Episode 17: Souad Al Serkal | The Real Finance Mentor Podcast
Successful. Young. Emirati. Woman. And oh yes, she was refreshingly honest, delightfully engaging and impressively articulate as well.
Now that’s a combo (and an interview) I could not pass on!
Souad has gone through a lot personally and professionally despite her young age. Hence we covered a LOT in the podcast- overcoming shyness, graduate employability, the importance of teachers and mentors, why parental support and direction are invaluable, battling (and killing) depression, how to be a good public speaker, career tips for youngsters etc.
Souad’s energy and positivity are contagious and her story is a powerful reminder that we can transform ourselves and change our destiny if we are talented, optimistic and, very importantly, have the right support system.
Listen. Learn. Grow.
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
(Music plays)
Binod Shankar:
This is Binod Shankar and you’re listening to the real finance mentor podcast from the realfinancementor.com. The real finance mentor is your go-to resource for insight and inspiration on careers in finance, CFA and more. Now you might think, why this podcast? Well, my goal is to deliver insight and inspiration for your financial career, by making it, one: relatable. I mean this is not theoretical stuff. We zero-in on the critical, practical issues. Number two: authentic. No bullshit, no side-stepping. The topics, guests and questions are all from that perspective. And number three: insightful. Take a Chartered accountant and a CFA charter holder, add 17-plus years as a corporate warrior, mix in 10-plus years of entrepreneurship, throw in a decade of full time CFA training. Add speaking, mentoring, cycling, mountaineering and other endurance activities, and that’s me! Welcome to The Real Finance Mentor, or as I call it: RFM.
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Binod:
Good afternoon, everyone! This is Binod Shankar here with the real finance mentor podcast, a podcast that brings insight and inspiration for your finance careers. Today we have a special guest. Now, this special guest is not from finance, although she has some connection with finance, she confesses, in her current job. And she is not doing any CFA or MBA or any such C-level certifications. But she is interesting, for various reasons as you would see, as we proceed with the interview.
So, I would like welcome for today’s episode Souad Al Serkal. Now, let me introduce Souad properly with the proper titles and experience and credentials.
Souad is the Vice president- Strategic Communications with Tabreed, also called the National Central Cooling Company, which is headquartered in the UAE, and is a listed company. She is also an executive Board Member of the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA), and was Acting Head of Corporate Communications and Head of PR at Abu Dhabi Media; before which, she was Corporate Communications Executive at the Al Tayer Group; and also, before that, she was Media Spokesperson- Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding.
Education wise, she has a Bachelors in Communication and Media Sciences from Zayed University and a Masters in Sciences of International Business Administration Zayed University / Thunderbird university – Geneva. Awards- she has got the Most influential PR and Communication Professional in the region by PRWEEK in 2019 and 2020.
Have I left anything out Souad? Is there anything you want to say?
Souad:
I am an amazing person, I’m very lovely!
Binod:
Anyways, thank you for coming on the show!
Souad:
Of course! Of course! My pleasure! Thank you for having me!
Binod:
I have too many questions to ask you but because of time we have to obviously limit the number of questions and we had a chat several times before, today. Apart from being bright, you also strike me as articulate, engaging and open. And these three terms are not terms that I associate with the Emiratis that I know, most of who (men and women) are super conservative and keep to themselves. Now, why is that? And is this changing fast enough, in your opinion?
Souad:
To be honest, this is one of the most asked questions I’ve faced when I speak to international professionals or just regular people from all around the world. And I will not deny that I am not your typical Emirati, to be very honest. But the community is changing. It is extremely changing in regards to these three attributes that you just mentioned. Our upbringing, in fact, had a lot to do with who we are today and to be honest, the way the government is progressively shifting to what is the “norm” is helping people change.
Me personally, I come from a very unconventional family. And when everyone thought that being the media is not too positive, my parents saw something in me that I would say translated – “Yes, she’s perfect for media”, they pushed me to be who I am today. They made sure I know that I can be vibrant and still exercise my duties as an Emirati, which is extremely important in our community.
Binod:
I need to come back to your childhood, and your parents later. Because I’m sure there are some insights that we can pull out from there. But when I first met you, and we first met when I contacted you for the CFA Institute Investment Research Challenge, the UAE version 2021, which is actually a way of making university graduates employable.
