caring yet no-nonsense mother figure, while Guhaesh Subramanian, the ever-networking master's student, plays the carefree uncle. Anas Memon is the resident numbers guy deep in finance, M&A, and private equity. At the same time, Aditya Poddar, with his love-hate relationship with his 9-to-5, embraces his role as the team’s laid-back producer. Eiman Ansari, the cybersecurity expert, provides comedic relief when she shows up alongside Liz Ann D’Souza, the creative force with a film and content creation background. And then there’s Zainab Netterwala, the IT and computer science whiz, who takes on the role of the little sister in this eclectic, ever-evolving crew.Connect with Us! 🌐X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/dollar_diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dollardiariespodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedollardiariespodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedollardiaries📬 Join Our Community!Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://thedollardiaries.media/Join the SPEND LESS Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FG67aEgWQa5IP1W1ue5J8sJoin us weekly as we explore how to make, manage, and multiply your money! 🎧💵 Let's make those dirhams dance! 💃🕺00:00:00 - Introduction00:01:50 - Personal Anecdote: Family Writing Skills00:05:43 - Role and Responsibilities in Market Development00:08:33 - Simplifying Business Strategies00:10:02 - Challenges of Regional Marketing00:19:37 - Success Beyond Job Descriptions00:23:56 - Involvement in Brand Creation00:29:26 - Smart Risk-Taking Strategies00:33:02 - Importance of Learning from Success Stories00:35:45 - Dynamics of Consumer Loyalty00:41:38 - Consumer Behavior and Purchase Patterns00:43:08 - Challenges of Timely Data Acquisition00:50:00 - Factors Influencing Market Share

In this episode of The Dollar Diaries, Khalid Chami, Group CFO at Ali & Sons Holding, explores how finance leaders should move beyond bookkeeping to become strategic value creators. He emphasizes that trust and the “tone at the top” are foundational in family businesses: understanding shareholder culture, earning trust through competence and honesty, and being included in strategy formulation are essential for long-term success. Rather than viewing finance as merely a cost centre, Khalid advocates for a “chief value officer” mindset—partnering with operational teams to optimize processes, enable revenue growth, and provide timely, actionable reporting.Khalid discusses practical approaches to portfolio management, expansion, and turnaround work in diversified family groups. He recommends grounding decisions in strategy and capabilities—kill or prioritize opportunities based on fit, capacity, and the firm’s strategic objectives—and stresses the importance of listening to internal experts and using external consultants selectively. On M&A and bolt-on integration, Khalid advises planning integration before acquisition, allowing time for cultural and systems alignment, and balancing patience with decisive action. For restructuring and transformation, he highlights shared services, digital transformation (ERP, data lakes, dashboards), and incremental cultural change that preserves core DNA while adding future-ready capabilities.On investing and the UAE ecosystem, Khalid explains why family offices and investors in the region are increasingly sophisticated and aligned with national vision and infrastructure. He names fintech as a personal interest, warning founders to plan for regulation, distribution, capital requirements, and realistic burn timelines; he also recommends partnering with banks rather than positioning fintech solely as a challenger. Finally, Khalid shares career advice for young professionals: prioritize what you are becoming—skills, networks, and experience—over short-term earnings, and take personal responsibility for continuous learning and tech literacy to remain relevant in a rapidly evolving market.Meet the Team:A dynamic mix of personalities and expertise, each bringing unique energy to the table. Abubakr Sajith, the unofficial leader (even if he didn’t ask for it), keeps things running smoothly with his finance, IT, and entrepreneurial background. Gazala Parkar, the PR pro, is the team’s caring yet no-nonsense mother figure, while Guhaesh Subramanian, the ever-networking master's student, plays the carefree uncle. Anas Memon is the resident numbers guy deep in finance, M&A, and private equity. At the same time, Aditya Poddar, with his love-hate relationship with his 9-to-5, embraces his role as the team’s laid-back producer. Eiman Ansari, the cybersecurity expert, provides comedic relief when she shows up alongside Liz Ann D’Souza, the creative force with a film and content creation background. And then there’s Zainab Netterwala, the IT and computer science whiz, who takes on the role of the little sister in this eclectic, ever-evolving crew.Connect with Us! 🌐X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/dollar_diariesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/dollardiariespodcastLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedollardiariespodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thedollardiaries📬 Join Our Community!Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://thedollardiaries.media/Join the SPEND LESS Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FG67aEgWQa5IP1W1ue5J8sJoin us weekly as we explore how to make, manage, and multiply your money! 🎧💵 Let's make those dirhams dance! 💃🕺

