Omaira studied Psychology and Criminal Studies at the University of California San Francisco, graduating with a double major. She then went on to complete her Masters in New York where she studied Criminology and Criminal Justice. Returning back to the UAE she worked in various government entities in their risk and fraud areas and also spearheaded various campaigns, which were directed towards education.

Passionate about helping her own people become the next leaders, Omaira founded Advanced Learning Formulas (ALF) in 2011. This is part of Sheikh Mohammed’s Intalaq initiative and is affiliated with the KHDA. ALF is also one of the only companies where UAE Nationals are trained by UAE Nationals. ALF now trains young Emirati nationals, across all seven emirates, between the ages of 18-30; those in their first job or those slowly moving up in the work force. ALF trains them in many respects: creativity, critical thinking, cultural awareness, profiling, personality awareness, time management and more.  A TED Talk speaker and avid supporter of young nationals and expats who were born and raised in the UAE, she has developed programs that allow them to ease into the workforce and add value to the organisations that they work in.

Having just opened a recruitment arm (September 2017), ALF now specializes in recruiting as well as training and retention. The multi-award winning company offers its clients (which include banks and government entities) nationals from every level that suits job descriptions and in return they sign a one year contract for training, coaching and retaining these nationals.

ALF’s goal is to build a nation and tomorrow’s leaders; the first two years of fresh graduates joining is the most critical as they are often poached from one place to the next. This often happens when there is no clear job or career path for them. The same happens to any senior staff that have exhausted their options in their existing position.

ALF works by training and one-on-one national development coaching with these nationals and provide targets set by their departments that have to be achieved. ALF discovered this not only motivates nationals, but also encourages them to stay in their current jobs, as it gives them incentive to see where and how far they can reach with their careers through hard work and dedication. The relationship does not end there, ALF is always available to speak to its nationals and help in any situation.

An example of this is ALF also helping women that may otherwise find it hard to get a job: widows and divorcees would often struggle due to stigma but by providing them with computers and printers, these women can work from home, to build up their courage and to allow them to feel like they are adding value. Today this group of women has reached 100 women, and ALF pays them on a freelance basis.  ALF also helps those that have developed confidence and wanting to find a job to those that want to leave their current jobs and find part time jobs in different companies.

ALF’s clients include: Sharjah Ministry, Shurooq Investments, Abu Dhabi Tawteen, Emirates NBD, National Bank of Fujairah, Emirates Islamic Bank, First Gulf Bank, Abu Dhabi Ports, and ENOC.