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Woman of Distinction
Her job involved handling media and public relations for what was to become one of the most important annual events in Dubai. In 1998 her contribution to the Dubai Shopping Festival, was recognised when she was made the project manager for Dubai Summer Surprises. "I gained a lot of experience especially with the Shopping Festival which required me to interact and deal with not only regional clients but also multi-national organisations and the international media. It gave me strength and confidence, " comments Mona. Only a year later, Dubai Press Club, the brainchild of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, became another new project to be headed by Mona Al Marri. "I was a part of the team, working on formulating the concept of the Dubai Press Club. I was initially appointed to work out the details and technicalities involved in setting up the Press Club," says Mona. During the summer of 1999, Mona was sent off to Washington to gain first-hand knowledge and training from the Washington Press Club. On her return she was offered the post of Managing Director of the Press Club. "It was a new and challenging project, and I knew that by accepting this offer I had a lot to prove, to myself and to those who had given me this new role and responsibility," Mona adds. With encouragement and support she embarked on the monumental task of setting up her team and establishing the first Press Club in the UAE. "I had started from scratch as a part of the Shopping Festival team. I always knew that if I had to reach a certain point in my career I should be involved in each and every aspect of my job. I learnt that from my experience and all along this is what kept me going,” she explains modestly Dubai Press Club While government projects list high on the Press Club agenda it has also in the past year invited distinguished guest speakers from around the world and most recently Shabbir Bhattia, co-founder of Hotmail. His arrival was timely linked with Gitex and the launch of Dubai Internet City. Heading a team of fifteen people Mona’s job at the Press Club keeps her on toes round the clock. “My team is divided into customer service department, information department and four in-house journalists. We put down an agenda for every month where we brain-storm, short-list guest speakers that the Press Club needs to invite, organise activities for foreign and local media. All this also depends on the seasonal business and social activities going on in UAE. When we invite an international guest speaker we see to it that it is related to a topical issue and holds relevance for this region. “The success of any Press Club is to have journalists around everyday, to interact or to conduct their business. Therefore our main aim is to provide top-of-the-range facilities to visiting or local journalists and we are available for them from 8.30 in the morning to 11 in the night,” says Mona. |
Dubai Press Club Managing Director, Mona Al Marri from UAE has achieved a lot more at a very young age and in her short career span than her male counterparts. Twenty-five year old Mona joined the Economic Department in 1996 soon after her graduation from the Higher Colleges of Technology, Dubai to work on the first Dubai Shopping Festival project.