In this episode of The Dollar Diaries podcast, we are thrilled to have Jacqueline Perrottet, the founder and CEO of Hoopla, as our special guest. With a passion for emotional wellness, Jacqueline shares her journey of creating tools for families to connect and bring joy and calm into their lives through her innovative company, Hoopla.During the conversation, Jacqueline delves into the inspiration behind Hoopla and how she discovered the need for emotional regulation tools accessible on-the-go for children. She discusses the key features of Hoopla, including its multisensory approach using haptic feedback from phones to help children connect with their emotions and parents without excessive screen time. Jacqueline also sheds light on the importance of teaching children about emotional regulation and the methodology Hoopla uses to guide parents and children through understanding and managing emotions.Join us on this insightful episode to explore how Hoopla is revolutionizing emotional wellness for families by creating tools that facilitate emotional connection, regulation, and understanding. Discover how Hoopla's unique approach can empower children and parents to navigate a wide range of emotions in a healthy and constructive manner. Don't miss out on learning practical strategies for fostering emotional intelligence and building stronger family bonds through the innovative tools provided by Hoopla.

00:00:00 - The Inspiration Behind Hoopla

00:03:03 - Target Audience and App Features

00:09:01 - Ways to Use the App for Stressful Situations

00:14:39 - Hoopla Team and Approach to Development

00:21:21 - Importance of Mindfulness in Education

00:28:53 - Organic Growth and Marketing Strategies

00:33:49 - Hoopla's Proactive Approach to Emotional Wellness

00:38:10 - Previous Project

00:42:53 - Lessons Learned from Previous Ventures

00:50:50 - Drawing Inspiration from Art World

00:56:45 - Steps to Starting Your Own Venture

Raaed Sheibani, Country Manager for StashAway in the UAE, traces his journey from early-stage startup roles and McKinsey consulting to growth and operations leadership before taking on local expansion at StashAway. He explains that his attraction to the firm lies in its mission to democratize investing—no minimums, curated investment options, and tailored products for both retail and high-net-worth clients. Day-to-day, he focuses on strategy, execution, local product-market fit, and listening to customer feedback to refine offerings.StashAway’s approach centers on simplifying choices and reducing analysis paralysis: the investments team curates ETFs and actively monitors and swaps options when better ones appear, while portfolios are rebalanced regularly. The platform offers managed general investing portfolios, DIY ETF selection, cash management, and private market products (private credit now, private equity and infrastructure soon). For higher-value clients, StashAway Reserve provides personal wealth advisors and institutional-fee access to private opportunities, while the company maintains a flat management fee to avoid guidance bias.Raaed emphasizes financial fundamentals for early investors—pay off high-interest debt, build a 4–12 month safety net, and automate regular investments to benefit from compounding rather than trying to time the market. He highlights StashAway’s education initiatives, including the StashAway Academy and participation in DIFC’s One Million Learners program, plus plans for bite-sized, gamified content and upcoming UAE-focused products like Sharia-compliant portfolios and expanded private market offerings.

In this episode of The Dollar Diaries, Suzana John — Head of Operations at Kendal — shares her unconventional path from studying chemical engineering in India to building a career in marketing and startups. She recounts early co-founding experience with an immersive reading app during university, the challenges of ragging and adapting to campus culture, and how hands-on startup work quickly pushed her into leadership and marketing roles. Suzana emphasizes that practical, self-taught skills (design tools, social platforms) propelled her pivot more than formal courses or degrees.Suzana digs into marketing craft and startup life: she highlights the importance of analytical thinking for performance marketing, the value of sales and people skills for entrepreneurs, and the need to pick co-founders carefully. She explains Kendal’s product as an AI-powered WhatsApp CRM that automates lead qualification and saves hours for real estate teams. She also discusses content strategy and personal branding—advocating for experimentation, posting authentic stories, and using tools like Canva and custom GPTs to scale content creation.On wellbeing and long-term goals, Suzana is candid about burnout and the steps she took to recover (time off, strict boundaries). She stresses time and health as key measures of success and plans to return to the creator-economy space with AI-enabled products. She also intends to learn coding to become more technically self-sufficient and believes consistent habits, accountability, and small daily actions build momentum for both career and personal growth.

