#398 Katy Keenan, CEO of BCCD, on Rebuilding and Why Success in the UAE Takes Longer Than You Think

Katy Keenan has turned the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai into one of the most respected business communities in the UAE 1,200 members across 29 sectors, a board that's now 50% women, record profits donated to charity, a 98% satisfaction rating, and a LinkedIn following that grew from 6,000 to nearly 33,000 with no marketing budget whatsoever. Just authentic storytelling, genuine relationships, and a woman who remembers every person  she's  ever met.  

Katy was bullied at school. She spent her Saturdays caring for severely disabled children.  She's  supported women escaping domestic violence, trailing spouses  who've  lost their professional identity, and menopausal women being quietly pushed out of the workforce. Her hairdresser told her at age seven: "No matter how happy you are, always have your own money."  She's  never forgotten  it, and  she tells her daughters the same thing.  

This is one of those conversations that moves between  the boardroom  and kitchen table, between hard business reality and the kind of honest human warmth you rarely get from a leader of her  calibre .  Y ou get a masterclass on what it  actually takes  to build something real in Dubai and why the people who dismiss this city from afar are the ones who  wouldn't  have made it here anyway.  

 

Timestamps:  

0:00 – Why Spencer hates networking and what the Chamber is  actually for    

2:22 – The secret sales team: how the Chamber  coaches  members who hate selling themselves   

5:38 – Her first day: the numbers were dire, the board  wasn't  diverse, she nearly walked   

7:25 – From 13% to 50% female board and why diversity  has to  be earned, not forced   

9:26 – Speed networking with a 3–5 week wait list: what that tells you about Dubai right now  <span class="EOP SCX