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Sara Al Zarooni has made her mark in a male-dominated field with grace, dignity and determination
KT photo by Shihab
Sara Al Zarooni, Director of Data Management and Compliance at Digital Dubai, is a graduate of the first cohort of the Dubai Leaders Programme, which was launched in 2020 in partnership with IESE University in Spain. This prestigious programme to develop a new generation of qualified leaders was designed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Al Zarooni is undoubtedly one of the earliest established Emirati talents in this young country, and she has shown enough spark in her career to be a leader and have a profound impact on cutting-edge innovations that are transforming Dubai at breakneck speed.
Born in Abu Dhabi and raised in Sharjah, Al Zarooni holds a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from the University of Sharjah. She graduated in 2007 and within a week joined Tecom Investments, part of global investment firm Dubai Holdings.
“I never got a chance to take a break because I joined the workforce immediately after finishing my university degree,” said Al Zarooni, an earl who has lived in Dubai since 2009.
“My first job exposed me to developing change management skills that positioned me well later in my career. I spent three years building processes, developing policies and, more importantly, learning how to respond to change “I was immersed in learning and development. I trained Emiratis and expats and was deeply involved in human capital development between 2007 and 2010,” she recalls.
Her next career move is to join DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), a Dubai-based electricity and water provider. She was brought in to oversee the business process development required by utility providers to streamline their operations.
Her dedication to her work has earned her laurels such as DEWA’s Most Outstanding Employee in 2013. She has been honored and recognized for her tremendous dedication and lasting contribution to the organization.
“During my time at DEWA, I was named a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Specialist in Business Process Improvement. I achieved the coveted certification to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of DEWA processes,” she said.
“In addition to my professional work, I ran a business from 2011 to 2017. I established a photography studio in Mirdif, which transformed my passion for photography into another career. I would participate in various events, Such as weddings, children’s birthday parties, etc.,” said Al Zarooni.
“I love photography, meeting new people, getting to know them and capturing their stories in photos. As a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend, I know how important it is to capture those special moments in life… . The moment I had my first child (Ali), I tended to take a lot of pictures, and I loved that photography was on the rise again…”Say cheese” photography was born!” she added.
In January 2017, she joined Smart Dubai, an early incarnation of Digital Dubai, at the insistence of Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director-General for Digital Dubai.
She leads a team of more than 350 digital champions in Dubai, transforming entities into data-driven organizations. In her current work profile, Al Zarooni has become the department’s data queen, as she chairs conferences in what is largely considered a male-dominated field.
As a mother of three children – Ali (11), Omair (5) and Alia (4) – in her spare time riding horses and playing guitar, she is determined to pursue her hobby to excel in life. Horseback riding is a stress buster for her. She learned some life lessons from riding.
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“Sometimes it takes weeks or even months to perfect one thing in your ride. You can spend hours and hours thinking you’ll never get it. But you keep training hard until your Work hard to be successful,” said Al Zarooni.
She also enjoys playing padel and travelling the world, such as watching the Northern Lights in Finland, visiting cities such as London, Tokyo, Barcelona, Mumbai and Marrakech, as well as quiet islands such as Zanzibar, Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius.
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It’s a world away from data and compliance. But she will find time to strike the perfect balance between work and life.
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