Now, of course as you know employability is a big issue as many graduates enter the workplace without a clue of how to survive, forget succeeding! We try to tackle this issue at CFA Institute by encouraging teams from universities to participate in a competition where they learn lots of useful skills like presentation and financial modelling. You mentioned during our previous conversation, your unique undergrad work experience. Tell me what you did and how that has helped you so far?
Souad:
So, first of all, let’s put it out there - I’m a workaholic! I love what I do and I do it to the best that I can.
You didn’t want to go back to my childhood. But to be honest, I attribute this to my parents and the way they taught us. They basically taught us how to work for what we need. We wanted an extra allowance- we had to do extra chores. We wanted to learn? Apply it. And I believe that, where my perspective of working while studying came through, was from that. I have worked in newspapers, advertising agencies, production houses and media networks, all during my studies. I knocked every door every summer that I was available in the UAE, for me to just do work placements and gain experience from that.
But the thing is that I also have to thank my professors for being flexible with me, when that was the case. I had my first full time job while I was a full-time student! My professors made sure I excelled at both ends and were very understanding when it came to my time. That consequently gave me my edge!
Education is so important! It is essential! It gives you the credibility, but working is even more important to help you apply what you have learned and hence never forgetting it. Having programs such as this is crucial to the next generation. The real world is not in your books, the real world uses what you’ve learned and tests your critical thinking in applying these methodologies. Students need to take advantage of these programs, this one and other similar programs that are available in their fields. I know I abused every opportunity presented to me. If I sniffed an opportunity, I jumped on it. And that’s what I would advise people to do, to excel in what they’re planning to do.
Binod:
That’s a very interesting take. Let’s go to that plus part what you said, what youngsters are planning to do. Because as you know Souad, many youngsters struggle to find the field that they like and that they’re good at. In fact, even adults struggle. Some adults never even find what field they like and what they’re good at.
But you seem to have found what the Japanese call (and I’m sure you’ve heard of this phrase) Ikigai, where passion, purpose, profession; all intersect. I mean, you seem to enjoy your work and we have had several interactions over the last several months. So, when did you first get the interest to work in the communications field? I mean, what drew you to communications?
Souad:
As I said, I am in love with my job. I adore what I do. And I thank God for giving me parents that allow me to explore my passion. I want to go on the record, to be honest, to thank three professors, who literally lured me into the communications world. Just a backstory, I’m fascinated with science. I’m a huge fan of biology, physics and chemistry and my initial thoughts were to go into biology. But thanks to Professor James Picewey, Jack Hillwig and Stan Dura, they are the reason of why I am and who I am today! Stan saw the writer; James saw the passion and Jack saw the creativity.
As you mentioned, I am a Zayed University graduate in the comms college. Before you pick your college, you get into a general education program and at the end of that program you start getting introduced to the different colleges. James Picewey and Jack Hillwig walked into the hall to introduce to communication, with the song “We will rock you” in the background, literally clapping their hands over their head, and singing that song. And all I did, I’m like, “Okay, rock my world! Like tell me, show me how is it going to be rocking”. And they completely astonished me! Their confidence on stage and the way they introduced the media world made me thinking, “Oh what! I want that”. I want to be influential. I want to make a difference! And here I am today!
Binod:
It is interesting that you talk about your three professors James Picewey, Jack Hillwig and Stan Dura. Because if you think about lots of leaders or successful professions out there Souad, and you ask them who made the biggest impact in your life? They might mention parents, but I am fairly certain they will mention their school teachers or college professors. It’s interesting, isn’t it- the impact these people have on your life?
Souad:
For me, I think it comes from the fact that I value giving credit where it’s worth. I’ve taken upon myself the duty, I say, (and it’s a duty to be honest with my feelings) whether it was positive or negative. And being grateful for these three people is essential to me, and essential to anyone listening- that, remember who had a hand in kind of sculpting who you are! Give them their recognition. And believe me the repercussions of that are great and amazing, in my humble opinion.
Binod:
Are you in touch with these professors, by the way?
Souad:
Of course! Whenever I go to the US, I contact Stan. Because Stan had moved there and I went and saw him. And I remember that I met his wife before they got married, when I was still in university. And now they have two beautiful children, I met them as well. So, no, I do stay in touch as far as I can and I am forever grateful!
