December 2015 www.womanthismonth.com 25 PEOPLE | women 2015 THE BLOGGER Perhaps better known as the quintessential Blond in Bahrain, Georgina Jennsen is a blogger who shares her views on all things beautiful, delicious and fashion forward. • I've lived here for almost 18 years. • I love many things about Bahrain. The food is amazing, both the local traditional tastes and the delicious dishes served in our restaurants. I also like how safe I feel on the island. And, of course, the people. They're warm, loving and kind, and have always made me feel so welcome. • I started blogging in 2012 as a new challenge and a creative outlet, and it's become a wonderful way to tell my story. • My fellow bloggers - both food and fashion. I love them all. • There have been a few high points this year. Adding to my furry family with a shihtzu puppy called April has been one. Buying an investment property in Brisbane was another. And the third was spending a wonderfully zen week at a yoga retreat in Turkey, which allowed me to put everything in my life into perspective. • I plan to do as much yoga as possible, and to accomplish pigeon pose in full expression. • Only start blogging if you have enough time, energy and passion to devote to the digital world. Most blogs last for less than six months, and there's a very good reason for that. Also remember that your blog is your personal brand. Bahrain is small, everyone knows everyone, and it pays to be nice to people. Nobody likes a whiner! Nacira Ferdjoukh Leslie Garduque THE HR GURU As head of human resources, Nacira Ferdjoukh is Citibank’s most senior female staffer in Bahrain, she says learning from every situation is essential. • I have been living and working in Bahrain for the last four and a half years. • Rightly so, Bahrain has been ranked amongst the nicest countries to live in for expatriates. The infrastructure, friendliness of the people and the quality of life is commendable. • I started my career in HR back in France and moved to the UK for several years during which I moved into the banking sector. • I love my job, not a single day is the same. HR is a very challenging function as it relates to people. The employee value proposition and human capital-related decisions bear an important impact on the organisation. My role is to ensure that all HR aspects respond to the challenges faced by all departments. • That would be the migration of our Citiphone department [call centre] from the UAE to Bahrain. Over a few months, around 100 people were hired to be part of this critical unit for the franchise in both countries, which was both challenging and successful. • The plan is to keep the momentum on employee engagement and deliver on the HR strategy. • Be patient, be focused and learn from all situations. THE PR PRO From working in fashion magazines, Leslie Garduque has put her ‘gift of the gab’ to good use and now runs PR and events company Media Circuit Bahrain. • I came to Bahrain in 2006, so that would be nine years. • It’s the convenience of life – and how everything seems to be within reach. • I came from a media and advertising background. My first job in Bahrain was in a fashion magazine. I worked there for several years and it made me realise I have the gift of gab, which I think is very essential in the PR and events business. I did some freelance PR and events works – and voila! Word got out and the next thing I knew, I was contacted for several projects. That’s when I decided I needed to formalise things, so here I am! • I like the fact that my work involves a lot of creative thinking and a lot of action. I’m the type of person who’d get more exhausted doing a desk job than running around meeting clients or doing errands. I love the various challenges of every project. I like the idea of variety, of not having a routine job. • There’s a lot! But I think what is significant for me this year is how we are diversifying our services. For the past two years, we’ve been fashion-centric. This year, we managed to tap into other industries and, so far, the response has been great! • Oh there’re a lot of things lined up! It’s all hush hush for now but it will definitely involve an expansion of our services. We promise that it’s going to be an exciting 2016! • The key really is to love what you do. Everything else will follow. But most importantly, never quit. There will be a lot of humps along the way – and there will even be a time when you will hit rock bottom. But no matter what, cliché as it may sound, you just need to stand up, hold your head high and say (over and over) ‘I can do this!’. It works like magic every time! Georgina Jennsen 8
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