Success isn’t a destination; it’s the courage to evolve and the passion to inspire.
Not all leadership journeys follow a predictable path. Some unfold across industries, through challenging transitions, and within the minds of those willing to reinvent themselves while staying true to their core values. Marketing is not just about promoting products—it is the bridge that connects brands with consumers, challenges conventional thinking, and creates authentic relationships that last. But marketing does not transform businesses on its own; it needs visionaries. It needs those who see beyond campaigns and metrics, who understand that building a brand is not just about visibility but about trust, connection, and possibility.
Sonal Dawda has never been content with conventional boundaries. She does not just implement strategies—she redefines them. From bringing glamour to the insurance industry to being crowned Marvelous Mrs. India First Runner Up, she has always approached both professional and personal challenges with creativity, authenticity, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
From Advertising Glamour to Insurance Innovation
After completing her post-graduation in advertising and marketing in 2004, Sonal embarked on a career that would see her transform from an advertising professional to a recognized marketing leader in the UAE’s insurance sector. Starting in a client servicing department at a prominent Dubai advertising agency during the region’s economic boom, she quickly distinguished herself by securing major accounts and working with Bollywood celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan and Katrina Kaif.
When faced with the advertising recession and the inevitable shift to digital media, Sonal made a pivotal decision that would redefine her career trajectory. Rather than staying in a changing industry, she chose to transition to the client side in marketing. Her interview for the Marketing Manager position at Dubai National Insurance (DNI) revealed her characteristic confidence and vision when asked why she would leave the glamorous world of advertising for insurance: “I will bring glamour to insurance.”
True to her word, Sonal has transformed marketing at DNI through strategic partnerships, digital initiatives, and successful rebranding campaigns. Her innovative approach has earned her numerous company and individual accolades, culminating in her current role as Head of Marketing & Corporate Communications at DNI.
Leadership Through Innovation and Collaboration
Sonal’s leadership philosophy centers on seven essential qualities she believes are crucial for driving marketing and sales strategies in today’s dynamic business environment: visionary thinking, ownership, raising the bar, collaboration, adaptability, integrity, and fostering a customer-centric culture.
“Taking ownership is about being accountable, responsible, and proactive,” she explains. “While raising the bar includes leading by example, demonstrating excellence, delivering quality, and maintaining unwavering commitment.”
Her approach to innovation and creativity in marketing strategy development is equally methodical. She advocates forming cross-functional committees to generate out-of-the-box ideas, conducting continuous market research to track industry trends and customer behavior, fostering a customer-centric culture through feedback and data analysis, and embracing experimentation to discover effective solutions.
The power of this cross-functional collaboration was evident during a crisis that tested DNI’s operational capabilities.
“Different ideas and perspectives were exchanged through cross-departmental initiative to arrive at the most appropriate action plan to cater to the crisis,” she recalls. The result was the launch of a ‘WhatsApp for Business’ platform that allowed the company to communicate with customers instantly, register claims, and track progress.
Rebranding for a Digital Future
One of Sonal’s most significant achievements at DNI was managing an award-winning rebranding campaign that balanced the company’s heritage with contemporary appeal. The challenge lay in modernizing the brand while maintaining its connection with existing customers.
The logo redesign introduced falcon wings to symbolize the rich heritage of the UAE, while refreshing the color palette with teal to represent the company’s focus on technology-enhanced customer experience, and gold to signify royalty. The company name was abbreviated to “DNI” in a modern font for easy recall, while retaining the full name to maintain connection with established customers.
“The outcome was overwhelmingly positive,” Sonal notes, “with the new design earning the Best Brand Award.” The rebranding was followed by comprehensive internal and external campaigns to successfully launch the new identity.
Driving Business Growth Through Digital Partnerships
Sonal’s approach focuses on identifying strategic partners based on shared vision and values, track record, adaptability, innovativeness, solution orientation, and transparency.
She believes technology significantly enhances marketing effectiveness through seamless operations, data-driven decision making, resource optimization, increased trust, first-mover advantage, and overall business growth. This philosophy with the support of the top management, has led to partnerships that launched B2B and B2C online product portals, collaborations with aggregators to promote and sell products online, and strategic alliances with government and private organizations.
