People,
conversations,opportunities.

Hi, I’m Wanausha.

I’m a Kurdish, German-born, Spanish-speaking Brit living in Dubai, and I’ve always had an international outlook. I spent almost eight years living in Madrid, and that experience, alongside working across different countries, sectors and cultures, has shaped the way I communicate and build relationships.

I speak fluent English and Spanish, conversational Sorani Kurdish, have intermediate French, have reasonable German comprehension too, and I’m currently learning Arabic. My international background means I’m comfortable working across cultures and adapting the way I communicate to the person in front of me.

My professional background is equally varied, spanning business development, commercial work and senior clinical practice. On the commercial side, I’ve worked across sales, market research, negotiation, international relationship-building and business development. Alongside that, my career as a Speech and Language Therapist has given me a deep understanding of communication, listening, behaviour and what makes people tick.

I’m also a Free to Run Ambassador, supporting an organisation that uses running and rights-based programmes to advance gender equity for girls and young women living in conflict-affected communities. Free to Run’s work goes far beyond sport: its programmes use running alongside leadership and life-skills development to help participants build agency, confidence and opportunities to take part more fully in public life. It’s a cause that brings together movement, connection and creating opportunities for women and girls in places where those opportunities can be severely restricted.

For me, the two fit naturally. Good business development is fundamentally about people, understanding them, communicating well, spotting opportunities and building trust.

My work in the Middle East has added another layer to that experience. I understand first-hand that doing business in this region is relationship-led, culturally nuanced and rarely about simply sending more emails or making more calls.

The BD Office brings all of that together, commercial thinking, communication expertise, curiosity, relationship-building and a practical understanding of how businesses grow.

I help businesses work out where to focus, who they need to know and how to turn the right conversations into genuine opportunities.

Outside work

Life outside work is busy, full and very family-centred. I have a very patient husband, three gorgeous children, two cats and a dog, so there is rarely a dull moment in our house.

I’m a passionate vegan and I love cooking, especially finding ways to make food that is both genuinely delicious and a little bit creative. I’m also a keen runner, and I make it to the gym a couple of times a week too. Running in particular is a big part of my life: it gives me headspace, challenge and a sense of perspective, and it’s one of the reasons my role as a Free to Run Ambassador means so much to me.