GLAM / AMOUR

In the glamorous heart of Dubai, where the sun paints the sky with shades of gold and the cityscape is punctuated by towering skyscrapers, the annual UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards took center stage once again. This prestigious event, masterminded by the visionary duo Dr. Mansoor Al Obeidi and Dr. Navana Kundu, unfolded as a grand celebration of excellence, innovation, and transformative leadership.

For those uninitiated in the world of luxury, entrepreneurship, and personal development, this gala is much more than just another awards ceremony; it’s an assembly of some of the brightest minds and most influential personalities in the UAE.

The UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards are not just a testament to the success stories but a tribute to the relentless pursuit of excellence and the impact that visionaries can have on our world.

An Event of Glitz and Glamour

As the red carpet witnessed a dazzling parade of celebrities and industry titans, the anticipation for the event ahead was palpable. The masterminds behind the UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards, Dr. Mansoor Al Obeidi and Dr. Navana Kundu, exuded an aura of sophistication and elegance.

Dr. Mansoor Al Obeidi, is the President of UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards, World Talent Hunt, Middle East Beauty Fashion & Lifestyle Awards. With a keen eye for opulence and a heart for philanthropy, Dr. Mansoor has curated a space that not only celebrates luxury but also empowers individuals to embrace it.

Dr. Navana Kundu, who is the Cofounder Aiwa Events & COO, is a globally recognized transformational coach, Bestselling Author (USA, UAE, UK and India), and the driving force behind Xclusiv People Magazine. Her influence spans continents, and her work has inspired countless individuals to embark on their personal journeys of self-discovery and empowerment.

Together, Dr. Mansoor Al Obeidi and Dr. Navana Kundu have created a synergy that goes beyond business. Their collaboration has given rise to an event that recognizes not only financial success but also the values and principles that drive success.

In an exclusive interview, Glam/Amour sits down with the dynamic duo, Dr. Mansoor Al Obeidi and Dr. Navana Kundu, to discover the visionary minds behind the UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards and their fascinating journey of redefining luxury and personal development on a global scale.

CLICK HERE – to catch a glimpse into the UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards.

Join us as we delve into their shared passion, unwavering commitment, and the secrets to their collective success.

GA Team: Thank you so much Dr. Mansoor Al Obeidi and Dr. Navana Kundu for joining us today. We are truly honored to have you here for this insightful conversation. To begin, I would like to ask each of you – What does the UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards mean to you? How did you come up with the idea? Where did it all start?

Dr. Navana: Thank you Di. Well, as you know, Doctor Mansoor has already been in the events industry for a very, very long time. It’s his 10th year in the events industry. And I have a corporate background with events, conferences and summits where I had my events company based out of Barcelona. So when we met, we discovered that a lot of our ideas, our concepts, our values were aligned and as an author myself, my book got so many awards internationally in US and UK and in India. But there is nothing in UAE called UAE Authors Awards. We realised that we need a platform for the authors and Dr Mansoor is all about promoting talent in UAE. We as authors and coaches, we are also the talents and treasures of the country and we need a platform like this that has been there so far for other industries.

Dr. Mansoor: Exactly! We were already planning to do the Business Leaders Awards and then as Dr. Navana said, we were discussing who are the people that don’t get acknowledgement. There have been Awards for authors, but mostly in association with other categories, so they don’t get the visibility they deserve. And that is when we decided, let’s do something that will stand out; an event that will go viral because of the content, because of the people involved and also because of the core intent of acknowledging the people that deserve to be acknowledged. In the midst of so many entertainment based events, let’s do something that actually impacts people’s lives and impacts even the younger generation. Because what I personally believe is that the authors or the coaching leaders are the people that inspire us with their words and the way they create a story that affects our mind in a certain positive way and that impacts us to do better things, to be better people. So that was the main intent, to acknowledge these people who have maybe affected or impacted so many millions of people’s lives in a positive manner and they have never been acknowledged.

GA Team: That’s such an inspiring motivation for these events. But just being eligible for validation and acknowledgement as a Business Leader, Coaching Leader and Author could not have been the only qualifier to be nominated. What was you selection process for your nominees for this event?

Dr. Mansoor: That’s true. We came together and created a committee which was led by people that have been in the industry for more than 25 to 35 years. And they were all internationally located, other than me and Dr. Navana who were based in the UAE. The members of the committee was kept confidential, to ensure there wasn’t any bias or prejudice. We selected people from different industries, from publishing to business industry, from health care, fashion, beauty, children’s businesses, government officials and even authors. We wanted not only experienced people to get the limelight and award, but also people who have the right intention with having the right amount of talent, that if we gave them a small push, they would do amazing things and do wonders. People with potential. These kind of platforms push you as a winner to fall in to that level of people and high profile achievers, and that’s when you realize, “If I’m here, then I can win over the world!“ And that’s what I want to give to people, whether they are winners through the World Talent Hunt Event, the Beauty, Fashion And Lifestyle Awards, or the Awards for Authors, Business Leaders and Coaching Leaders.

