Nadine Mezher joined Sarwa after years of experience in marketing and communication strategy with a track record of successful projects delivered for clients ranging from startups to government entities as well as large-scale companies. Prior to that, she was working for Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Government of Dubai in retail strategy and strategic alliances, in addition to festivals and events development. Nadine holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American University of Beirut with an emphasis on marketing, as well as a degree in design from Esmod Paris.

Nadine shared the story of Sarwa’s founding and the core investment principles that guide their vision for retail investors in the UAE and across the region.  There’s a ton to be learned from this episode and you can apply these concepts by opening an account with Sarwa today.

The Sarwa Team (from left to right)

Jad Sayegh CTO, Thomas Martres Web Developer, Danny Jabour Head of Wealth Advisory, Nadine Mezher CMO, Mark Chahwan CEO

Enjoy the show!

Posted on April 23, 2018

Show Notes:

• 1:30 – The guiding vision of Sarwa as a retail investors platform
• 2:00 – How customers can get access to Sarwa and invest on the platform
• 3:15 – How Sarwa is a member of the Fintech Hive @ DIFC
• 4:00 – The founding story of Sarwa … about Mark & Jad identifying the opportunity for a robo-advisor platform in the UAE
• 6:00 – How and why Nadine joined the Sarwa team as the Chief Marketing Officer
• 7:00 – The two types of clients that Sarwa sees in the market and how they can serve them
• 7:30 – Why customer education is so core and critical to the mission of Sarwa
• 8:00 – The process Sarwa had to complete to get regulated in the UAE by the Dubai Financial Services Authority
• 9:00 – How Sarwa is helping the UAE move into the digital future with a Fintech investment platform
• 10:15 – An overview of the Sarwa investment philosophy … passive low-cost index investing
• 11:00 – Why investor emotions can be their own worst enemy to their investment success
• 12:00 – Why passive investing is an effective strategy versus active management
• 13:15 – How to get started with Sarwa with just $2,000 in your account, with no required monthly contributions!
• 13:45 – The Sarwa approach to Management Fees and costs
• 15:00 – The types of investment risk profiles that Sarwa customers can choose from
• 16:15 – Sarwa applies the Modern Portfolio Theory approach to diversification to limit individual equity risk
• 17:30 – How the lower fee structure offered through Sarwa can have a massive impact on your returns vs traditional Finance Managers
• 18:00 – The magic of compounding returns on your investment portfolio
• 19:00 – Sarwa’s 4 core Principles of Investing
• 22:00 – Why inflation is an important component to calculating your total investment returns
• 23:30 – The experience of an entrepreneur in the UAE, particularly in the Fintech sector
• 25:00 – Why being aligned with your Co-Founders and team is so crucial to success for your Startup
• 26:00 – The challenges of being an entrepreneur and the secret to success
• 27:30 – Why investors in your company should be more than just a source of finance … they should be partners and advisors
• 28:15 – How to get the right people on your Board of Advisors
• 29:30 – The Sarwa Launch Event of the Beta platform and the timeline going-forward
• 31:00 – How investors can get access to Sarwa and open an account
• 31:30 – How you can meet with a Sarwa Financial Advisor to help guide you on your investment journey
• 33:15 – Customers can adjust their investment strategy over time in reaction to life events
• 34:15 – How Sarwa is reaching out to the public to provide free investor education … online and in-person workshops
• 36:00 – The Sarwa plan for expansion across geographies and markets
• 37:00 – How Sarwa wants to impact the culture of saving and investing in the UAE