When I was working at Wolff Olins as a Strategist, a Designer, Anoushka Garg, and I created an internal engagement initiative, Beyond, to allow greater opportunities for learning, inspiration and connection at Wolff Olins Dubai (WODU).
We spearheaded and initiated several events including: a weekly speaker series, Thursday family breakfasts, co-creation shares and connecting with other offices.
1. Speaker Series:
We invited a diverse set of creative individuals to share their work, including prominent food bloggers, actresses, writers, artists and entrepreneurs in Dubai, such as:
Dana Dajani, Palestinian Actress and Poet
Tammam Azzam, Syrian Artist
Lina Nahhas, Founder of The Sameness Project, a social enterprise
Vonita Singh, Founder of Movement Mantra, a dance company for those with disabilities
Arva Ahmed, Founder of Frying Pan Adventures, a Food Tour group in Dubai
2. Weekly breakfast:
We innovated on Thursday breakfasts to create excitement and participation including setting up a parfait station, a traditional Indian breakfast and sourcing ideas from employees, sharing on our various social media channels.
3. Co-creation shares:
We set up a space and a weekly, regular time to share work between strategists and designers to allow more collaboration and opportunities for feedback.
Note: special thanks to my project partner, Anoushka Garg, a passionate, talented and inspiring Designer - a constant source of inspiration, wisdom and positive energy.