Dalma Mall, a leading shopping and lifestyle destination in Abu Dhabi, has strengthened its senior management team with veterans who have a wealth of experience in rolling out some of most reputed shopping and entertainment outlets.

The management team will be led by Rashid Doleh, executive director, a seasoned malls and retail professional, who has been associated with some of the landmark and most successful mall developments in the UAE.

He will be joined by Bhupinder Singh as the new finance director, Lee-Ann Sayster (leasing manager), Madhusudhan Rao (operations manager) and Karen Payne as the new marketing manager.

Doleh said the new management team brings to Dalma Mall tremendous insights into modern mall management practices, especially with an emphasis on creating compelling lifestyle destinations.

"Bhupinder, Lee-Ann, Madhu and Karen, collectively, have over 50 years of mall and retail management experience in the Gulf region. With such industry expertise as our driving force, Dalma Mall is poised to bring a new dynamic to its operations," he observed.

Doleh has regional retail experience of over 10 years, and has led strong teams that have delivered some of the region’s most successful shopping centres, said a statement from Dalma Mall.

His portfolio includes Meraas Malls & Hospitality and Emaar Malls Group where he served as chief executive officer.

He was also the CEO of Emaar Retail, focusing on adding leisure attractions to the various mall developments of Emaar Malls Group including The Dubai Mall. Earlier, he served in senior managerial roles in Majid Al Futtaim Group’s leasing and business development divisions for Deira City Centre and Ajman City Centre.

Doleh’s mall management expertise is underpinned with an ability to bring innovative retail experiences through partnerships with local and global brands, and strengthening the leisure attractions through first-of-its-kind ventures, the statement added.

He has special interest in exploring ways to drive visitor footfall through new consumer engagement experiences. that are based on an indepth understanding of consumer behaviour, preferences and tastes.

Bhupinder brings more than 20 years of management experience in finance and administration for commercial and retail organisations in India and the Middle East.

Prior to this, he was vice president – Finance at Meraas Malls & Hospitality. His previous roles include vice president of Finance at Emaar Malls Group and senior finance manager at Majid Al Futtaim Group. 

Lee Ann joins from Aldar Properties, where she served as retail leasing & development manager for the Al Raha Beach project. She has previously worked with Dubai Festival City, and with Colliers International on a range of retail projects including The Avenues, Kuwait, and Al Baraka, Jordan. 

Madhusudhan Rao brings over 25 years of operational and facilities management experience in hospitality and leading shopping centres in India and the Middle East.

He previously spent 10 years at the Majid Al Futtaim Group in various roles including as General Manager of Operations at Mall of the Emirates and Operations Manager at Deira City Centre. 

Karen Payne is a seasoned marketing professional with a decade of international experience gained across Australia, UK, and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Dalma Mall, she served as senior marketing manager for Emaar Malls Group managing the launch of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, The Dubai Mall, as well as Dubai Marina Mall and Souk Al Bahar.

Most recently, she worked as marketing manager for Bahrain City Centre (Majid Al Futtaim Group).

Dalma Mall currently houses a large Carrefour Hypermarket, Centrepoint, Home Centre, Fun City and Matalan along with a host of specialty stores. Marks and Spencer and Toys R Us are also due to open later this year.-TradeArabia News Service