Tell us about Medi-Gyn Centre and your role there
Medi-Gyn Centre is a leading provider of bespoke hormone balancing and longevity protocols. From our clinic in Dubai, we offer clients a ‘full body approach' that combines conventional and functional medicine combining it with some Bioidentical Hormone Therapy, Peptide Therapy and nutritional and lifestyle advice to diagnose, treat, and address the underlying causes of hormonal conditions.
A combination of a conventional and preventative methods are used to alleviate a number of common conditions: such as menopause in women and testosterone deficiency in men. The tailored courses of hormone and peptide treatment that we offer have been endorsed by leading medical practitioners in the UK, France, and Dubai. Our mission is to draw together the best of conventional and preventive medicine to help our clients become the healthiest and happiest versions of themselves.
I'm active both on the business and the nutritional side of Medi-Gyn. I take the lead in business development, PR, and client relations; areas where I have always had a strong interest and which is critical for business success, and I also use my decades of experience in naturopathic medicine and well-ageing to support our treatment provision.
What brought you into the well-ageing sector?
I've always had a passion for healthy living, and have been fascinated by the body's ability to regenerate itself naturally. Meditation, yoga and ballet have always been a part of my life, and I took a qualification in Naturopathic Studies at the College of Natural Medicine.
But my journey into the field really began in the City of London in the 2000s, where I worked as an analyst for a number of big financial institutions. I loved the bustle of the Square Mile, but the lifestyle could take its toll. There wasn't much in the way of a career-life balance; and working into the small hours of the morning was very much the norm.
So just after the financial crisis of 2008, I decided to set up my own company, Purifyne Cleanse, which would offer juice cleanses to high-powered clients - particularly in the City. I knew the world that my clientele moved in, and I was of course passionate about the work, so it was a natural step.
What was it like to set up your own wellness business from scratch?
I ran a small textile company in Poland before I moved to London, so I've always had an entrepreneurial streak. Fortunately, my previous interest in wellness and natural medicine meant that I could start my new business with a large body of technical know-how. I designed Purifyne Cleanse's line of twelve vegetable-based cleansing juices, and I worked with a number of nutritionists and naturopathic doctors to perfect them.
With regard to business development even though I had been exposed to that during my financial career, setting up a firm was the best teacher in this regard: devising a business development and communications strategy, identifying my key target audiences and the right key messages to sum up the business as powerfully and clearly as I could - the essence of good PR.
My first months of trading were in early 2009, during a particularly freezing winter. Not ideal weather for detox juice cleanses, in other words. Nor was it the optimal time to be marketing health and lifestyle services to The City, which was reeling from the global financial crisis.
However, my PR strategy paid off. I signed up a beauty salon owner; her husband (who happened to work in the Square Mile); his colleagues; and the rest of her family. Soon, Bank of America had signed up ten of their traders for a multi-day cleanse to help them lose weight.
Aside from the business aspect, I found the work incredibly rewarding. After just a three-day cleanse, clients would talk about how they had more energy and zest for life. The treatments had more specific health benefits as well, such as lowering cholesterol levels. We had a large number of repeat customers, which is something of which I was particularly proud.
How did your experience with Purifyne Cleanse influence your general approach to PR, digital marketing and business development?
For one, it taught me about the need for a clear message to communicate. You have to think from first principles about what a certain product or service offers; who it is targeted at; and how this can be encapsulated in a pithy and incisive way.
It's an approach that has helped me advise a number of clients in various sectors. The significant experience I have in this area is one reason why I agreed to be a senior consultant in the Gulf region for Sapience Communications, a fast-growing corporate communications consultancy, which is just established an office in Dubai. This consultancy role I see as complementary to my role as CEO of Medi-Gyn, as healthcare is one of Sapience's key sectors, as is finance, which allows me to draw on the previous experiences I have had over my career so far including working at Barclays Capital and the EBRD.
Second, establishing Purifyne Cleanse taught me that potential clients respond well if they can see that you are genuine in your desire to help them, and that you are not simply after their fees. One's passion truly drives any business. Having lived the lifestyle, I could empathise with my clientele of high-powered professionals, and wanted to make a difference to their physical and emotional wellbeing.
What brought you to Dubai?
There is a real spirit of entrepreneurship here. Dubai makes it very easy for someone with an idea and the will to execute it to set up and operate. Things like registering a new company, opening a new office, or filing a patent are quick and seamless. The culture here is also very business-friendly: people are optimistic and there is a bias towards action. When I hold industry events here, there is a palpable buzz and excitement in the air about new ideas and how to scale them up.
How have attitudes to wellness changed since you got into the industry?
They have transformed. When I began in 2009, I had to work hard to convince City professionals to take time out of their schedules to look after their health. Potential clients always had an instinctive sense that their health was important; they just felt that it was an indulgence to pause their work to rest and rejuvenate.
Since the pandemic, there is much more of a ‘wellness culture' in the corporate world. There is a real understanding now that one's physical and emotional health should never take second place to your work, which comes and goes.
This is also very much the case here in Dubai. The Gulf region is now, of course, becoming a global business destination, and patterns of work and life are starting to adjust. There's a growing recognition of the importance of healthy diets and frequent exercise, along with a real drive to improve one's long-term physical wellbeing. I want to help both businesses with their corporate health and individuals with their personal health - they are the twin passions that drive my business career and hopefully will contribute to Dubai's continuing success too.
For further information please visit Medi-Gyn Centre
