When a close friend suffered an injury and wasn’t able to find a quality physiotherapy clinic, Tamara Hasan (Banking and International Finance, 2003) decided it was time to take action and raise the standards of healthcare in Qatar by opening her own clinic.
Having opened The International Physiotherapy Clinic in 2015, Tamara continued to expand her business by opening a second branch, as well as a third clinic, The International Medical Centre. This commitment to provide the highest level of medical care to the local community has rightfully earned Tamara the Entrepreneurial Award at the Study UK Alumni Awards in Qatar.
Following the awards, we caught up with Tamara to find out more…
Can you tell me about your time at Cass and what happened after you graduated?
It was a very long time ago but I have very fond memories of the University, the people I met and who can forget the student union!
Once, I graduated, I completed an internship with Lehman Brothers, which was a great experience. Fresh out of university and working with highly intelligent individuals! Following this, I then joined their graduate scheme and the rest of this as they say, is history!
Nomura then took over Lehman Brothers and I continued working there on the proprietary trading desk, trading equities globally for the portfolio managers. It was one of the most intensive jobs I have ever had, but one in which I will never forget. It taught me to be accurate, determined and definitely no pushover! In 2014, I got married and moved to Doha, where I set up my own healthcare business.
Yes, please tell us about how your business was born?
Unfortunately, a few years back my friend broke his arm while on a desert safari. After the incident, he really struggled to find a quality physiotherapy clinic in Doha and contemplated moving back to the UK for treatment.
So, I knew change was needed, and that is when I chose to open The International Physiotherapy Clinic in 2015. A year on from that, I opened a second branch and then another clinic with GP doctors, The International Medical Centre, to continue improving the health standards in Qatar.
What have been the most rewarding and challenging aspects of opening your own business?
There are many rewarding aspects to opening your own business, however with healthcare it is more tangible. What has been most rewarding is knowing that the clinic has been able to directly impact the local community by rehabilitating people from various injuries – anything from minor to chronic. These are people that previously travelled abroad for high quality care, or lived silently in pain.
I would say that the most challenging aspect of opening your own business is all the paperwork! There are lots of rules, regulations and ministries to deal with, and often the information required is not easily accessible. It has required a lot of hard work, and of course patience!
Well it certainly seems like you’ve been very successful. Congratulations on winning Entrepreneurial Award at the Study UK Alumni Awards!
From a very young age, my dad instilled in me the saying ‘education, education, education!’ That is the one thing that no one can take away from you and he really pushed my sister, brother and I by putting us in top schools in the UK. It was this education that allowed me to go onto complete my university degree at Cass Business School and set the foundations of what was soon to be my career in banking.
Having moved to Qatar and set up something totally out of my comfort zone and unrelated to my 10-year banking career, it has been a dream to win the Study UK Alumni award. Especially as Doha is actually my birth place, so to be able to give back to the local community and help improve people’s health in Doha has made it even more special. I also felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to study in the UK and now represent my university, Cass, for all the doors it has opened for me.
Do you have advice for anyone looking to follow in your footsteps?
There will be people who will tell you your goals are impossible or put doubts in your mind that things are possible. My advice? Don’t listen! Keep pushing yourself and give it a go – you would be surprised how far drive, hard work and common sense get you.
Now for some quick fire questions:
Where is your favourite place in London?
Has to be Covent Garden. The cobbled streets, the market stands and who can forget, Ben’s Cookies!
What is your favourite holiday destination (that you’ve travelled to)?
Beijing
Which website do you check every day?
BBC News
What is your dream travel destination?
Africa on a safari
Do you prefer cheese or chocolate?
Chocolate – hands down!
To find out more, visit https://theipcentre.com/ and https://theimcentre.com/ and follow the team on Facebook and Instagram: theipcentre & theimcentre.
Photo credit: British Council Qatar