Nadia Abu Hijleh, general manager and partner, Gulf Scientific Corporation, Dubai.
It is not easy to juggle running a business and looking after a family, however, with the support from the family and sound time management, it can be done.
I am originally Jordanian and my family settled in Kuwait in the early sixties. I was born in Kuwait and brought up with warmth and happiness surrounded by my family. I had loving supportive parents and enjoyed my childhood in Kuwait.
I obtained my Bachelor's Degree in Science with a specialisation in Analytical Chemistry from Kuwait University. After graduation, I started my career as a Research Assistant at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR).
While I was working on a project, I realised that I wanted to do something more challenging and achieve great things in life.
As luck would have it I met Dr Wahib Afyouni a very smart businessman who is now my business partner. He is dedicated and hardworking and possesses great business acumen.
He encouraged me to explore the option of sales and since then I have enjoyed the sales and marketing of analytical scientific instruments.
I had to travel, meet targets, meet people of different cultures and mindsets and I liked the challenges that being in the sales business presented to me. That was a major milestone in my life.
I am very competitive by nature and this usually helps me achieve my goals in business.
Dubai beckons
In 1989, I moved to Dubai and in January the following year we established the Gulf Scientific Corporation (GSC) in Jebel Ali Free Zone.
It was the first scientific company specialising in analytical, chromatography and spectroscopy equipment, hence a unique line of business in the Middle East.
We started as a small company of three persons and had our first project in Abu Dhabi. I used to travel regularly from our offices to Abu Dhabi to ensure that everything went on smoothly. Setting up GSC was the second milestone in my life.
My pillar of strength
I met my husband, Dr Jamal Al Bahar, a Kuwait national, and we got married in 1991. We have three kids, Faisal, Farah and Fay.
It is very tough to meet the challenges of work while being a wife and a mother but I am managing due to the support I get from my loving and caring husband.
I travel a lot but I make it a point to be home during weekends so that I can spend time with my family. I also ensure that I am with my children when they have special days at school and during festivals and celebrations.
I pay extra attention when they are going through any stressful part of their education like exams, special projects, etc. Of course it helps that I do not have a very busy social life. My children are quite independent and help me out by not making too many demands on me.
Growing by leaps and bounds
I am very proud that GSC promotes scientific knowledge too for which we have a dedicated laboratory training centre in Jebel Ali and a new training centre will be opening this year in Business Bay to serve the whole of the Middle East.
GSC has been offering its customers innovative tools including application and method development support, and practical training courses.
The company has succeeded in gaining the confidence of its principals and its customers and has grown to become one of the unquestioned leaders.
GSC is now run by a group of 115 professionals, and is supported by a network of distinguished local agents, seven satellite offices and five subsidiary offices across the Middle East and North Africa.
A bouquet of elite vendors and state-of-the-art training and marketing facilities supports this fine group.
I admire ...
... the work done by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He is among the most innovative and dynamic leaders.
In particular, I was inspired by his speech when he launched Dubai Cares in September last year.
With all the difficulties we face in life these days, we have to believe in ourselves and never lose faith in God. I also believe that we have to do our best to eradicate poverty by improving knowledge.
I would love to see the legacy of my company pass to the next generation in later years. They too must pursue the same message of science, education, training, research and development and bring in new ideas in all industries.
The knowledge of science should be used to bring peace to the whole world. Highly qualified and knowledgeable people will definitely work for the good of everyone and that in turn would bring peace.
My source of inspiration
The person who has influenced me most is my father, Abdul Rahim Abu Hijleh, who had a great personality. He had great ideas and an open mind.
He taught me discipline, importance of hard work and having big dreams. He emphasised on education from the very beginning and used to say, "Dreams have no limit; if we work hard, our dreams will come true.''