UAE Property: ‘How can I challenge my building's grade with the DLD?'
Mario Volpi is head of brokerage at Novvi Properties and has worked in the property sector for 40 years in London and Dubai
May 16, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
17 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Wish to volunteer? Dubai teens launch platform to help students find opportunities
Two Dubai students are on a mission to make volunteering easier and more accessible for teenagers across the UAE. Year 12 students Samaira Bhattacharya and Chloe Ramel from Nord Anglia International School Dubai have launched Volunteer Hub, a platform that connects students with local volunteer opportunities based on their interests. 'As high school students, we genuinely found it difficult to locate volunteering opportunities in the UAE,' said Samaira, who hopes to study medicine in the UK. 'There are so many amazing initiatives available but they're not always visible or accessible to students without the right resources.' Chloe added that the idea for the platform stemmed from their own experiences. 'I was complaining to Samaira about not being able to find opportunities for the coming months and she said we should do something about that,' she said. 'So we started talking and decided that we should set up this platform, Volunteer Hub, to help students across the UAE resolve this issue that a lot of us have.' Malak Ezzeldine, a budding economist and a Year 12 student at the same school added that the platform solved a lot of issues for students like her. 'I had contacted so many NGOs looking for volunteer opportunities but no one would get back to me,' she said. 'So, when I heard that they had launched this platform, I signed up for as many opportunities as I could. I even found one volunteer opportunity in my school which I found out only through Volunteer Hub.' Built from scratch In just four months, the duo built the platform from scratch. While Samaira reached out to NGOs, Chloe developed the website using Wix. Volunteer Hub now features filters by location, cause, and type of activity — making it easy for students to find what suits them. According to the girls, the support from their teachers was integral in helping expand the reach of the platform. So far, Volunteer Hub has partnered with 10 non-profits, including Sparkle Foundation and Thrift for Good, and has already helped over 90 students sign up for various roles in areas like sustainability, education, and animal welfare. Even though the platform is mainly aimed at students between the ages of 14 and 18, there is no minimum age for signing up. Year 11 student of Springdales School Dubai Sampritha found her first volunteering opportunity through the platform in May and it was a memorable experience for her. 'I signed for the beach clean up at Jumeirah and it was a great experience for me,' she said. 'For over two hours we combed the beach for cigarette butts and other waste items. I also met a lot of other people. I am looking forward to doing it again.' Future plans Samaira, who has previously volunteered as an English teacher for underprivileged students in India, said it was equally difficult to find opportunities in other countries as well. 'Hopefully in the future, we could expand Volunteer Hub also to a wider reach, maybe use it in India and other countries as well,' she said. 'We want to develop it into a global platform so that it makes it possible for high schoolers anywhere in the world to easily access meaningful ways to give back to the society.' The duo also has a long-term vision for the platform. 'We want to ensure that Volunteer Hub remains sustainable,' said Chloe. 'Even when we head off to university, since we're currently in year 12, we want the platform to keep running. So we're working on building a leadership handover system to younger students within our school or other schools so we can keep the platform growing'
Khaleej Times
28 minutes ago
- Khaleej Times
Too much AI control now can be a risky business, tech entrepreneur says
As artificial intelligence becomes more embedded in everyday business in the UAE, what are the dangers of giving it too much control? While AI is dramatically speeding up workflows and delivering big efficiencies, experts are warning that relying on it too heavily, too soon, could backfire. Recent insights show that AI works best as a support tool, not a decision-maker. When businesses let machines steer strategy, hiring, or customer service without human oversight, the risks are real. Tech investor and entrepreneur, Rashit Makhat, is among those urging caution on the grounds that, while AI can crunch data and offer options in seconds, it doesn't yet understand people, context, or consequences. 'In today's business environment, the human touch matters more than ever,' says Makhat, Director and co-founder of UAE tech venture company, Scalo Technologies. 'AI will transform business, make companies faster, smarter, and more efficient, and no-one wants to be left behind. 'But while AI can draft entire business plans in moments, unlike humans, it doesn't think. It doesn't feel. It doesn't understand people. If businesses forget that, they could be heading for trouble'. The idea of machines running entire industries is not new. But what are the consequences, when we take AI out of the lab and into the boardroom? Harvard Business Review watched a series of executive team meetings at an $85 million revenue Austrian company. They found that what makes AI a valuable team member is that it helps execs see more options. And it provides information quickly to speed up decisions. 'AI worked best when guided by humans, supporting but not replacing, decision-making,' said Makhat. 'The best ideas came when the AI prompted executives to think differently. When they did, they made better choices. AI wasn't the leader - it was the assistant.' The experiment can't disguise AI's broader impact on corporate decision-making. Some experts predict it could soon run entire departments, or even whole companies. But problems can occur when people treat AI like it's already in charge. In February, three lawyers in a lawsuit against Walmart were fined $5,000 by a US judge in Wyoming for citing fake cases generated by AI. The judge said they had a duty to check their sources were real. Reuters also reported that over the past two years, more US judges have raised concerns or disciplined lawyers for using AI-generated cases and quotes in court. 'The most successful companies aren't those that rush to adopt every new technology,' says Makhat. 'They're the ones that mix innovation with human intelligence. Startups, in particular, must be extra careful. AI should sharpen human judgment, not take its place.'