Binod:
Incredible, and also very inspirational! Now, your answers reveal, Souad, that you are an outlier. Before this record, we talked about another way in which you were an outlier, which we should not talk about now. While this is quite normal (as in being an outlier) in the Western world, I have heard of very few expats (forget Emiratis) in the UAE who work while at college. I suspect (I might be a bit biased here) they don’t work mainly because their lifestyle is taken care of by their well-off parents who meet all their expenses. So, for you to be an outlier, for you to go and work so early on while you’re at college, there must have been some triggers in your case, perhaps in school and/or childhood. Can you share some details about this?
Souad:
As I mentioned, it’s my parents. My parents taught us that we need to earn our money. We need to earn our (keep). Because that kind of consequently made us value money, for it being available to us. Based on that, the concept of earning one’s keep is embedded into our DNA. I don’t understand how someone can take an allowance at an age where they can actually start knocking doors and getting jobs.
This is a funny story, but I remember when I was a child, I wanted to buy something and my father said that. What he meant was, go to your mom, get some chores, do something around the house and get the money. What I did was, I went downstairs to our building compound and opened a car wash.
Binod:
Oh wow!
Souad:
where I started washing cars and earning money! And my father flipped, bless his heart! He said, “what is wrong with you? What are you trying to do to the family’s name”? But in my mind, I was doing right. He was very proud, but at the same he was “that’s not what I meant”! He embraced that. He understood that this girl is going to grow up to actually work for whatever she needs, which is important.
Binod:
It’s interesting! Because, something similar happened to me when I was a child, growing up in Nigeria. I have a single mom. And if I needed pocket money, she would say, “you either wash the car or clean the house”. So, I would have to do one of those things. So, although we joke about it now, but of course we realized the importance of those past events. Because it sort of builds in you the fact that money doesn’t come easily, and you have to really work hard to earn that extra rupee, or naira, or dollar or dirham. And that’s quite important!
Now, let’s talk about something very critical, which is mental health. It is such an important issue. I read recently that the rate of depression and suicide and loneliness among the younger generation has been steadily increasing, actually worsened with Covid, because, of course, social distancing has had a huge adverse impact.
Now, you mentioned to me that your battles with depression in school- a very bold an open move by the way, you know (and thanks for opening up, appreciate that). But millions of people are fighting this daily, around the world. How did you win this battle? Who helped you? Can you please tell us more details about this?
Souad:
Of course. So, I am extremely open about my battle with depression. It is still there but very, very much under control because of one thing: I decided, I will not let it destroy me. Depression is a very real illness. And I do not believe in fixing it by taking a pill. It is by genuinely dealing with the issues that create those dark voices in your head. The one piece of advice I can give is identifying the source of negativity in your life and literally eliminating it.
In my case, I made sure that I surround myself with positive people who push me to be the best at what I am. If it is a family member who’s negative- limit your interactions. Don’t cut them off, because to me, I look at life from a religious perspective, it does go against our religion to cut off family. But limit them in your life. Limit their interactions with you. If it was a friend- cut them off. You do not have time to cater to others. The negativity in you is a reflection of the environment that you are in.
I want to take a moment, because you mentioned, who helped me? I want to take a moment to thank my biology teacher back in school, Mr Nidal, who took it upon himself to have lunch with me every single day and check up on me on a daily basis when he realized I’m a kid suffering from depression. Which brings me to my next point. If you see someone suffering, be there. Lend a helping hand. Most of the time, a person who is in depression will either not admit that he/she is there, or are too afraid to ask for help.
I was completely blessed with people around me who saw me, parents who embraced me and a mind that was strong enough to deal with my complexity. Today as part of my association with MEPRA, as being a board member, we have created a wellness program that is free of charge for people to come and use and speak to professionals on depression and loneliness. So, by all means, please do go to mepra.org and utilize that platform. It’s free of charge, it’s available to all and assists you if you have issues with finding the right person to speak.
Binod:
Fantastic! Thanks for opening up Souad! And, that’s a fantastic initiative, by the way: The MEPRA Connection. I hope people will reach out and hopefully they will get their problems sorted out. It’s a long journey, it won’t go overnight. But I think you’ve got to work at it, and you need support as well.
Souad:
Definitely! I’ve been suffering with depression since I believe, 2001, If I want to put a date on it. And I do remember, which is very hard for anyone to believe today, but I went without smiling for a year.
Binod:
Wow!
Souad:
For a full year, I was wearing black on black continuously, I never smiled, and I was always distant from everyone. It was a very hard time, but I was very lucky to have the people around me.
