#35: Growth mindset: don’t just ride the waves, make them - Nadine Mezher
Nadine Mezher was eager to spearhead change in habits and attitudes to handling money in the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa). She wanted to democratise access to investing and make it available to not only the ultra rich. Nadine co-founded Sarwa, a platform for investment and personal finance. In 2022, Forbes recognised Nadine among 20 women behind Middle Eastern tech brands. A fashion professional and owner of her own design house in the past, Nadine unpacks the concept of growth mindset in business and private life.
MENA region: attitudes to money and investment
Nadine explores how people in the MENA region handle their hard-earned money. She describes the historical trends of saving in bank accounts and investing in real estate, as well as the growing interest in the stock market and investment platforms. Nadine emphasizes the importance of putting money to work and the need for financial education. She also highlights the lack of access to pension funds for many young individuals in the region and the cultural tradition of taking care of the elderly.
What a growth mindset means
Nadine discusses the concept of a growth mindset and its significance for both personal development and company success. She sees the importance of staying on top and ahead of trends and a continuous need to learn, assess, monitor, measure, and improve. This approach allows businesses to grow faster than their competitors and as a whole. For Nadine, a growth mindset is a crucial element of the company culture and it has to be reflected in the daily work of the teams, where metrics play a critical role. Nadine explains how they implemented the OKRs approach (Objectives and Key Results) in cycles to reach ambitious goals and continuously push the boundaries.
“Growth mindset is about thinking that if I am struggling in a certain area, then there could be something that I could do in order to unlock new skills, new capabilities that maybe I don’t even know I had.”
Branding vs performance marketing
Nadine delves into the ongoing debate between brand marketing and performance marketing, highlighting the importance of balancing both the art and science elements in growth marketing. Brand is about positioning the company on the market and fostering customer loyalty, which goes beyond pricing and involves emotional engagement. She acknowledges the scientific aspect of performance marketing, where everything could be measured, optimised, and analysed.
The most surprising things Nadine learned about herself
Nadine experienced living in different cultures and navigating through challenging situations, such as political instabilities and war. These experiences have shaped her ability to adapt and embrace change and constantly seek what's next.
She had to shut down a business due to political instability. This allowed Nadine to develop a crisis management skill set to manage such hardships and move beyond them, taking control of the situation with an optimistic outlook.
About Nadine Mezher:
Nadine co-founded Sarwa, a one-stop platform for investment and personal finance, after years of consultancy and executive roles in growth strategies for government entities as well as multi-national corporates. She comes from a multi-disciplinary background with over 18 years of experience in growth strategies across industries and geographies. Nadine is an award-winning regular speaker on global platforms on topics of business ownership and hacking growth, Fintech, and women in the workforce. Nadine is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.