Nina Seredai IG, API Business Suites - 301 Sheikh Zayed Rd

29/01/2026

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 & 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

In this episode, I’m joined by my guest, Lena Tarakjian, former senior executive in the luxury industry who's now helping businesses tap into something most organisations completely overlook: the power of informal mentoring. Lena's work focuses on creating intentional learning relationships that actually drive engagement and performance. No stuffy programmes, no massive budgets, just real human connection that transforms how teams work together.

In this conversation, we explore:
▪️ Why those "unofficial" learning relationships often deliver better results than formal training
▪️ How one company shifted from high-pressure chaos to genuine trust and collaboration
▪️ The surprising link between prioritising human connection and boosting both revenue and career growth
▪️ Why the best leaders today are also brilliant mentors (and how to blend both approaches)
▪️ Simple strategies to bridge the gaps between generations and cultures in your workplace
Here's the truth: in a world that's moving at breakneck speed, your real competitive advantage is staying human.
Tune in to discover how to boost sales, improve team performance, and create a thriving, collaborative workplace through the power of informal mentoring.

Podcast: Mastervision® Podcast
Host:
Guest: Lena Tarakjian
Studio:

28/01/2026

Why the best mentoring happens by the coffee machine.

Recording the latest Mastervision® Podcast episode with Lena Tarakjan left me with something I didn't expect: silence. Not the awkward kind, but the sort that makes you realise a conversation has actually meant something. There was no rush to deliver clever conclusions or quotable moments. Just honesty.

We've built an entire industry around mentoring now. Programmes with KPIs, frameworks, quarterly reviews. All very professional, very structured. Yet when I look back at the mentoring that actually changed my career over the past twenty-plus years, it rarely happened in any of those settings. It happened by a coffee machine at 4pm when someone said the thing I needed to hear.

On a flight back from a client meeting when exhaustion made us drop the corporate script. In a corridor when a colleague stopped me and asked, "Are you actually alright?" Those three-minute conversations shaped me more than any long-term programme ever did.

The strange thing is how quickly we forget this when we become the ones designing systems. We create structures, assign mentors, set objectives, measure engagement. Meanwhile, the real growth happens in the gaps we didn't plan for, between people who simply chose to sit beside each other rather than across from one another.

Lena spoke about growth as something that emerges when people feel safe enough to say "I don't know yet" without worrying it'll cost them credibility. Perhaps that's what informal mentoring really offers: not answers, but the kind of space where honest questions can exist.

26/01/2026

A while ago, I was working with students from Sunmarke School on a field research project in a shopping mall. They were tasked with speaking to fashion brand representatives, asking questions, observing how brands present themselves in real environments. One brand completely changed my perspective, and it had nothing to do with their latest collection or window display. It was the consultants. They took genuine time to walk these teenagers through the brand story, explained the craftsmanship behind each piece, and answered every question with the kind of sincerity you rarely see. These students aren't that brand's target customers, not yet anyway. But in five years? Absolutely. Even now, one positive conversation means they'll go home and tell their parents about it. That's the long game, and that brand understood it perfectly.

Every interaction shapes perception, whether you realise it or not. Any sales expert worth their salt will tell you that even the most prestigious brands can't survive on legacy alone anymore. Consumers today have infinite choice, instant access to reviews, and zero tolerance for misalignment between what you promise and what you deliver. A brand's reputation might take a decade to build, but one dismissive consultant, one careless interaction, and it crumbles in seconds. I learned this the hard way last year when I walked into a jewellery boutique ready to make a purchase. The consultant's behaviour was so off-putting that I left empty-handed and never returned. One experience erased any goodwill that brand had built through their marketing. That's the reality: your weakest touchpoint becomes your entire brand in that moment.

I wish there were more stories like the one with those students and fewer like my jewellery boutique disaster. Brands obsess over their digital presence, their campaigns, their carefully curated Instagram grids, but they forget that the person standing in their store or answering their customer service line is the brand. If there's a disconnect between what your website promises and what your people deliver, you've already lost. 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞-𝐭𝐨-𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠

14/01/2026

𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐎𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫: 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰

Hiring in 2026 is broken or at least it feels that way.

In this episode, we explore recruitment in the UAE, where companies receive 1,500 to 2,000 CVs per role and still struggle to find quality talent.

Louise Vine, founder of Inspire Selection and UAE recruitment expert with over 20 years of experience, reveals the truth about hiring today:

▪️ Why there's a surplus of candidates but a shortage of quality talent in the UAE

▪️ Why applying for UAE jobs from overseas rarely works

▪️ What recruiters actually look for on LinkedIn (and why your photo matters more than you think)

▪️ How employer branding impacts hiring success in 2026

▪️ What candidates care about most in today's job market

▪️ How Gen Z is changing workplace culture and what employers must do to adapt

▪️ The true cost of a wrong hire and how to avoid it

Whether you're a company owner, CEO, HR leader, hiring manager, or job seeker in Dubai and the UAE, this episode delivers practical insights into recruitment trends and talent acquisition strategies that work in 2026.