Binod:
Now, talking about smiling, I find it very difficult to believe that because I watched you at a TEDx talk from... When was that? 2012? About 8 years ago. When you just waltzed onto the stage, and you held the stage fluently, confidently and with humor. You’re obviously now quite confident, and articulate and engaging in private and public. But you said you were not always like this, and most people as you know struggle in public speaking. I mean, I used to teach a lot and I couldn’t even get my students to open up in a class where we’re talking about something important for them.
So, how do you go from a shy schoolgirl with depression issues to an engaging platform speaker? I also saw that on LinkedIn recently, you mentioned about three Ps of public speaking, which is persistence, preparation and practice. So, how do you advise someone who’s a youngster, a fresh graduate probably or even a young professional at work who is hesitant to stand up in a meeting room and talk to his colleagues, or in front of strangers and deliver a short talk. How do they get over this?
Souad:
Okay, so, I’m going talk a little bit about a backstory. So, I’m a certified trainer and my specialty is public speaking. I train people about how to get over the “butterflies”. I’m here to tell you a couple of things. First of all, we’re not afraid of speaking, because we do it on regular basis. We’re afraid of rejection. We’re afraid of people in front of us rejecting what we have to say.
Let me put it in laymen terms. Let’s say you’re back in college, back in the good old days. You see a beautiful young lady and you want to go ask her out on a date. You walk up to her and you’ll be like, “My name is Binod. I think you’re gorgeous, I would love to take you out for a coffee”. And she looks at you top to bottom and she says, “Uh, no”, and walks away. That pain is a kind of rejection. So, imagine that pain in front 300 people in an auditorium. That is equivalent to dying. And they say, the fear of public speaking or the fear of that rejection, is actually higher than the fear of death itself!
So, it’s not a negative connotation, but it’s what you do with that anxiety, makes all the difference. To go back to that, every public speaker has the “butterflies”, believe me! It is the emotions, it’s what you do with these “butterflies” is what makes you stand out. In my case, comedy is my escape. I make use of any situation and turn the tables to making it a funny moment to break my own ice! I then shift the focus of how nervous I am at that moment, to what I need to make sure my audience needs to know.
And if you mess up on stage, so what! It doesn’t matter! You are still stronger than most, by actually being on that stage! This is where persistence kicks in. You need to go at it again and again and again! I did mess up a number of times on stage, nothing major! But I did. I laugh it off and I continue. When I took it easy, the audience laughed with me, not at me. And I just continued.
I remember when I was a kid, I had to perform a play in front of an entire summer camp. I was part of the ADNOC summer camp, my father used to work there, and the executives were there to watch us. I was absolutely petrified. I was supposed to perform the opening monologue and I just completely froze. I stood there in front of everyone, an auditorium filled with people, and nothing came out of my mouth. I almost fell apart and completely wanted to run off the stage. I looked out at my dad, and he smiles. And gives me the thumbs up, that I’m doing great! I didn’t even say a word! I looked at the rest of the crowd and everyone was staring at me. At that moment, I just closed my eyes, I calmed myself, smiled at my father, and then just completely continued reciting. It was an amazing, amazing play. I was 10 at that time.
Afterwards, my parents ran up to me, they hugged me and made it seem like I should be nominated to the Oscars because of my performance! And that’s the kind of reinforcement you need to have around you.
Now in regards to preparation and practice, I have an equation that I follow. It’s 1 hour per 1 minute of presentation time. Meaning, you have a 20-minute presentation, you need to dedicate 20-hours’ worth of preparation. What do you do when you prepare? You research, you redefine, you readjust and then you finalize the information needed to present that 20-minute worth.
You may say, “Okay Souad, we usually have like 30 minutes to an hour for a presentation”. Yes, that is correct. But that 30 minutes to an hour is a combination of you speaking and Q&A. So, eliminate the Q&A and the conversation time, you got your PPT time. And based on that allocated time, you need to prepare.
And then finally, we go to the third ‘P’, which is practicing! You have no idea, the amount of times that I practice a speech. I train and I look at my speaking notes. I practically memorize it before going on stage. I mean, sure; when I speak, it seems like it’s coming out from the heart. But public speaking is an art and needs a lot of work. True, some of us are more comfortable speaking in front of others, but believe me, it’s an acquirable talent. I do not have any public speaking genes in my DNA, by the way. I completely work hard for it. I worked diligently to get here. But remember, it’s not the fear of public speaking, it’s the fear of rejection that controls us.