On this episode of The Dollar Diaries, Ambassador Dr. Dunston Pereira — Group CEO of The Private Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Faisal Al Qassimi for Consultancy and Project Development — traces a long career arc from college lecturer to corporate logistics head, entrepreneur, and now head of a global family office. He described formative years at Murugappa Group, a decade building ventures in India and Oman, and then founding his own businesses that employed hundreds. Personal setbacks (flood, health) and a chance meeting with Sheikh Ahmed led to his current role and a focus on purpose-driven work.Dunston outlines a portfolio approach centered on large destination projects and social impact. Major initiatives discussed include a Film City to build regional film infrastructure, a wildlife sanctuary, a pharmaceutical city to produce affordable medicines (with 60% output directed to African markets), a longevity/wellness park, and affordable education projects. He emphasizes private consortium JVs, long-term (often indefinite) holding horizons, leveraging a 22-country network of representatives, and solving gaps in infrastructure and talent as the keys to making these projects viable.Humanitarian and talent-development themes run throughout the conversation: Dunston described working with 15 NGOs across Africa, setting up toilets and infrastructure, reviewing thousands of job applicants monthly and training recruits from low-income backgrounds, and pursuing affordable schooling to keep families together. Operationally he favors hands-on board reviews, KPI-driven third-party partnerships (e.g., 3PL for logistics), and pragmatic advice to partners (declining non-viable ideas). The episode highlights his long-term, impact-first mindset — building ecosystems, not short-term financial plays.

Khushie Mallya joins The Dollar Diaries to discuss her transition from agency PR to an in-house PR role within the events and construction sector. She contrasts the fast-paced, multi-client chaos of agency life with the more focused, structured environment of corporate communications, explaining how each setting shaped her media relationships, networking habits, and day-to-day responsibilities. Khushie also shares practical job-search advice for the UAE market—timing applications to company fiscal calendars and leveraging personal connections and LinkedIn to secure opportunities.The conversation shifts to the realities of working and living in Dubai: visa and hiring constraints, commission-driven roles with little safety net, and the financial trade-offs migrants face when converting earnings to home-currency value. Khushie describes how she saved from early, low-paid work, pooled resources with family, and bought property at a young age—illustrating disciplined financial choices, views on credit cards and debt, and the importance of financial literacy.On the personal side, Khushie reflects on growing up across multiple schools and how that shaped her social skills and adaptability in a diverse expat city. She emphasizes the value of strong mentors, psychological safety at work, and authentic feedback, noting that trust and autonomy from managers are key “green flags,” while micromanagement and incompetence in leadership are red flags. The episode closes on practical tips for socializing in Dubai—meetup groups, hobby nights—and the importance of balancing work demands with downtime and personal priorities.

Khushie Mallya joins The Dollar Diaries to discuss her transition from agency PR to an in-house PR role within the events and construction sector. She contrasts the fast-paced, multi-client chaos of agency life with the more focused, structured environment of corporate communications, explaining how each setting shaped her media relationships, networking habits, and day-to-day responsibilities. Khushie also shares practical job-search advice for the UAE market—timing applications to company fiscal calendars and leveraging personal connections and LinkedIn to secure opportunities.

The conversation shifts to the realities of working and living in Dubai: visa and hiring constraints, commission-driven roles with little safety net, and the financial trade-offs migrants face when converting earnings to home-currency value. Khushie describes how she saved from early, low-paid work, pooled resources with family, and bought property at a young age—illustrating disciplined financial choices, views on credit cards and debt, and the importance of financial literacy.

On the personal side, Khushie reflects on growing up across multiple schools and how that shaped her social skills and adaptability in a diverse expat city. She emphasizes the value of strong mentors, psychological safety at work, and authentic feedback, noting that trust and autonomy from managers are key “green flags,” while micromanagement and incompetence in leadership are red flags. The episode closes on practical tips for socializing in Dubai—meetup groups, hobby nights—and the importance of balancing work demands with downtime and personal priorities.

In this episode of The Dollar Diaries podcast, Rizwan Tufail, Group Chief Data Officer at PureHealth, shares profound insights into the evolving nature of careers and leadership in the modern workforce. Emphasizing the shift away from traditional lifelong careers, Rizwan highlights the importance of continuous learning, humility, and adaptability. He challenges the assumption that senior leaders always possess superior knowledge, pointing out that younger team members often bring advanced technical expertise, fostering a culture of mutual growth and introspection.

Rizwan delves into the intersection of AI, data, and healthcare, underscoring both the transformative potential and the ethical challenges inherent in these technologies. He illustrates how AI is already aiding in early cancer detection, improving survival rates by identifying diseases before clinical symptoms emerge. Yet, he cautions against over-reliance on AI, emphasizing the necessity for governance, contextual awareness, and the critical human element in utilizing AI responsibly—particularly in sensitive areas like healthcare and finance where the stakes are highest.

Beyond technology, Rizwan reflects deeply on purpose-driven work. Drawing from his experiences teaching civil society leaders and his personal mission to impact lives positively, he advocates for meaningful careers fueled by a sense of purpose rather than just financial outcomes. He encourages individuals and organizations alike to help people discover their unique calling, arguing that true leadership is the act of guiding others through challenges toward their objectives. This episode offers a compelling blend of technological foresight and heartfelt wisdom on leadership, ethics, and the human spirit in the digital age.