Watch now to understand what's really happening in the UAE job market and how to find your perfect match.

Podcast: Mastervision® Podcast
Host:
Guest: Louise Vine
Studio:

13/01/2026

Talking about hiring today feels strangely heavy. After more than twenty years in business, I have never seen such a paradox. Thousands of people are looking for work, supply exceeds demand, and salaries are falling. On paper, it looks like an ideal market for employers. But in reality, companies say they cannot find the right talent, and recruitment feels messy and exhausting.

After recording an upcoming episode with Louise Vine, founder of Inspire Selection and a UAE recruitment expert with over 20 years of experience, what struck me most was not the volume of candidates, but the emotional cost on all sides. Employers are overwhelmed and cautious. Candidates feel invisible. Recruiters sit in the middle, forced to make fast decisions that never feel fully fair. Behind every CV is a real person, and it is easy to forget that when the system takes over.

The conversation reminded me that hiring is no longer about skills alone. Culture, values, leadership and honesty matter more than ever. People are no longer choosing jobs just for money. They are choosing environments, managers, and the way work makes them feel.

Generational differences add another layer. Younger people expect purpose and care from day one, while older generations value resilience and responsibility. Neither is wrong, but the gap needs attention, not frustration.

And my optimistic take from this conversation is that the problem is not a lack of people. It is alignment. When values meet reality, good work still happens.

A new episode is coming very soon. I hope you enjoy it. Stay tuned!

31/12/2025

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫: "𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞"

What happens when leaders stop managing KPIs and start leading people?

In this episode, Sabahatt Habib, Chief People & Culture Officer at The Giving Movement, openly shares her experience of building high-performance teams through empathy, transparency, and accountability. Sabahatt explains why, in her organisation, every KPI has a human story behind it, and why true leadership starts with being a good person.

Together, we explore:
▪️Can kindness and responsibility coexist effectively at work?
▪️How do you give honest feedback without creating pressure or fear?
▪️How can leaders work successfully with Gen Z employees?
▪️How does brand purpose influence employee behaviour?
▪️How do you create a culture where people perform, grow, and stay?

This conversation is grounded in real experience of a people-first organisational culture outperforming traditional high-pressure models.

Do you believe this approach really works in today’s fast-paced, AI-driven world? Watch the episode and share your thoughts in the comments.

Podcast: Mastervision® Podcast
Host:
Guest: Sabahatt Habib,
Studio:

26/12/2025

After 20 years of spending winters in Dubai, I’m rediscovering the quiet magic of a proper winter Christmas, and I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed it.

There’s something about cold weather at Christmas that naturally slows you down. It draws people closer. Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself enjoying small, almost forgotten rituals: warming my hands around a raspberry latte in a neighbourhood café, watching leafless grey trees stand still, feeling the sharp air wake up my senses.

What I’ve loved most, though, is returning to old traditions. Baking cookies with the kids. Choosing a real Christmas tree and decorating it together as a family. I’ll admit I’m probably more controlling than I should be. Years in design have wired me for balance and order. My family mostly goes along with it, having learned that “helping” often means handing me ornaments at precisely the right moment.

But in those moments when we step back to admire the tree, and I adjust one last bauble, I’m reminded that perfection isn’t the point. What matters is being together, creating something beautiful in the middle of everyday chaos, without rushing anywhere.

This season has made me think about the traditions that anchor us. The ones we carry from childhood into adulthood. The ones that remind us what we’re building beyond work, partnerships, and ambition. Those quiet moments that matter most.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫?

14/12/2025

𝐌𝐲 𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬)

I've just stepped into my fourth business partnership in over twenty years. These days, I call them "business marriages," because honestly, choosing a business partner feels very similar to choosing a life partner. And what surprises me now is how my checklist in choosing a partner has transformed completely.

Here's what matters to me now:
𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.Does this person see beyond tomorrow? Not just in business strategy, but in how they view life itself. I want someone who's genuinely excited about a future that extends far beyond today and, crucially, points in the same direction as mine.

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, especially with family. This has become non-negotiable. How someone treats their parents, their children, and even an ex-partner reveals their character. How they treat everyone is ultimately how they'll treat you. Notice how they speak to the waiter when ordering coffee. Because in tough business moments, you might well become the next waiter.

𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧. Do they have them? Are they actually present in their lives? Having children changes people. There's a different weight of responsibility, a deeper understanding that you're raising the humans who come after you. Someone who genuinely invests time in their children tends to bring that same sense of duty into business.

