Meet Dubai’s ‘Data Queen’ – News

Sara Al Zarooni has left her mark on a male-dominated field with grace, dignity and determination

Sara Al Zarooni, Director of Data Management and Compliance Affairs at Digital Dubai, is the first graduate of the Dubai Leaders programme, launched in 2020 in partnership with Spain’s IESE University. The prestigious program aims to develop a new generation of qualified leaders and was designed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Undoubtedly one of the young nation’s most mature Emirati talents, Al Zarooni has shown enough spark in her career to become a leader with a profound impact on the 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 Holding.

“I never had a chance to take a break because I started working immediately after finishing my university degree,” said Al Zarooni, an uncle who has lived in Dubai since 2009.

“My first job gave me the opportunity to develop change management skills, which helped me later in my career. I spent three years establishing processes, developing policies, and more importantly, learning how to deal with change I was immersed in learning and development. Between 2007 and 2010, I trained Emiratis and expatriates and was deeply involved in human capital development,” she recalls.

Her next career move is to join DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority), Dubai’s electricity and water utility provider. She was tasked with overseeing the business process development needed for utility providers to streamline their operations.

Her dedication to her work has earned her laurels, such as DEWA’s Most Outstanding Employee 2013. She is lauded and recognized for her tremendous dedication and enduring contributions to the organization.

“While working for DEWA, ​​I was certified as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in Business Process Improvement. I earned the coveted certification for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of DEWA’s processes,” she says.

“In addition to my professional work, I also ran a business from 2011 to 2017. I set up a photography studio in Mirdif and turned my passion for photography into another career. I cater for various events such as Wedding ceremonies, children’s birthday parties, etc.,” said Al Zarooni.

“I love everything about photography, meeting new people, getting to know them and capturing their stories in photos. As a mother, daughter, sister and friend, I know how important it is to capture those special moments in life… in The moment I had my first child (Ali), I tended to take a lot of photos and my interest in photography re-emerged… “say cheese” photography was born! she added.

In January 2017, at the insistence of Digital Dubai Assistant Director-General Younus Al Nasser, she joined Smart Dubai, an early incarnation of Digital Dubai.

She leads a team of more than 350 digital champions in Dubai, transforming brick-and-mortar into data-driven organisations. In her current job profile, Al Zarooni has become the department’s data queen, as she presides over conferences largely considered a male-dominated field.

A mother of three – Ali (11), Omair (5), and Alia (4) – who rides horses and plays guitar in her spare time, she is determined to pursue her passions and make a difference in life. Riding is a stress buster for her. She has learned a lot of life lessons from riding a horse.

“Sometimes it takes weeks or even months to perfect one thing you ride. You can spend a lot of time thinking you’re never going to get it. But you keep training hard until your efforts are successful,” Al Zarooni said.

She also enjoys playing padel and traveling the world, such as watching the Northern Lights in Finland, visiting cities such as London, Tokyo, Barcelona, ​​Mumbai and Marrakech, and quiet islands such as Zanzibar, Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius.

It’s a world far removed from data and compliance. But she finds time to strike the perfect work-life balance.