The Can-Do Attitude

The “can do” attitude can bring someone far. As a leader, I personally value the importance of constant innovation, growth, teamwork and most importantly, perseverance. Novo Cinemas is a brand for the people but every success story has its ups and downs – the real story is just about to begin.

Being in the hospitality industry for the majority of my career has been a wonderful experience. Opportunities have opened doors and I’ve encountered wonderful people who reminded me why I love what I do. Almost every field is dominated by fierce, male leaders. But I took it as a golden opportunity to leave my mark in the cinema industry as a leader and an empowered representation of the women who are “movers and shakers”. Ever since I’ve started this journey with Novo Cinemas two years ago, every moment has been momentous. Getting acquainted with like-minded business leaders pave way for overall triumph for the brand as well as growth as an individual. Overcoming difficulties as a team is the cherry on top of the sundae that is what we do – being passionate about providing a great time out for every movie-goer. 

I believe women are natural-born leaders and have the innate ability to achieve great things in every aspect of their lives be it in their working careers or in their personal lives as Wives and Mothers. Despite that, it’s not always been an easy path for women through the ages and they have constantly had to prove themselves as worthy contenders especially in the workplace but it is now truly wonderful to witness so many amazing women taking on leadership roles with tremendous  success across various spheres – be it in politics, philanthropy  or the corporate world. 

I myself have personally been inspired by two such unique and amazing women in my lifetime who have influenced me greatly through their work and  their approach in everything they do  - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is definitely one such inspiring lady. At 25 years of age, to be a mother of two children and yet have the strength and fortitude to rule a country, Queen Elizabeth II, has lived an iconic life through all the political, social and technological cataclysms over the last 60 years. Her Majesty continues to work tirelessly for the benefit of others and is the hardest working Royal with an unbelievable number of daily engagements to attend to.  She is truly remarkable and makes me feel proud to be a British woman.

Another inspirational woman leader would have to be H.H Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa - the Wife of the King of Bahrain; she is also the President of the Supreme Council for Women in Bahrain. I have had the privilege of working with Her Highness on a few noteworthy community focused events in Bahrain and found her to be truly inspiring, dedicated and hard working. Her Highness has also been very instrumental in expanding women’s political rights in Bahrain and also hosted the First Ladies of the Arab World in Bahrain for the second meeting of the Higher Council of Arab Women Organization. H.H Princess Sabeeka is a wonderful mentor and a great  Ambassador for Women, especially in the Middle East region. I feel very honoured and proud to know her personally.

As the English magnate Richard Branson shared:

“There’s no magic formula for great company culture. The key is just to treat your staff like how you would like to be treated”.

I am passionate for my brand as I am passionate for my team. When you participate and embrace the significance of every team member’s efforts, their love for the job is reflected on their performance. A dream is realised when its components are defined. As a leader and a woman, I make it a point for this to be realised every time. Our end result for Novo Cinemas is to satisfy every customer and to create a home within our cinema. None of our goals would be achieved if it weren’t for a highly dedicated and passionate team. 

Thankful for ELAN’s support, I am living proof for aspiring young women to become role models who will prove the tenacity of the modern woman.