GA Team: That must have required a lot of work behind the scenes, navigating through so many nominations and finally selecting your award winners. Would you have any success stories to share? How has this award and the others you have presented impacted the lives of the winners?

Dr. Mansoor: We actually have quite a few, but it won’t be fair to mention too many because they run into thousands. So let me tell you about the most recent World Hunt that concluded in March 2023. We had a very talented singer, Marc Antillion from Philippines who had participated in our World Talent Hunt Event. Because of the exposure received at our event for clearing to the Semi-Finals, he was selected as a direct selection into The Voice Kids in the Philippines.

Another success story for us was with Dani Hiswani, he was the champion of the first UAE Beauty Championship held in Dubai & he also went on to participate at the World Beauty Championship & UAE Bridal Beauty Championship. He was invited to be a part of the panel of judges for Hairstyle category at the UAE Bridal Beauty Championship 2.

He recently created the world’s tallest hairstyle, for which he received Guinness Book of World Records.

I think presentation is our forte because what we do is we don’t just post what is given to us, but we research on it, we make the best of it and then we put it out there, because I think whether its authors or whether it’s business leaders or talents, they are into their art, they are not into presenting themselves. So we do what we are required to do; and make the best for them.

GA Team: Amazing!! Clearly your Events serve as not just a stepping stone for its participants, but infact is more like a trampoline; projecting them high where the sky is literally the limit! Keeping that in mind, what is the vision you have for the future of these awards and events?

Dr. Navana: I would rather say, “what is our intention?” and our intention is to recognize, celebrate and honor all the talents who are out there for so long. You know, for any talent, whether he is an author or a business leader, an entrepreneur or a coach, take any industry; the story is not of one day or a few months, it’s a journey. And within that journey there are a lot of obstacles, there are a lot of challenges and a lot of us start the journey with a lot of hope and a vision. But we are not able to follow through. We lose our inspiration and we stop. And when you have this kind of an event, we celebrate the steps that we are making towards the destination. It’s not only inspired, to pick yourself up and take your achievement, your work to the next level. But at the same time, it also gives you more creativity, more encouragement and inspires a lot of people around you as well, because everybody is watching you on that platform and those who are sitting at home perhaps doubting themselves they think “hey, if you can do it, so can I“. When you are celebrating your achievement through this platform, you are creating a ripple effect to do a lot more. The promotions are not just national, they are International.

Another thing I would like to add, as you must be aware as well whether being an author, an entrepreneur, a coach; it takes massive amount of resources and finance to get yourself out there. So we are making this process easier and smoother for you. And for you, not just in terms of getting you out there, giving you the public recognition, but also giving you the authority as a thought leader, as an industry leader and networking and benchmarking with everybody else in the industry, in the same platform.

Dr. Mansoor: We as humans are so insecure. Unless you get the acknowledgment or award or approval or validation, you see everybody as a competitor and enemy because you don’t know where you stand. But once you come on stage and you are awarded and you are rewarded and you are acknowledged and you are celebrated, you start thinking differently. You realise that you have reached a milestone; you can maybe inspire other people or the next generation or say something to somebody and they might listen to it because now you’re celebrated, to a certain extent. Its like you now have something to show as proof and they will believe what you’re saying and listen to you. I want people to get the taste of being a Leader. For the UAE’s Next Mastermind Awards we had more than 800 nominations, and depending on a range of criteria assessed by the committee, the final few were selected as awardees. These are the Ambassadors that we were looking for.

GA Team: Absolutely. So what should we hope to see from AIWA Events on the road ahead?

Dr. Mansoor: We have the Middle East beauty fashion & lifestyle awards coming up on 7th October, 2023. This will be our 10th Year Anniversary event, so we plan to have a total of 50 categories, an exclusive event for 150 people.

The next event is UAE’S Next Mastermind Awards in Healthcare, Aesthetics & Wellness on 24th Feb 2024.

We also plan to have the 2nd Edition: World Talent Hunt and another Mastermind Award for Business Leaders, Coaches and Authors. My main intention, if you see the kind of events I’ve organized before, from makeup artists to hairdressers, to designers, to talent from the age of five; they have no limits. Our aim is to nurture talents and make sure no talent is left behind.

That’s the best part – No Talent gets left behind.

GA Team: Thank you Dr. Mansoor and Dr. Navana. This has been truly inspirational and we wish you all the best for the events coming up.