Nadia Abdul Aziz, president of the National Association of Freight and Logistics and partner and MD of UNASCO, speaks to Melanie Mingas about her campaigns to promote the strength of the UAEs business infrastructure, its nationals and women in industry
As a female Emirati who stepped in at short notice to ensure the continued success of UNASCO, Nadia Abdul Aziz represents a part of the workforce that is almost non-existent in the industry today. But rather that rest on her laurels and enjoy the success she has already achieved, she is using her unique position to further secure Dubai and the UAEs place on the global stage not to mention striving for future innovations across the industry and promoting the prevalence of both Emirati nationals and women in logistics.
In addition to being managing director and a partner at UNASCO a firm established in 1982 under special decree from the late HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum Abdul Aziz is the first female president of NAFL, is a nominated board member of Dubai Land Transport Group (DLTG), and an elected committee member on the Al Noor Centre for Children with Special Needs support group committee (ANSCO). She is also president of WILAT-ME, Women in Logistics Middle East, where she works to empower women in the industry by engaging with stakeholders from across the education and employment chain.
But her next achievement could see Dubais logistics industry taking centre stage during Expo2020; NAFLs bid to host the FIATA World Congress in October 2020 in Dubai.
If successful, it would be the first time the prestigious global event has been held anywhere in the region, counting the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Presenting the bid in a few months time, Abdul Aziz, has already met with the highest offices in government, including HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, who is also Honorary Patron of NAFL, to talk about the support that will be needed from them, as well as semi-government entities, and the value that Dubai could bring to such an event.
With the 2016 edition scheduled to take place from 3 8 October in Dublin, Ireland, Abdul Aziz is preparing to meet with the FIATA board to pitch Dubais capabilities, innovations and world class reputation. Suggesting to host the event at the same time as Expo2020 will only add to the prominence Dubai can bring to such a congress.
She says: We strongly believe that bringing the congress to Dubai during Expo2020 would bring the FIATA delegates a chance to secure even more investments, opportunities and deals during a 2020 edition of the event, as well as the other various things that will be exhibited and enjoyed during that time due to Expo2020.
Lending a voice
It isnt only Dubai and the UAE that benefits from Abdul Azizs support. As a female Emirati business leader her position may be somewhat unusual, but is one she uses to the benefit of others.
In her work with NAFL and WILT-ME she has been firmly focused on the inclusion of UAE nationals in the logistics industry and has clear ambitions to increase the numbers of both Emirati and female leaders in the industry through continued collaboration with government, the private sector, education institutions and other stakeholders to present UAE nationals with growing job and training opportunities as part of being members of the NAFL. Included in its many functions, NAFL offers a wide array of industry related training programmes, including the globally certified FIATA Diploma.
She says: The freight and logistics industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the region at the moment, and yet we do not have enough UAE nationals establishing themselves in it.
This is mostly due to a greater need for awareness and understanding of the industry and the various career opportunities available to it. My work, in terms of increasing the number of UAE nationals, would be through creating awareness, and collaborating with the different authorities.
That awareness takes on many different forms, through road shows with local universities and the private sector, wherein she presents the educational and career potential available in the industry. She engages with various media agencies to shine a light on the industry, as well as the training and professional growth that NAFL is able to provide for seriously interested professionals.
This is especially important since our government has spent the most investment over the coming years in the logistics industry. Media agencies will help us widen our reach and awareness through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, to name a few, she continues.
And it doesnt stop there. Like many GCC countries and various industries within the countries quotas for the employment of nationals have brought about hugely encouraging results and in the case of the UAEs logistics industry, it is something Abdul Aziz would like to see replicated.
I strongly believe that a government should impose nationalization and quotas, as well as provide freight forwarding courses in universities to UAE nationals. Courses should not be limited to the private sector, the government should take it upon itself to increase and enforce the presence of freight and logistics courses in all educational institutions – from high school, training centres, colleges and universities as well as during career fairs, she shares, believing in a clear correlation between awareness of what a career in logistics could entail and the take-up of positions within the industry.
There should be great coverage given to the industry by prominent public figures. Only then are more people likely to join and establish their careers in it. The private sector should offer competitive packages to UAE nationals to induce them into the industry and maintain them within their companies, she continues.
Far from calling for change from a distance, through NAFL Abdul Aziz is working with the regulatory authorities on educating their staff on freight forwarding to enhance their understanding of the industry issues they may face and preparing them in how to respond to such issues appropriately.
It will help reduce and eliminate the customs problems with the forwarders, she adds.