Binod:
I know the fear of humiliation in public, in front of so many faces. I must say your dad deserves a prize! Give the man an Oscar, to be honest!
Souad:
Both, my mom and dad, to be honest. They work very much hand in hand, definitely!
Binod:
You said the first time we talked, Souad, that you loved the lockdown because you are, to quote you, “essentially an introvert”. Something that people, and to be quite frank, I myself find very difficult to believe! But let’s go with that.
Now, as someone whose natural preference or nature is introversion, how do you get the motivation and the ability to (for the lack of a better word) “stretch” yourself to be so engaging when you deal with seniors, juniors, different departments, vendors, the media, Binod Shankar, podcast interviews, etc.?
Souad:
So, I do love, and I always call myself the introverted extrovert. Public speaking was my Everest! And I stress at ‘was’. But Oh God! Do I love a challenge! I can tell a story. I know I can. I have the skill. So, why not do it? What’s the worst that can happen? Nothing.
Again, I go back to the support system that kept reassuring me that I have something great to share. So, I need to do it. If you notice, I stress again and again and again about the surrounding, the environment that you set yourself in. For me, growing up, I’ve changed my surroundings to today, that I make sure that everyone around me is an overachiever. I create that healthy competition around me, that they love seeing me excel as much as I love seeing them excel. And that kind of puts me into that place where, yes, “you know what! A challenge! I’ll take it. I’ll do it. I’ll be the best at what I do”, and show off doing it.
Binod:
While you were talking, I was thinking, and I’ve thought about this before as well, even before today. You’re so fluent in the English language; so confident, so engaging; which is of course, something that you don’t see, whether expats or Emiratis. I suspect that lack of fluency in English is one reason why public speaking becomes such a huge Everest to climb. Because they fear that they will say something wrong or grammatically, otherwise.
Now, how did you get good, or very good at the language? More importantly, if someone is in their twenties and struggling to sort of engage with their peers, colleagues, bosses at work, mainly because of their language issues as English is not our native language, what do you suggest? How can they upskill themselves? Because it’s a major issue, I’ve noticed, both here as well as in South Asia (is English language).
Souad:
Yeah. So, it is practice, practice, practice. Be confident enough to go speak to foreigner, and speak to a native English-speaking foreigner. And I’m here to tell you; you made a mistake grammatically, so what? And a lot of people kind of ask themselves, “Oh my God! What if I make a mistake”? And my question is always, “so what if you did? What’s the worst that can happen? So, what if you did?” First of all, kudos on you trying! That, you need to give yourself that badge of honor, that you were actually, actively trying to speak a different language. Not everyone, by the way, speaks two languages. It’s not a common thing F.Y.I. But kudos on you trying to speak two different languages. That’s number one.
Number two, how in the world are you going to learn if you don’t have someone correct you? Number three, if you are in front of people who make fun of your mistakes, eliminate them. I take it upon myself to constructively correct anyone who speaks in front of me and uses bad grammar or uses the wrong word, and constructively give them that advice or correct them or not. But if you are speaking and someone makes fun of you, eliminate them. You don’t need them. You don’t need that kind of negativity in your life at all. Don’t stop speaking. Practice! Surround yourself with native speakers. Go online, recite! Read! Read! Read! Read!
I took it upon myself to read. At some point, I remember, I couldn’t go out; I was very, very sick. This is something that also I’m very public about. So, I’m a cancer survivor and during my medication, at some point, I couldn’t really go out. I couldn’t do anything, and I used to read a book a day. A book a day! Because I had nothing else to do. So, read books. Fiction, non-fiction, business books, whatever you get your hands on. The newspaper, every single day, read them. Look at the language. Practice that language and move forward. And to be honest, I don’t talk about only Arabs or speaking English. If you are an English speaker and you’re trying to speak Arabic, do not let anyone make you feel less because you’re speaking traditional Arabic or classical Arabic, or whatever the case was. Kudos on you for trying to speak a different language.
Binod:
Yes. I read somewhere recently that if someone is struggling to speak English, remember he knows a second language that you probably don’t.
Souad:
Exactly! Very, very true! Very true.
Binod:
Talking about advice, and very importantly; if a young, undergraduate approaches you for advice on career, what are the three top tips based on your experience, (although you’re young, you’ve gone through a lot of experience in life) that you would give that young undergraduate irrespective of gender or nationality?
Souad:
I’ve kind of hovered over a couple of them. What I’m saying, that I’m going to specify them. There are three points that I’d like to cover.
