What happens when a high-powered business leader steps away from the corporate ladder to pursue a deeper calling? For Shafeena Yusuff Ali, the answer lay not in boardrooms, but in art, purpose and the lives of creators whose work she believes deserves a wider stage.
In the first vodcast linked to Khaleej Times’ Global Indians of the UAE franchise, Shafeena, Executive Director of the Rizq Art Initiative, opens up about her journey from the high-pressure world of food and beverage to the more reflective, humbling space of art and social impact.
Listen to the full Global Indians of the UAE vodcast here:
The conversation explores how Shafeena, armed with three master’s degrees and years of business experience, moved away from conventional markers of success to focus on giving global visibility to lesser-known artists. It is also a deeply personal discussion on identity, motherhood, purpose and what it means to build something that is not centred on oneself.
“When you operate in most regular entrepreneurship… you are the most important person,” she says in the vodcast. “In the arts, you are secondary. You are basking in the glory of your artists.”
The daughter of UAE businessman MA Yusuff Ali and wife of entrepreneur Adeeb Ahamed, Shafeena was no stranger to business or legacy. But in the vodcast, she speaks about how corporate achievement alone was no longer enough, and how the art world forced her to rethink power, visibility and fulfilment.
She also reflects on shedding “social anxiety”, seeing divinity in creators, and raising children with the belief that a parent should be “a path, not a dam”. Her larger ambition, she says, is to help position Abu Dhabi as a sanctuary for artists.
Recognising influence and impact
The vodcast builds on Global Indians of the UAE, Khaleej Times’ year-long editorial franchise launched in partnership with Standard Chartered to spotlight a rising generation of Indian expatriate leaders redefining influence, enterprise and impact from the UAE to the world.
At the centre of the franchise is the Global Indians of the UAE list, a curated selection recognising leaders who demonstrate professional excellence, community contribution and a global outlook.
The partnership also includes a four-part vodcast series hosted by Khaleej Times, featuring changemakers from the list in candid conversations about ambition, identity, legacy and impact.
The opening chapter, Women on the Rise, featured 24 Indian women across business, finance, real estate, healthcare, the arts and philanthropy.
The next chapter, to be published in June, will turn the spotlight on The Next Tech Generation. It will feature Indian-origin residents shaping the UAE’s technology landscape — from tech entrepreneurs and startup founders to engineers, AI specialists, developers, robotics experts and emerging leaders in fintech, deep tech, sustainability technology and digital transformation.
Source: Khaleej Times