Women in Logistics
Emirati nationals arent the only under-represented members of the workforce. Through Women In Logistics and Transportation (WILAT-ME), Abdul Aziz is also leading support for women in the industry.
Part of the global CILT network for which she is the regional chairperson support includes awareness and training with the aim of fostering empowerment.
The 260-member strong local branch helps support women in the industry by mainly providing networking sessions, training, gala dinners and awards of recognition. Using the multi-task capabilities of women, the organisation encourages its members to participate in seminars and workshops to give more information and a better understanding of the challenges they may face at work.
Right now it is a good time for women professionals to move into the industry as there is an accelerated growth in technologies and innovative practices, she says.
Its a cause that appears even nobler when one learns about Abdul Azizs own career path. A marketing professional by experience, she entered the industry when one of the family businesss senior managers was discovered to be damaging the business. She took the role and never looked back, utilising knowledge in HR, marketing and PR to build the freight forwarding family business.
Taking control of her own continued professional development she took courses and gained varied experience to educate herself towards successfully entering and remaining in the field.
Paying it forward, specialist courses have been established at NAFL for starting up new freight and logistics businesses on the topics of how to change family businesses into professional international businesses, e-logistics and e-freight, among others.
She continues: Educational institutions that train and educate their students in the industry will help create more demand and interest of professionals in the industry. Also, it will create opportunities for people looking for jobs who are unable to find jobs in other sectors where taking a few short courses to introduce themselves into freight and logistics will provide them with the strong building blocks for establishing themselves here.
Companies should encourage women through the recruitment processes to join the industry and companies should provide the right, comfortable environment for a professional woman to work in. They have to recruit, encourage, empower and offer relevant training to encourage the growth of women within the company. It is a male dominated industry but having the tools and training made available to women in logistics, empowers them within the industry to be more efficient in their work.
In becoming a role model for so many potential future industry leaders, Abdul Aziz has a strong message for those her work helps to support and in turn her words are echoed by the likes of Dubai Economic Department, which has recognised the freight and logistics industries to be top ranking in terms of growth for the next decade.
My message to everyone seriously interested is to get training and work experience. They should be confident and believe in themselves, as well as network with the relevant experts in this field. You dont have to be an industry specialist to be a logistics professional. NAFL provides training and work experience to support and provide a foundation for professional growth in the industry.
Finally, learn from mistakes that can only come from experience. Dont give up; it is a very challenging industry but also a growing industry.
The next step
With an in-tray no doubt piled high with new and existing projects, it is easy to forget that Abdul Aziz still has the family firm to run.
Reporting sustainable growth in H1 and favourable financial trends by the end of this year, opportunity for UNASCO lies in the high volumes of cross trade going on at the moment; e-business, e-trade, and smart business rank high in her list of growing industry trends.
Smart business is receiving a boost from all divisions of government and the logistics industry is fast becoming a primary beneficiary of such progress; for example, cargo handling through e-portals is being implemented by Dubai Trade and Dubai Customs.
In response, one of the many things she is pioneering with UNASCO is the addition of e-marketing and trading as part of the businesss enhancements, to complement its clients and help increase their sales and profits.
At NAFL, there are plans for an Innovation Center, a Mentoring Young Professionals programme and work is underway on the new concept of Freight and Logistics with Health, Wellness and Happiness.
That doesnt mean the industry currently is without challenges, with the primary trials faced globally including the financial stability of companies.
In the tough times we face currently around the world, the primary challenges are to ensure that all costs are covered and businesses are increased without having to be downsized. Creating new opportunities in different markets, cutting down unnecessary costs, etc. would be a few ways to do this, she shares.
When asked what she would consider to be her greatest achievement to date, she answers: That I managed to keep the family business running and develop it into a professional organisation of choice.
Over my career, I joined industry related associations and was the only female member on the board. Today, I have been recognised and elected as the first female president of NAFL. I joined [NAFL] to bring in innovation and advanced usage of technology to the industry, as well I wanted to change the way business was being handled, to steer it towards a more ethical and sustainable way of business practice.
In that, she has no doubt achieved the goals she set out with.
But Abdul Aziz also has an acute awareness of the power of the global stage and making strides to secure Dubai and the UAEs place on it, remains a top priority for her. With the FIATA bid pending, and no doubt many more ideas to still be initiated, there is little doubt of her ability to become one of the most powerful players in the industry.
She concludes: We will continue to highlight to the overseas companies the importance of becoming part of our story of growth in Dubai. The rulers and major decision makers are visionaries, thus making the UAE what it is today.