Harald Liedtke came to Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone last month to take over as regional managing director for Bayer, the German conglomerate that clocks in annual sales of €35.1 billion (Dh186.1bn) in medicine and plastics. He talks about setting up in a new country and keeping the soles of his shoes to himself.
How are you learning about the Middle East?
The first thing I've done is one of these cross-cultural trainings, to get a kind of outside look at what cultural differences I might expect between here and Germany, where I have a bit more experience. It was kind of a crash course. It was with a person who had lived in Germany many years but had roots that were Iranian.
What did he tell you?
Only good things. (Laughs). One of the points which I wasn't really aware of was the importance of the shoe soles, and that you should never show them to someone. There was this one incident where this one journalist threw a shoe at [the then US president] George W Bush, and at that time I thought he had just grabbed the shoe because it was the only thing that he had to throw. But obviously there was a much deeper meaning behind that, and I didn't get the meaning from the German media because they were reporting on this incident, but not on the cultural background.
Are you planning on using this technique here?
No, not at all. I'm not intending to show anyone the shoe sole. But it's good to have this kind of information before you come here.
How do you manage a diverse set of employees who come from all parts of the world?
One of the things is to be open and listen more than I say. That is important and obviously to be sensitive to other cultures. For me this overall mentality is very important - not just that the walls here are all glass, but that the door is never shut so that people can easily access me. We don't have this hierarchical thing. It is not that you have to go through the layers if you want to talk to me. Whenever somebody has an issue and wants to talk, they can.
The Middle East represents a small portion of Bayer's business, with a little more than 1 per cent of its healthcare sales, for example. What's holding sales back?
It is because we don't have our own production here. I can anticipate your next question: there are no plans for the time being of investing. From a company perspective, we are highly concentrated on Asia and specifically on China. There is tremendous potential here. And when you see what happened here over the last decades - and still to come - is that the prosperity level is increasing. With that, there is a lot which we might be able to develop together with the region.
ayee@thenational.ae
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The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
