Cover story: Why CEO of Seven Century Real Estate Brokers believes Dubai is fertile ground for investments

Cover story: Why CEO of Seven Century Real Estate Brokers believes Dubai is fertile ground for investments

What does it take for a female real estate entrepreneur to build a business from the ground up and steer it successfully through a decade and a half, more importantly through choppy waters? Resolve and resilience, says Naghmeh Sheikholeslami, CEO of Dubai-based real estate agency Seven Century Real Estate Brokers. To face a global financial crisis a year into establishing the company must have been a daunting reality. While investors faced challenges and companies shut shop, Seven Century’s raison d’être at the time was to support its customers and stand its ground.“We started [the company] in 2007 and even after the 2008 global crisis, we didn’t shut shop, neither were our phone lines plugged off for a day. We were always available to assist our clients in consolidating and negotiating their payment‹plans,” explains Sheikholeslami. “Though we never decommissioned our services, we did reduce our expenses and focused on improving our offerings for our clients. It was challenging at the time, but the efforts paid off, as those investors continue to support us till today. “From initially offering brokerage services, we then expanded our operations to property management services, which range from property snagging and handover to lease management,” she adds.