It is almost 7am in Geneva railway station, on 15th Sept. 1993. I just arrived from Trieste by train to take the admission exam to get enrolled at Ecole de Traduction et d’Interprétation (ETI) at that time. I feel tired and cold. I know no body in Geneva and have no idea about how it works in one of the richest cities in the world.
Curiously, I feel so exited, so motivated to grasp my chance! This is the ONE. This is the opportunity for which I was preparing my self during my entire life. This is the field of my dreams I needed, where will be the compilation of my previous “Lives”.
Here we are Hayet! The Floor Is Yours!
I grew up in Tunisia, born in Mahdia which is the most beautiful sailor city in the world surrounded by endless sea views and sensational openings on the UNLIMITED. A small city, where everyone knows each other and where girls were supposed to get married very early. I lost my father at the age of 4, and all family discussions around me were at that time about getting me engaged to one of their boys to relief the burden on the back of my Mum.
However, my Hero had another plan for me: A brilliant dream of being highly educated, of being empowered to achieve both my own dreams AND what she couldn’t do with her own Life to venger her father’s decision of preventing her from school access. She decided to be the one who brakes the rules in order to help me reaching the SKY. She took the decision to fight for me and realize a part of her dreams through her daughter. She paid the price very high.
I’ve been graduated in Translation (Arabic-English-Russian) from Bourguiba School des Langues Vivantes of Tunisia, then a master degree in Russian language from Pouchkine Linguistic Institute of Moscow, then a certificate in Italian Language from Institute Dante Alighieri of Trieste with the plan to get enrolled at the Linguistic and Translation University there. Meanwhile, I felt the call to travel again to somewhere else. I remembered my Legal and Economics translation teacher, Mr. Karry talking to us during the break once about the ETI, telling us that is the best place to have a real translator career. I kept the address and the enrolling procedure since then, and it was for a reason!
Today, the 15th Sept. 1993 in Geneva. Everything is beautiful in my eyes, every challenge is exciting. Am ready for the new adventure. I learned a lot from my ETI brilliant teachers, and from all my lovely colleagues and superiors of my small student jobs I had to perform to survive.
My translator career began even before being graduated from ETI, with hundreds of ITU scientific recommendations translated into Arabic, UNO, UNESCO-BIE, WWSF and last but not least the translation and fully self-revision of the main GICHD book: “Guide To Mine Action”. Humans are communication beings by definition, so that I believe translation is the most beautiful, intense intellectual and communication exercise. However, it is a very lonely activity. A paradox, isn’t it!
I needed to get connected to people, to be part of a group, to learn new things in a vibrant way, to use my creativity, to feel myself more human in my communication with others. That was the call for a new adventure!
I replied quickly to it, shipping in the Private Banking career! You will tell me: a strange move? It’s all about choices and aspirations. I loved my first experience in Citibank as a compliance officer under the mentoring of one of the most professional and intelligent senior compliance officer. Previously, she was a jurist with a UN career behind her spent in the refugees camps in a few African countries. That was my second experience with Women Exception! Then as an account officer in BNP Paribas, again in collaboration with a Saudi senior private banker lady, who gave me the chance to have access to the world of wealth management with much of esthetics and elegance. She exposed me to the world of ladies investors, made not only of high performance and efficiency, but mainly of grace and special emotional and cultural intelligence when dealing with a completely different segment of UHNWIs. Then as a relationship manager at Amex, Standard Chartered, a senior private banker at NBAD, an executive director at Gonet, Atlantis, ALDRIN, Swiss Investment House, as a business development officer at Experts Without Borders, as a charity & business development officer at Perpetual Charity Corporation and then my last baby: Lady Expert Investor. Seems to be that I still need to travel, to move on, to grow up, to learn and discover more, and … to give back what I have received so far as well.
Am so grateful to Life to have given me a Mum, a HERO who defied the rules of destiny, who turned everything against her a way to show me how a warrior should behave to deserve the honor of the battle by choosing it first, before the joy of any success. Daring the impossible is just a question of perception and decision.
Am so grateful to my very special and genuine mentor, Marc Deschenaux who believed in my evolving capabilities, who trusted me to be part of his dreams and projects. He exposed me to the most sophisticated investment structures and initiated me generously to the widest business spectrum I have ever dreamed of.
Am so grateful also to my brilliant coach, Florentina Keller who helped me to learn how to challenge my own limits, how to think BIG, how to overcome my fears and how to be aligned with my needs and passions.
Am so grateful to every door that was opened to me upon knocking on it, and for sure grateful to everyone who did not opened to me her/his door as well. That was the benediction of universe in kind of gifts/Life lessons, which prepared me for something even better, even brighter.
“Gracias a la Vida que me he dado tanto” and still giving me more and more through putting on my path amazing people and terrific opportunities with heartwarming Life messages.