By: Jeanette Teh Istanbul is the 2010 European Capital of Culture, a title bestowed by the EU for its contribution to European culture. The largest city in Turkey and once the capital of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman empires, Istanbul is the only city in the world that sits on...
Weekend at Sir Bani Yas: Discovering that “Desert Islands” is not an Oxymoron
By: Jeanette Teh Island Resort in the Desert A weekend island getaway is not exactly what comes to mind when thinking of the desert, which is precisely what makes the Desert Islands of Abu Dhabi so intriguing and us so eager to see it. Often overshadowed by Dubai, its...
Taking a Walk on the Wild Side in Tanzania
By: Jeanette Teh With the largest concentration of wild animals in the world, Tanzania is the perfect destination to see “The Lion King” come to life. This spectacular country is comprised of three vastly different landscapes --from highlands including Mount Kilimanjaro, great rift valleys in the northern and central...
Bring your smile on International Happiness Day
By: Jeanette Teh In 2012, the United Nations proclaimed 20th March to be the International Day of Happiness, officially acknowledging the importance of happiness as a universal goal to be included in public policies worldwide. Pharell Williams will be hosting a “Happy Party” with the UN to encourage spreading...
Turning Points: Inspirational Words from the Global Women’s Forum
By: Jeanette Teh The Global Women’s Forum began on Tuesday [24th February 2016] in Dubai at Madinat Jumeirah, hosting approximately 2000 delegates from all over the world. Distinguished speakers in the largest women’s empowerment and leadership event in the MENA region, were asked to share stories about turning points in...
Ingredients for an entrepreneurial environment
By: Jeanette Teh Earlier this month, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked the UAE as the 12th most competitive nation globally, outperforming established countries such as Denmark, Canada, Australia and France. Despite UAE’s seven-place improvement over last year’s ranking, the report provides several areas of improvement, including the need to focus...
Social Entrepreneurs unleashing creative destruction for social change
By Issam Kassabieh and Jeanette Teh Revolutionary is one way to describe social entrepreneurship, the phenomenon that is spreading across the MENA region. As explained by the Middle East Youth Initiative (MEYI), a joint initiative of the Wolfensohn Center for Development and the Dubai School of Government, social entrepreneurship is...
Developing Human Capital for the Knowledge Economy
By: Jeanette Teh With the hope of making the UAE one of the best countries in the world, Vision 2021 aims to develop the UAE into a competitive knowledge economy through the promotion of innovation and research and development. In an era marked by continuously dipping oil prices, the focus...
Living in glass houses: The state of privacy today
By: Jeanette Teh We’ve all done it. We commiserate about that horrible client with our colleagues or that unfit parent with our friends. Now, imagine if our ranting is broadcast very loudly on a public speaker for that person and the whole world to hear. Those who have ever written...
Evolving Education to help solve the Global Education Crisis
By: Jeanette Teh Education is the key to solving the world’s problems. That was the clear message from Sunny Varkey, Founder and Chairman of GEMS Education, at the Global Education Forum this past Saturday at the Atlantis Hotel in Dubai. The fourth annual two-day education forum, held under the patronage...