𝐅𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡. Not in a religious sense, but a belief in something larger. That the universe has a way of working, that there's good and bad in the world, and that through our business we're making it better or worse. That our actions have consequences, what goes around comes around, as they say. When someone has the inner sense that life is bigger than us and that choices matter beyond the moment, they tend to show up differently.

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐦. The degree of optimism they carry matters more than I ever expected. Life and business throw enough challenges at you; I need someone who can still see possibilities when things get complicated.

And only then come all other typical business requirements.

I think I made the right decision. And I'm genuinely excited about the future.

06/12/2025

𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟

Is the old mantra of "sacrificing everything for your career" actually working anymore? Or is it a fast track to burnout and emptiness, even if you succeed?

In this episode, I speak with Lucie Lachaux. By 26, she was a CFO with everything she was supposed to want. Yet she felt utterly empty.

Her story sparks a powerful conversation about understanding who you truly are, what you genuinely need, and how to build a career that feels meaningful, not just successful on paper.

We explore the Gen Z shift: a generation questioning traditional leadership, prioritising mental health, and offering a fresh perspective on how we all think about work–life integration.

If you're building a career and a life you actually want to live, not one you think you should wish for, you will definitely love this conversation! Enjoy 🙂

Podcast: Mastervision® Podcast
Host:
Guest:
Studio:

04/12/2025

In a recent workshop, one of the senior executives said something that stayed with me: "I don't believe in values... these are just words on the wall."

He's partly right. And most branding professionals already know this. We've all seen the same corporate values repeated across industries — accountability, responsibility, transparency, etc. They fail not because they're inherently wrong, but because they're treated as something to be written rather than something to be lived by. Or worse, they're selected from a generic list without any real connection to the people who work there.

Here's what actually makes values work: they must describe who you already are, or who you want to become, but for real. Values are evidence, not wishes. They're the patterns you can point to in your daily operations, in how your team makes decisions, in the stories your people tell about working there.

So when you're developing company values, start with your people. Run workshops where you discuss real behaviours, real stories - the good and the uncomfortable. Listen to department heads and decision-makers. Document everything. Only after you've done this listening work can you begin to articulate values that actually mean something.

And here's something important: values don't have to be single words. They can be phrases, principles, or even quotes from your own team. What matters is that they're distinctive. Generic language creates scepticism and disengagement. People become blind to it. An original phrase, even a coined term specific to your culture, will always be more powerful than another company claiming "excellence".

This is exactly why, in our Mastervision®, we run numerous workshops and interviews with teams to find the golden nuggets that exist in the company, which will be authentic, inspiring, and genuine.

28/11/2025

I recently had a candid conversation with Lucie Lachaux, former CFO, trusted partner to C-level leaders, and founder of Changing Minds, about what it really means to lead today.

The part that stopped me? Gen Z.
As a leader, I've been struggling with this generation. I don't want to offend anyone, but I've noticed a difference in how they approach work, responsibility, and career ownership. Honestly, I've thought: they're not as career-driven, not as personally accountable.

Then Lucie said something that shifted my perspective:
"𝘋𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘎𝘦𝘯 𝘡 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴."

It hit me. Resisting isn't leadership. It's ego.
So here's my shift: instead of insisting my generation was "harder working," I'm choosing actually to understand theirs. What drives them? What motivates them? How do they define success?

I'm ready to lead with more curiosity, empathy, and real support not to control them, but to help them grow. Where do they go after that? Their choice.
But judging them, resisting them? That's not leading.

This conversation was a turning point. The upcoming episode of Mastervision Podcast digs into this shift from expectation-based leadership to something built on understanding and purpose.

Stay tuned, it is coming soon!

19/11/2025

𝐈𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐭: 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬

What does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur in Dubai’s competitive business world? What if real success comes from endurance, focus and vision?

In this episode of the Mastervision® Podcast, we talk with Jan Kübler, CEO of Worldfield Real Estate and Worldfield Investment Holding, and a multiple Ironman finisher. He shares how the discipline and resilience developed through endurance sports can strengthen leadership, decision-making and entrepreneurial performance in Dubai’s fast-moving market.

Learn how to apply Ironman principles to your business strategy, focusing on resilience, long-term thinking and mental strength to build sustainable success and lead with confidence in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Podcast: Mastervision® Podcast
Host:
Guest: .kubler.dxb, .realestate
Studio:

Nina Seredai IG

29/01/2026

28/01/2026

26/01/2026

14/01/2026

13/01/2026

31/12/2025

26/12/2025

14/12/2025

06/12/2025

04/12/2025

28/11/2025

19/11/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category