Khadija Al Bastaki On Making d3 a World-Renowned Epicentre of Innovation and Artistic Expression
“I don’t really believe in mistakes. Everything in life is a learning opportunity”
Earlier this year Khadija Al Bastaki, the senior vice president of Dubai Design District – which is part of TECOM Group PJSC – was named one of the Business of Fashion’s 500 leaders shaping the creative industry. That international recognition was something of a turning point for the businesswoman as it not only underlined just how far the creative hub has progressed but also her critical role in making d3 (as it’s commonly referred to) a more globally recognised lodestar for creativity in the region.
The oldest daughter of seven children, Khadija comes from a family of high achievers who are driven to excel and help do their part to shape the future of the UAE. At d3 she has been instrumental in bringing order and transparency to a field known to be unwieldy and difficult to manage, gathering together in one place multinational brands, start-ups and entrepreneurs who are all working towards the same goal: the continued growth of the creative community.
The recent transformation of Arab Fashion Week into Dubai Fashion Week, co-founded by d3 and the Arab Fashion Council, has already helped to solidify the organisation’s standing on the international fashion calendar schedule. While in the design space, Khadija helped broker for this year’s d3 Architecture Exhibition a partnership with the Gulf chapter of the Royal Institute of British Architects. This, along with the news that L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, which is supported by Van Cleef & Arpels, is establishing a permanent campus at d3, are just some of the latest examples of how she is orchestrating the next chapter in the story of the hub. The one where d3 becomes an industry-wide touchpoint, a place where creatives want to flock and global business flows.
We spoke with Khadija about the unique career path that led her to d3, her endless thirst for knowledge and how she is helping the next generation of women achieve success in the UAE.
You have been interviewed often in the press but the conversations are, understandably, focused on the latest news coming out of d3. But we are curious about how you perceive yourself as a leader.
Well, basically, I’m determined. I know what I want. I am very detail-oriented and hands-on in general. I also believe you have to have this positivity, this energy within yourself that you direct towards what it is that you love to do in life. I love meeting people, making those connections, and seeing partnerships come alive. I feel that I am, in a nutshell, a very positive person. I take a problem and say, “Oh, let’s see it as an opportunity”. When Plan A doesn’t work, what is Plan B? At d3 I have an open-door policy and my team knows they can always come to me for guidance, there is always a way forward.
Your academic career was focused on technology and engineering, but you are currently overseeing a very creative space at d3. How do you feel your education has influenced the work that you do now?
Studying software engineering helped me develop my analytical thinking and problem-solving. It honed my ability to see connections and analyse the world around me. My very first dream job was to work at IBM, but after getting a position there I discovered that I really loved interacting with people, rather than sitting behind a screen all day. So I moved to the multinational logistics company DP World. There I developed my commercial international market experience and learned about account management and the art of building customer relationships.
I also built my international relationships, as part of my role was to bring direct investment to Dubai. My general business and commercial experience progressed even more when I moved to TECOM Group to lead business development at the company. All of these experiences taught me the importance of building strong business connections and partnerships. This then led me to my current role at d3 where I have been able to combine my skills to help grow a diverse creative community.
It seems as if you are a sponge for knowledge. You have an MBA that focused on strategic management and you were on your way to getting a doctorate in the field of logistic supply chain before you moved to TECOM – is continual education important to you?
There is no end point when it comes to education and learning. So as long as you continue to accrue knowledge and expand your skill set – that is only a benefit, both personally and professionally. You know, because of my background in software engineering, I’m fascinated by technology. The links between it and the creative fields, like design, architecture, and fashion are only going to continue to grow. The creative industry as a whole is going through a real digital transformation, across all disciplines, and this is something that I am looking forward to exploring further.
“I don’t really believe in mistakes. Everything in life is a learning opportunity”
When you are advising young people who are just coming into the workforce, and who want to follow in your footsteps, what do you tell them they need to focus on?
I tell them to be driven by their passion. To have an interest in something and set a goal. Then make professional choices that will help to get them closer to achieving it. I also advise them that building relationships, building a professional network, is actually the real goldmine of a career. It’s something that they should always be growing and leveraging.
When you joined d3 in 2019 what did you feel was going to be your biggest challenge?
The main challenge of the job is bringing all the creative segments to one central address at d3. This is because I’m dealing with all kinds of different entities – corporations, multinational brands, luxury houses, architects… lots of big names. But I am also working with entrepreneurs, start-ups and universities. It’s an interesting mix, which is also a challenge because you have to understand their individual needs, which are all different so they require tailored solutions and infrastructure. What I am trying to do is create this unique blend that works for everyone and builds a rich creative ecosystem that is vibrant and global, that everyone can benefit from.
You are, for all intents and purposes, the face of d3. As one of the most recognisable female role models in the country, how are supporting the next generation of female leaders of the UAE?
The UAE government has always supported female talent. It has continually been empowering women to be active members of the economy and contribute to the success of the country. It has been a key priority from day one.
I am very grateful that throughout my career, I have been supported by the companies I worked for, and that I have been mentored and guided along the way. I am paying that forward within the d3 community where we champion and support women through different initiatives like TECOM Group’s start-up incubator In5 Design and activations that promote female-owned brands. Then there also are opportunities like Dubai Fashion Week, Dubai Design Week and Sole DXB. These events can be platforms to showcase their talents or give those who are just starting out, backstage and first-hand experience through schools like DIDI [Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation] and FAD, which we collaborate with.
Tell us about a time in your life when you made a mistake, or had a ‘teachable moment’ and how you learned and grew from that experience.
I don’t really believe in mistakes. Everything in life is a learning opportunity. I think it’s important to always consider how we can improve, and how we can enhance things in our lives. We have to make learning a continuous fundamental focus in everything we do.
But one time where I personally had a massive learning curve was during Covid. It exposed me to so many new challenges, from the commercial side to maintaining those relationships with customers during a time of low productivity. I was interacting with international clients, working with people who were having lots of different emotions and reactions to what was going on. Trying to be a reassuring figure while looking for solutions for all the different problems that people were facing. I had to be adaptable and really help the d3 community continue to move forward even during that difficult time. Facing that period of Covid and the pandemic was the ultimate peak in my commercial career, in terms of learning.
It has been a nearly decade since d3 opened. What do you want to accomplish over the next 10 years?
Over these past 10 years, we have turned d3 into a global creative hub that brings together the brightest creative talents and leading businesses in the sector. Now the goal is to build on this foundation and take it to the next level by pursuing more international strategic partnerships and opening new corridors of exchange of information and business opportunities. We want to be the destination of choice for any creative, anywhere in the world. So that by the end of the next decade, when people who work in the creative field think of where the centre of the creative industry is in the region they will only think of one place – that place is d3.
Photography by Efraim Evidor. Styling by Imogene Legrand.
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s November 2023 Issue.