{"id":95917,"date":"2022-05-07T16:58:34","date_gmt":"2022-05-07T13:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/192.163.207.100\/~timesku1\/news\/?p=95917"},"modified":"2022-05-07T21:42:08","modified_gmt":"2022-05-07T18:42:08","slug":"never-too-old-to-learn-something-new","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timeskuwait.com\/news\/never-too-old-to-learn-something-new\/","title":{"rendered":"Never too old to learn something new"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bidding farewell to Emiranda Winter<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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BY NITA BHATKAR CHOGLE<\/strong>
\nSPECIAL TO THE TIMES KUWAIT<\/p>\n

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Being an expat in Kuwait is synonymous with farewells, be it a year or two, or decades. Emiranda Winter, a long-time expat and a well-known name in the field of communications, marketing, branding, and corporate social responsibility, bids farewell to Kuwait after more than 25 years. Her last position was with the Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (ABK) as Chief Communications Officer.<\/p>\n

I had the pleasure of interviewing Emiranda for The Times Kuwait when she was new to the country. A farewell piece is a befitting full circle to her long and successful tenure in the country.<\/p>\n

Soft-spoken and polite yet strong and passionate, Emiranda is a pleasure to talk to. Anyone who meets her will be captivated by her warm and compassionate personality. No wonder she has made numerous friends in Kuwait. \u201cI will miss the people of Kuwait the most. I will miss the wonderful friends I met here, the loyalty of friends. I went to the UK recently for surgery and three of my friends came to support me. This is what Kuwait is made of. So many families opened their homes offering us a place to stay for the last few weeks while we were packing to leave. These are all unique in today\u2019s day and age.\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Emiranda, who arrived in Kuwait shortly after its liberation from the Iraqi occupation said, \u201cWhen I reached Kuwait, I found so many wonderful windows of opportunity. It was not long after the war and Kuwait was open and welcoming. \u201d Despite the wide range of opportunities, after spending a short period in the retail industry, Emiranda chose to take up a challenge and organized the first British trade show in Kuwait, \u2018Britain in Kuwait\u2019 with Ahmed Behbehani.<\/p>\n

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This annual event ran successfully for over two decades, during which time she also pulled together other country expos – Made in South Africa, That\u2019s Italia and The Swiss Luxury Exhibition, to name a few.<\/p>\n

A meeting with Kuwaiti diplomat, Ambassador Abdullah Bishara led to her becoming a part of the Kuwait-British Friendship Society (KBFS), a non-profit organization established in 1996 under the patronage of HRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, with Sheikha Dr. Suad Al Sabah as the Honorary President. Till date, Emiranda continues to be part of KBFS, which aims to ensure the continued \u2018friendship and alliance\u2019 between Kuwait and Britain.<\/p>\n

What made her stay in Kuwait for so long? \u201cThe people of Kuwait, Kuwait itself, I feel this country has a unique personality. I always say if you remain here for two years, then you are going nowhere else. You will end up staying way longer as Kuwait is addictive. Nowhere have I ever experienced safety like we enjoy in Kuwait. Hospitality – you are welcomed into the homes of Kuwaitis, and I have to say, some of my closest friends are Kuwaiti.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve also made other very close friends that I know I will never lose contact with, that\u2019s the beauty of living in Kuwait. The country has pockets of diamonds and excellence and is different to the rest of the GCC. My daughter Rae is married to a wonderful Kuwaiti gentleman \u2013 Bader. I have two beautiful grandchildren, Joud and Tareq and that of course has also kept me here longer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emiranda also met and married her husband, Balwant Bains, a banking professional in Kuwait who brought two wonderful girls Riya and Saachi, into her family. She adds, \u201cAnother reason for staying here for so long is that I\u2019ve been lucky to work in excellent institutions. When you have a good job and you are happy in your workplace , that\u2019s more than half the reason you stay in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n

With trade shows being a annual events, Emiranda took up a position heading the Asdaa PR agency before moving to Gulf Bank where she spent many happy years before moving to ABK. She speaks of her past mentors, Michel Accad \u2013 ex CEO of Gulf Bank and ex Group CEO of ABK ( who taught her so much about numbers and banking) and her direct boss for many years, Fawzy Althunayan (General Manager \u2013 Board Affairs at ABK, who she also worked with at Gulf Bank).<\/p>\n

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Over the years, she has lent her skills and expertise to various milestone projects at both banks, including crisis communications, acquisitions, and rebranding. She highlights how much the world of communications has changed during her journey; whether it is the introduction of social media or the likes of sustainability reports that are now a must have. As they say \u2013 never too old to learn. I actually enjoyed it!\u201d she highlighted.<\/p>\n

Emiranda has also worked closely with organizations like the Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital (KACCH) and has been passionate about caring for animals often taking care of injured and neglected animals.<\/p>\n\r\n