DUBAI // Wherever she goes, Fatima Al Shirawi is always thinking about the colours around her.
“Everything I do in my day-to-day life evolves around colours – the shades of my make-up, to the clothes I wear, to an enjoyable spot I would pick in a restaurant,” the Emirati said.
She first learnt about how colour can alter moods and behaviour when she took a class by Angela Wright, the creator of the Colour Affects System, while a student at the London College of Fashion.
“She taught the class so well, with a positive aura and outlook on life, that I became drawn to the subject and the positive effects that colour has on our everyday, dull lives,” Ms Al Shirawi said.
In 2008, with encouragement from family and friends, she decided to put her knowledge into practice by starting her colour consultation company, The Gracious F.
“I chose the unique concept of colour consulting as I felt there were not a lot of lifestyle brands that went beyond the superficial side of life. From my own experience, I would say, one needs to know who they are to know how to make the right choices in their life,” she said.
Ms Al Shirawi uses social analytic methods to determine the negative issues a person or an organisation might have.
“Once the issues are identified and colours are tested on the mood, then we begin to fix the problems with positive colour strategies,” she said.
“This could involve any thing from a wardrobe change to interior repositioning or shade changing in key locations where the person spends the majority of their time.”
The use of colour in everyday life has a profound effect on our moods, outlook and motivation for work, Ms Al Shirawi said.
“Colour is critical for all of us and can change our lives for the better. I enjoy advising my friends and colleagues when they feel low,” she said.
“Best of all I love exploring the opposites of colours and how they look when contrasted, especially in my style of fashion and jewellery.
“With the implementation of colour in my everyday routine, I have found myself drawn to unique jewellery and artefacts that consist of precious stones and their different effects, this has built my understanding that I can implement the significant of stones with colour groups as well.”
By following the Colour Effects System, Ms Al Shirawi said she has become more confident and self-assured.
“My level of patience and tolerance has become stronger. My pattern of thinking, lifestyle and routine is more stabilised in comparison to before and I find I can tackle everyday tasks with ease and satisfaction,” she said.
“The colours I had in my life before understanding the system were not right for me and I found that things were always off balance.”
Her family and friends also said they have noticed a change in her, Ms Al Shirawi said.
“They find positivity, harmony and peace around me and find themselves drawn in,” she said.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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