Always ask yourself “What if they don’t!”
It always happens for a GOOD reason
Don’t fear the unknown
So, let’s elaborate a little bit.
So, again, I spoke about the fear of rejection. I noticed, that most fear rejection, as an idea and that’s valid! But instead of setting up yourself up for that, convince yourself that there is a positive possibility to every situation! So, instead of asking yourself “What if they say no!”, ask yourself, “What if they say yes”! It’s all a matter of perspective.
I was taught that if Allah allowed us to see what he has in store for us in the future, we would drop to the floor thanking him and never get up. Which means, what? Everything that happens to us in the ‘now’ is either preparing us for a brighter future or eliminating what we ‘think’ is good for us to allow something even better into our lives. Which brings me to a story of mine.
At one of my jobs I was promised a promotion; I found out that my name was shortlisted and it was just a matter of time for me to get it. I was absolutely devastated (because I knew I deserved that promotion and I worked so hard for it) that I was taken out of it. I said, “You know what! Something better must be coming soon. I was hoping for it, but my name was taken out. It’s not a big deal. Something must be better”! Truth be told, less than 6 months, I got a job somewhere else that was 3 grades higher than what I had, 3 times the salary I had and needed me to join immediately. Please note, that if I got that promotion, my notice period would have been three months and because I didn’t get that promotion, my notice period was only one month. And because of my vacation accumulated, I could have reduced it to only two weeks. If I got promoted, the opportunity of a life time would have gone way. So yes, it may seem like it is the end of the world at that moment, but remind yourself, it is always for a good reason.
Finally, we are always afraid of the things that we don’t know. So, the fear of the unknown. Cold feet before getting married, picking a new home, traveling to a new country! It is a completely normal reaction, but never fear it to the limit that you run away. Stand your ground, challenge yourself. And if you don’t know how to proceed, (surprise) ask! Don’t hold yourself responsible for the information that you do not have! Empower yourself with knowledge and the experience to move forward. So, there is nothing scary about not knowing something. Admit it to yourself, allow yourself to understand that and ask! Ask! Ask! Ask!
Binod:
Exactly! So, don’t be shy of asking.
Souad:
Yeah! Definitely!
Binod:
So, I’m sure you’ve quite a few personal projects going on, in the sidelines. So, tell me what do you have going on right now?
Souad:
At the moment, I’m heavily invested in training people in public speaking, because I realize that’s a very recurring issue with a lot of professionals. So, I do that and I’m very involved with the MEPRA at the moment. I work closely with The United Nations Environment Program and the Ministry of Climate Change, on cooling projects and projects that help with the entire climate crisis and what not! I’ve always been into saving the planet, definitely! But I think right now is the right time for me to actively do something about it, given the position and where I work at. So, these are some projects that I’m currently investing my time into, to be very honest.
Binod:
Very encouraging, very interesting and very inspiring as well if I may say so, as I said before several times as well, Souad. Unfortunately, I know you’re busy and the interview has to end at some point, and this is probably a good point to wrap up! Thank you so much Souad for taking out the time to come today, for being open, and for being honest and insightful. Because, I think the need of the hour is for youngsters to be motivated and focused, and not lose heart. And don’t be shy, and don’t be afraid.
Souad:
Definitely! I definitely agree with you and I really do hope that whoever is listening, whether they’re youngsters and they’re just starting with their careers or actually mid-career; please find the passion in what you do, regardless of what it is. And if you don’t find the drive, it’s never too late to change! And it’s never too late to start over. What do you have to lose? Absolutely nothing! And the more passionate you are about what you do, the better it is to wake up in the morning.
Binod:
Absolutely! Fantastic! Now that’s a brilliant way to end this episode. Thank you so much, Souad Al Serkal, for coming to the interview and wish you the best in your future career, and of course- we will be in touch.
Souad:
Thank you so much for having me. It’s an absolute pleasure.
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Binod:
This podcast is brought to you by the real finance mentor. Thank you so much for listening and I really hope you found it insightful and inspirational. If you did enjoy this episode, please drop us a review and spread the word. You should check out more exclusive content on therealfinancementor.com and my LinkedIn profile which is: Binod Shankar, FCA, CFA. Let’s keep in touch! Just add your name to the mailing list on therealfinancementor.com, and we’ll tell you about new episodes plus book reviews, upcoming events and blogs. Till the next time, onwards and upwards.
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