Khaleej Times
2 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
How to write that perfect CV in the UAE: Tips by an HR professional
One page can change your life. This one piece of paper is your invitation to a meeting, your certificate of excellence, and your chance to get a bumper raise before you've even begun a new job. What's on this precious note? Your CV. 'The worst thing you can do for your CV is write down your job description,' says HR veteran Anam Irfan, who has worked with the likes of Majid Al Futtaim and Tenaris, and across industries such as oil and gas and construction. The Pakistani expat, who has been in the UAE for 35 years, is currently the chief people officer and partner at byteSpark AI, and spoke to wknd. about the difference between a good CV and an effective one, what companies can do to draw and retain talent, and what you can do to boost your own profile in the tough-as-stone job market. Her firm is a headhunting initiative that uses AI to pursue candidates and link the right person to the right job. 'Our platform does a recruitment with speed, with efficiency. That, and we help people with CV-building skills,' explains Anam. If you are looking for a new job this year, you are, unsurprisingly, not alone. According to a survey by Censuswide, 75 per cent of the professionals in the UAE are searching for new employment in 2025. But to make your CV (and application) stand out, says Anam, 'Don't tell me what you were hired to do, impress me with what you have done. What you have achieved. A CV needs to be clear, concise, impactful. That means talking about outcomes, numbers.' To make things more engaging, she recommends paying attention to your personal brand. 'After all, if you don't write about your accomplishments on social media (or LinkedIn), how will a recruiter know about your abilities? With the new generation that is coming into the workforce, Gen-Z and Alpha, it will be all about the personal brand. They're all on social media, whether it's Instagram, or LinkedIn, or TikTok. If you want to excel, you need to up your game on these platforms.' Closing the gender gap As a woman who has worked in traditionally male-dominated industries, Anam says her formula for being seen and heard is simple: Show up with irrefutable data. 'If you have your own clear voice and influence at the table, and you come backed up with data — that's when magic really happens. I make sure that when I speak, it is with facts and figures, making them curious about 'why did she say what she said',' she adds. Having a comfortable relationship with your audience will also smooth your way to a receptive audience, the HR executive adds. 'You have to make sure that you're building relationships through the journey. Women have the gift of empathy; relationship-building is natural. When you do that, things become easy.' The first challenge to success — both when it comes to speaking to colleagues and presenting an argument (or counter-argument, for that matter), she says, is the negative self-talk that women tend to suffer from. According to a study, published by the US-based National Library of Medicine, positive self-talk has the ability to improve cognitive performance. 'We women sometimes lose out because we are very self-critical, thinking we need to over-prepare. Sometimes, we overthink and stop ourselves from expressing a certain viewpoint. You don't say it, but someone else does. And you are left reeling,' she says, adding that one needs to curb that instinct to keep mum at important moments. Don't tell me what you were hired to do, impress me with what you have done. What you have achieved. A CV needs to be clear, concise, impactful. That means talking about outcomes, numbers" Anam believes the foundation to professional success then begins in one's formative years. 'If you don't have a very good childhood, it impacts you and your personal skill set,' she explains. However, if you are taught resilience in the face of diversity, it will hold you in good stead. If you do find yourself without glowing personal skills though, remember that many things can be learned — all you need is a growth mindset; that ability to find lessons in everything. It's also why grooming is so important in a work place; it helps your discover and grow your abilities. 'You may have your own mindset and your own aspirations, but if the opportunity is not given in the right organisation, it changes everything,' she says. 'When I was just in training,' she recalls, 'I was already presenting budgets to CEOs — my mentors and leaders put me in the room and pushed me to learn by doing. My confidence was built up like this.' Anam is the mum of a six year old, and she laughs when asked about work-life balance. 'There is no such thing,' she says. 'For me, it's not about a work-life balance, it's really about integration. So, I have boundaries — at five, I have to leave. My son is six. He needs a mom. I need to spend at least couple of hours with him once he's back from school. He needs to have mealtimes with me. He needs to have his sleeping time with me. He needs to have some reading time with me. Once he's gone to bed, I can get back to any pending work that I have. The key is to know when to take a break and pause.' Corporations need to understand that you cannot have those legacy annual performance reviews. You need to move beyond that. Things are agile. That's where frustrations happen in employees — they feel it's not a fair assessment" Organisations too need a shift While she's quick to say that she's only worked in supportive firms, she does admit that the way many organisations do things leave a lot to be desired. 'Performance management systems are so outdated. There is usually an annual goal-setting in organisations and annual reviews; but the goal posts are constantly shifting. 'Corporations need to understand that you cannot have those legacy annual performance reviews. You need to move beyond that. Things are agile. That's where frustrations happen in employees — they feel it's not a fair assessment.' 'The other thing is, teaching employees about their potential growth trajectory. The more you know where you are heading, the greater will be your commitment to your cause,' she explains. At the end of the day, your turn with a company begins with an introduction — and you owe yourself the best one. Begin by working on an effective CV.
