Sara Al Madani wants to be part of the UAE Covid solution

Despite understanding fears, she believes it is everyone's duty to be vaccinated

As a proud UAE national, award-winning entrepreneur, public speaker and recognised local personality, Sara Al Madani wields more influence than most (just don’t call her an ‘influencer’. More on that later). The confidence the 35-year-old exudes when launching into the various projects we have been following for almost a decade, whether they be in the fashion realm or lately tech domain, is consistently palpable. So it was with a fair amount of surprise when asking our first question about her decision to take the Covid-19 vaccine anything other than complete self-assurance featured in the reply.

“I was like any person in the world, I was afraid to take the vaccine,” came the humble and considered response. Relating to peoples’ everyday general fears of medical procedures and acknowledging various opinions floating around different social circles, apparently the choice to book an appointment revealed itself after careful reflection centring on two core aspects. First, could she live with herself thinking she had contributed to perpetuating this pandemic, and second her father had already stepped up to help others, why not her?

“I thought, it’s not just about me, it’s about the people around me. It’s about responsibility. I want to be an example and I want to be a part of the solution not the problem,” Al Madani said. “My dad was a volunteer when the vaccine came out, so it was tested on him. That also motivated me.”

Now an advocate for the jab, the Sharjah resident maintains a willingness to listen to concerns and respects the choice of those still reluctant to sign up for their go, but struggles to understand the rationale.

“Just think about it,” she implored, “the front-liners are not sleeping and risking their lives to protect us and they have taken it. Why wouldn’t you? Why shouldn’t we join them on that boat towards change and success? It’s an opportunity to be in this all together, to hold hands and find solutions.”

The rapid and widespread roll out of the vaccine to all citizens of this nation free of charge is an immense source of pride for Al Madani. In comparison to other countries, which have witnessed a more lackluster or disorganised approach, the UAE is now a global leader. Al Madani believes, from the off, the empirically powerful social contract the UAE’s residents and its government enjoys gave us a head start.

“It was the collaboration between the citizens and our government that made us succeed. We both supported each other in the journey. We respected the rules and did whatever has been asked of us and that made the government’s job easier. That’s how we controlled the pandemic. In turn, they have taken care of us with the vaccine. It shows how strong the government is and how willing they are to protect you.”

The conversation then turned toward life after coronavirus. Given shot rates are sky high, the light is not only at the end of the tunnel, it appears to be streaming through kissing the faces of those racing toward it. As the long trundle comes to its completion, Al Madani feels we’ll be carrying more than a few valuable lessons from the experience with us into the future.

“It changed my values and priorities,” she said of this time. “It has changed the way I work. It improved some stuff in all of us. We’re more aware of our health. We appreciate time with our loved ones better. I think when the pandemic is over life will never be the same. It has changed us. It has been a blessing as well as a curse.”

A renewed appreciation for the smaller things in life, however, does not dent the reality Al Madani heads a commercial empire and commands the attention of half a million people on Instagram alone. A poster person and shining example of what the modern United Arab Emirates represents, we gently broach the connotations surrounding the term ‘influencer’, knowing full-well her thoughts on a label that generally provokes admiration and derision in equal measure would most-likely veer towards the more cerebral.

“I’m a business woman. I am not an influencer,” came a good-humoured yet curt retort. “Anyone online with a big following is now an influencer. That’s wrong because with a following and influence comes a lot of responsibility and less freedom. If you’re misusing it, you’re not an influencer. Many people are. That’s why I hate the term now.

“If people think I am a source of influence, that’s amazing. That means I am following my purpose and doing what I have to do. But I am not an influencer in that sense.”

Al Madani prefers to spread her views and experience not so much through social media, but professional speaking. Counting 194 engagements in only two and half years, topics she chooses to cover include the conceptual such as empowerment and self-growth to the practical encompassing business practices and finance. At one point the head of seven local companies, Al Madani recently trimmed her focus, although is close to starting three new ventures in the food and beverage and lifestyle spheres in the coming months. Her choice of projects, she says, rests not on turnover but on job satisfaction.

“I was dreading going to the office even though they made money,” Al Madani said of the businesses she let go. “I felt if I put that energy into something else, into something I loved I would do better financially and my mental health would be even better.

“Business is blood, sweat and tears. It better be something you love, because even if you try and fail you can feel achievement. If you fail at something you dread, it can hit you big time mentally.”

A main player in the UAE’s fashion scene for almost 20 years having set up at the age of just 15, it was in the final few months Al Madani discovered the haute couture scene had lost its fizz and almost instantly altered course. “It’s okay to change your mind, to reevaluate,” she said. “I focused on tech. I wanted to be an ethical tech entrepreneur. I heard a guy on stage say once ‘tech is a male industry.’ That killed me. I thought ‘nope, we’re all equal and I want to be part of it.’”

Her advice to all the teenagers out there looking to make something of themselves: ‘no’ shouldn’t be in your vocabulary.