Replicating the lessons of life into unique experiences

Dr Vidhya says that women breaking the glass ceiling is a welcome change in the region.

Dubai – Education doesn’t just teach – it expands your reach to help others

The UAE is a very cosmopolitan society, which provides a very growth-conducive environment, says Dr Vidhya Vinod, co-founder of Study World Higher Education Services. Dr Vidhya – an entrepreneur, a mother, homemaker and yoga enthusiast – shares that she started her life as a lecturer as she had a passion for education and teaching, which helped to groom herself as an entrepreneur in the field of education that she loves the most.
“From its humble beginnings over two decades ago, my company has grown greatly. Through its partnership with Heriot-Watt University, Study World has expanded its reach to help provide a high-quality learning experience to students from over 110 countries. It gives me immense pleasure and satisfaction to know that I am also able to use my career to help build future generations of entrepreneurs. I am currently working on replicating similar models of my success to reach a wider market.”
For 2019, the company intends to introduce a wide range of specialist programmes that will help cater to the needs of the economies of the wider region.
Dr Vidhya says that women breaking the glass ceiling is a welcome change in the region, with the UAE ranked as a leading country in gender equality in the Gulf. “In the UAE, women make up around 60 per cent of the workforce and around 70 per cent of the government sector. The easy and transparent legal procedures in the country also helps many women to become successful entrepreneurs.”
Currently, Study World is exploring education opportunities in healthcare. In the medium to long term, its objective is to provide a wide choice of international education from kindergarten to PhD in multiple locations around the world.
One of the biggest challenges Dr Vidhya faced while setting up operations in the UAE was the uncertainty of the future. The basic questions that haunted her were on demand for education programmes and if the company will succeed in attracting international students. “Our core focus on a Creative, Aggressive and Proactive [CAP] approach helped us achieve the initial success. and then there was no looking back,” said Dr Vidhya.
So how does this ambitious career woman balance her home life? “I firmly believe that without achieving work-life balance, we will not be able to succeed in any business. Being a mother of four and having a demanding career, I have had my fair share of sleepless nights. Juggling motherhood with a demanding career is not an easy task but the secret for keeping your head above, water includes having an unbelievably supportive family as well as a nanny. At the office, I try to prioritise work tasks, structure my time to handle various projects. Personally, I prefer yoga to relax my mind and body and go for yoga retreats to rejuvenate from the stress of everyday life,” she concludes.
Well-rounded career
One of the youngest women CEOs in the region, Dr Vidhya Vinod owns and manages over 25 different organisations, and is also on the board of some institutions in the UAE, India, Sri Lanka, Malta and Qatar. Through the ‘Hope for tomorrow’ initiative, money has been raised to support under-privileged children with education and medical facilities. Her advice is simple: Believe in yourself, and don’t ignore your family or your employees.