From barber to boardroom: How one Emirati woman shaped Abu Dhabi’s rise

It worked. Next month, Uptown Barbershop marks eight years in business. Tucked away on a mezzanine floor in Abu Dhabi’s Al Muroor district, invisible from the main road, the shop now counts footballers, NBA stars and Hollywood names among its regulars.

Yet the barbershop is only one part of her story. By day, AlBarout works for the company behind Yas Island’s theme parks and destinations. Before that, she spent nearly six years abroad promoting Abu Dhabi at a time when few people could locate it on a map. On the side, she co-organises community events, including a TEDx edition for young people.

“When people approach me, it is always about the barbershop. But I do a lot of things,” she said.

A city transformed

AlBarout, 39, grew up in Abu Dhabi and watched it change. As a child she lived in the city centre, and on weekends the family would go to Mina Zayed, to the old souk by the port. “I have a lot of very good memories there,” she recalled.

When the Abu Dhabi 2030 Vision was announced, the whole country took notice. There was an exhibition where visitors could walk through the plans: infrastructure, projects, what was coming next. “People were surprised. For me, I wanted to be part of that. But how? I did not know yet,” she said.

That question shaped everything that followed.

From finance to a global career

AlBarout studied finance at Abu Dhabi University, the sensible choice. By the time she graduated in 2012, she knew what it meant: banking or accounting, behind a desk. An internship confirmed it was not for her.

Then Etihad Airways approached her for a role in international sales, which required working abroad. She interviewed and was shortlisted. When she told her father, he asked: “Do you want this? If you want it, I will support you.” She was surprised.

One of eight siblings, AlBarout says she paved the way for them. “I always try to be the best version for them,” she said.

Selling a destination nobody knew

For nearly six years she lived abroad: two years in Greece, then Melbourne, then New York. As an international sales manager, her mission was selling Abu Dhabi as a travel destination. In the early days, that was hard. “Back then Abu Dhabi was not on the map like today. It was always a question mark,” she said.

Her pitch started from scratch. She talked about the 2030 vision. She presented Abu Dhabi as a hub connecting East and West. In New York, her remit grew to cover the US and Canada, plus India, Germany and the GCC markets. She travelled constantly.

What she remembers most are the questions. People asked where Abu Dhabi was. Some genuinely believed Emiratis still lived in tents in the desert. “A lot of people told me, ‘We have never spoken to anybody from the UAE,’” she said. So she decided: “I always tried to leave a positive impression. I represent my country at its best.” In practice, she became a walking book about Abu Dhabi.

Living abroad changed her. “I was a shy person. I was very quiet. When I was on my own, I had to talk to people.” Homesickness did not scare her; it reminded her she would go back. And the distance made the bond stronger. “Big time. I always say Abu Dhabi is the capital of my heart,” she said.

One detail still gives her chills. When she worked in Athens, her laptop wallpaper was always New York City. She had no idea she would ever live there. “And I ended up going.”

Back home, building Yas Island

When Etihad called her back to the UAE, it was not planned. Then the company Miral came calling. For years, Yas Island had been a thread running through her career. In 2015, at the Arabian Travel Market, she was invited to the opening of Warner Bros. theme park. She talked about Ferrari World and the island’s development constantly, always as an outsider. “I never knew I was going to work in the company that looks after the theme parks,” she said.

Suddenly she was on the team. “For me, my career path went crazy,” she said. When she joined, Miral had three or four theme parks. Now there are more, and she has worked on the openings of almost half of them.

The difference from her airline years was profound. “Before, I was working with the stakeholder. Now I am the stakeholder,” she said. The proudest part is how the reaction has changed. When she worked for Etihad, people asked where Abu Dhabi was. “Now when you say Abu Dhabi, people know it.” When international partners visit, she takes them beyond the headline attractions, to places where Emiratis buy textiles and eat the food they actually eat.

“It makes me proud of how far I have come and that I am part of the development of the city. That is what I always wanted when I was younger,” she said.

How Uptown was born

AlBarout had always loved streetwear and sneakers. Her original dream was to open a sneaker store. During her years in New York, she spent weekends in Brooklyn and the East and West Village, where barbershops are community institutions on every corner. “I had seen it in the movies, then I realised: it is real,” she said.

Back in Abu Dhabi, a friend bought a barbershop and let it sit unused for six months. She offered to help. She designed the concept, chose the type of barbers to hire, and picked the name for the sign. It was a hit. “You’re good at this. Why don’t you open your own?” he told her. “I’m a woman. How can I open a barbershop?” was her answer.

Three months later she found a space and opened Uptown. For the first six months she was there every single day, unsure whether it would work. It worked, entirely by word of mouth. The shop still feels like streetwear; the barbers are young and cool, the ceiling is her signature yellow, and stepping in feels, she said, “so New York.”

Community at the core

Ask her what Uptown is really about and she does not just say haircuts. She says community. “I wanted to create a place where clients walk in and forget everything outside the door. I always tell my staff: you never know what that person in the chair went through today, or what is waiting for them afterwards. Your job is to make sure they feel comfortable and leave happy,” she said.

People come for a cut and stay to talk. Friends bring friends. Some turn up with one person who needs a trim and the rest just hang out. “It is not about making money,” she said. That attitude extends to her team. She wanted to give young barbers a chance to discover life in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, so she found them herself, searching Instagram hashtags and sending direct messages. “They probably thought I was a scammer,” she laughed. Most arrived in the city for the first time to work for her, and most are still with her. Now she hears her barbers telling clients how happy they are here. “I never told them to. It makes me happy from the inside,” she said.

The community instinct that built Uptown runs through everything else she does. Last year she and two friends organised the first TEDx event in Abu Dhabi, with no company behind them, just three friends. This year, she is a co-organiser of a youth edition for ages 10 to 18, Emiratis and residents alike. The young speakers have to tell their own stories, and experts who work with children are helping them. It takes place on 19 December at the Abdul Fayyah community centre, the first government community centre in Abu Dhabi.

Working with children opened her eyes. Parents tell her they follow her on Instagram. “Somebody is watching. It shows how the younger generation looks up to us,” she said.

Discipline and dreams

Her own discipline is part of the picture. She is up at 5:30, in the gym by 6:15, and at her desk at 9. This year she took on her first Hyrox competition, after eight weeks of training and losing five kilos to run lighter. “My goal was just to finish.” She did. Along the way she has joined sports competitions with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.

What would the quiet girl she once was think of her now? “She would be so proud. I never imagined I would be where I am today. Historically as women, we had limited options. Now the world is our oyster,” she said. She has been invited to speak at women’s empowerment summits and hopes to spread the message globally.

Her advice to girls with big dreams, especially in male-dominated fields: “Always believe in yourself. If you fail, get up and keep trying. It is going to work in the end.” And Abu Dhabi? “It is the land of dreams where everything can come true,” she said.