www.womanthismonth.com 15 February 2013 | People Tapping the Inner Genius It does not matter what influences we have been subjected to. It’s our unique approach to life and its challenges that really defines who we are. C reativity is a quality that we most often associate with the arts and artistic endeavours rather than anything else. It is only in recent times that creativity has been acknowledged in the sphere of business. Yet, most entrepreneurs will vouch for the fact that it was the thrill of creating something new and the joy of achieving it which keeps them going. We spoke to three young businesswomen in Bahrain to examine how they apply creativity in driving their business forward. Manar Al Rayes Fresh Perspective Manar Al Rayes believes in examining everything that’s happening in her field of interest before she can develop her own perspective of things. The 24-year-old brand manager of fashion accessories at Sharif Group handles such brands as Armani, Misaki, Crislu, Rochas, Pierre Cardin and Espirit on her own. Her brief involves travelling to international exhibitions where she orders jewellery, followed by stocking, pricing as well as marketing the collections for four A La Mode showrooms across the entire country. While there is no dearth of advice from the women in the family, especially her mother, Manar is always eager for client feedback and forever trying to learn about the changing tastes. She has now learnt to trust her “gut feeling” developed over the last two years, in bringing specific designs to Bahrain. Manar is now readying for the launch of the Cavalli line of jewellery on the occasion of Valentine’s Day. She’s trained her eyes on her newly opened store at Enma Mall in Riffa, where the top end accessory lines have been flying off the shelves. An enthusiastic ambassador of her brands, she habitually sports pieces from her latest collection, something that never fails to catch the eye of friends and acquaintances. Taking her brand promotions viral, Manar has an Instagram page, where she routinely uploads the latest jewellery lines. This business and finance graduate from the University of Bangor, Wales, is happy to divide her time between her twin passions — handling delicate jewellery by day and hard core martial arts by evening. “Through the practice of Taekwondo, I’ve developed a lot of confidence and discipline, essential attributes in my line of work. Of course, it is a great stress buster and helps me release all the negative energy,” says this petite black belt holder from Albanna Taekwondo Center. Manar uses platforms such as Jewellery Arabia for direct interaction with her clients and suppliers.
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