VIWELL CEO & Founder Mohammed Husary with COO Fahed Abourshaid at VIWELL’s Office in Downtown Dubai
VIWELL CEO & Founder Mohammed Husary with COO Fahed Abourshaid at VIWELL’s Office in Downtown Dubai

VIWELL subsidiary Corporate Sports becomes VIWELL Active



VIWELL announces the rebranding of its subsidiary Corporate Sports into VIWELL Active to present the Middle East's first complete holistic workplace well-being ecosystem.

The move marks a milestone for VIWELL and the Middle East's wellness space and highlights VIWELL’s drive to transform traditional workplace well-being so all employees and organisations can thrive.

The total employee well-being solution integrates in-person and digital components seamlessly and realises VIWELL's vision of bringing well-being to the workplace and helping everyone to live in balance across the six pillars of well-being.

Since its establishment in 2018, Corporate Sports has been the unrivalled leader in well-being and engagement initiatives across the Middle East, delivering more than 800 successful events for prestigious clientele including Dubai Police, Du, Amazon, AWS, Emirates airline, BCG, Nestle, PWC, Accenture, and many more industry giants.

With several recent studies presenting diminishing numbers in the region’s workplaces due to stress, low engagement, and high turnover, the immediate necessity for a comprehensive well-being solution has never been more critical.

Traditional regional offerings fail to incorporate all aspects of well-being, resulting in gaps that hinder true holistic support for employees. VIWELL founder and chief executive Mohammed Husary's vision is to develop a solution that addresses the region's challenges comprehensively.

As the digital platform is about to disrupt the market, VIWELL Active contributes years of expertise in delivering massive in-person team building, CSR and other well-being events.

This synergy facilitates the provision of a cyclical approach, seamlessly integrating online and offline experiences for maximum impact and effectiveness.

“A total well-being solution is incomplete and ineffective without both in-person and online components. We nurtured, mastered and perfected the in-person solution while consistently delivering for Fortune 500 clients to create a successful legacy of six years," says Mr Husary.

"Now it’s time for VIWELL to not only come full circle as a complete, one-stop product but a self-sufficient ecosystem,” he adds.

The ‘ecosystem’ Mr Husary refers to has two main offerings at its core: a robust digital platform and diverse in-person activities. The digital solution reflects years of dedicated development with handpicked, top-tier product talent from around the world - adapting and implementing industry standards to craft a state-of-the-art platform that’s equipped to support HR professionals track, measure and improve each aspect of their employees' well-being journey.

The scientific arm of the ecosystem is anchored by the VIWELL Institute, which conducts primary well-being research in collaboration with academic and institutional partners, ensuring evidence-based practices.

With over 1500 resources, the VIWELL Studio adds depth, producing culturally adaptable original content across six pillars of wellbeing, curated by regional experts and researchers.

The total solution's power lies in its clear ability to cater to large corporations' needs effectively and ensures that organisations are empowered to support their employees' well-being journey at every step, ultimately driving greater engagement, productivity, and satisfaction across the board.

Former general manager of Corporate Sports, Fahed Abourshaid, assumes the role of VIWELL’s chief operating officer, bringing invaluable expertise and leadership to the organisation.

"This wellness milestone represents a significant opportunity to combine VIWELL's innovative approach with Corporate Sports' established reputation, allowing us to deliver an ultimate, one-of-a-kind solution to our clients," he says.

As VIWELL begins its next chapter with VIWELL Active, it reaffirms its commitment to shaping the future of workplace well-being in the Middle East and beyond. With a focus to educate, motivate and support, VIWELL continues to lead the charge towards a healthier, happier, and more resilient workforce for generations to come.

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

 

 

Cinco in numbers

Dh3.7 million

The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown

46

The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.

1,000

The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]

50

How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday

3,000

The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

1.1 million

The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.

 

 

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

The five pillars of Islam
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
  • 2018: Formal work begins
  • November 2021: First 17 volumes launched 
  • November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
  • October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
  • November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Rating: 2/5
 
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

While you're here
What is double taxation?
  • Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
  • Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
  • The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
  • Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
Business Insights
  • Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
  • The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
  • US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Afghanistan squad

Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

Updated: February 29, 2024, 7:29 AM