“As a result, the company has been awarded ‘Digital Innovation’ and ‘Best Customer Experience’ titles,” Sonal proudly shares, “reinstating the fact that leveraging technology enhances customer experience and overall customer satisfaction.”
Her approach to strategic partnerships is exemplified by DNI’s collaboration with Wellx, wellness-backed digital insurance platform.
“Through Wellx, we were trying to help people understand insurance better and aiming to deliver an engaging experience which could help in changing the general perception around insurance plans being complicated,” she explains. “We wanted to encourage UAE residents to get on to an activity-linked insurance program early in life, work on building healthy habits, and earn rewards by doing so.”
For Sonal, successful partnerships require transparency, constant communication, feedback, brainstorming, involvement, and a commitment to grow together. “If this investment and commitment is made in a relationship by both and above principles are followed, nothing can stop them from reaching new heights of success and mutually benefiting from each other,” she affirms.
Building Trust and Relationships
Central to Sonal’s marketing and sales approach is the belief that trust is the foundation of any business relationship. “Trust and transparent communication are fundamental to sustaining long-term relationships with clients and nurturing strategic partnerships because they foster mutual respect, understanding, and collaboration,” she emphasizes.
Her principles for building and maintaining strong relationships include understanding needs through active listening, maintaining clear and transparent communication, demonstrating consistency and reliability, adding value beyond contractual obligations, respecting differences, and building long-term trust through patience and quality service.
“I have always strongly believed that nurturing personal relationships is vital in every business to build the trust for a long-term successful partnership,” she reflects, adding, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”
Navigating Partnership Challenges
Sonal acknowledges that forming strategic partnerships, especially with banks, government organizations, or aggregators, comes with challenges. She identifies several common obstacles and their solutions:
Ambiguity in understanding objectives and goals can lead to misunderstandings. The solution lies in clear, open, regular, and transparent communication from the beginning, with both parties defining mutual goals and expectations early on.
Unequal commitment may create tension and imbalance. Clearly outlining roles, responsibilities, and deliverables in the partnership agreement ensures that each party is equally committed to success.
Delays in sharing initial information, concerns about business-sensitive data, budget constraints, and technology integration issues can all impede progress. Sonal recommends addressing these challenges through comprehensive non-disclosure agreements, early budget discussions, and thorough technology testing before implementation.
A Holistic Approach to Life and Leadership
Beyond her professional achievements, Sonal embodies a holistic approach to life that balances career success with personal fulfillment and social responsibility. Her journey of self-discovery began in October 2023 when she was invited to audition for the ‘Mrs. India’ beauty pageant. The experience led to an intensive training program focused on mental clarity, physical fitness, and spiritual essence.
This transformative journey culminated in Sonal being crowned Marvelous Mrs. India 1st Runner Up and Fashion Icon by India’s first Mrs. World, Dr. Aditi Govitrikar, and Bollywood fashionista Ms. Reena Dhaka. The achievement is all the more remarkable considering her simultaneous professional responsibilities and commitment to the Dubai Theatre Community, where she pursues her passion for acting.
“Embracing a holistic life has now become an intrinsic part of my lifestyle,” Sonal shares. “Not only am I striving to achieve success in my professional life, but I am also inspiring women across different walks of life by actively participating in panel discussions to mentor women of all ages, sharing my professional and personal experiences, encouraging them to believe in themselves and motivating them to pursue their dreams and aspirations.”
Her commitment to giving back extends to environmental sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, including beach clean-ups and food distribution during Ramadan. “Having a holistic approach wherein I am focusing on my professional and personal growth along with giving back to society, has led to a sense of fulfillment and inner peace,” she reflects.
Navigating Digital Transformation in Insurance Marketing
As digital transformation reshapes the insurance industry, Sonal remains at the forefront of adapting marketing strategies to embrace new technologies and approaches. She identifies hyper-personalization, predictive analytics, marketing automation, chatbots, and customer experience enhancement as key elements of this transformation.
“Data-driven marketing ensures targeted insights, seamless customer journey, and personalized marketing campaigns for increased customer satisfaction and conversion,” she explains. She emphasizes the importance of user-friendly websites, mobile apps for claims and policy management, fast online self-service portal options, and digital communication platforms like WhatsApp for Business.
In terms of marketing trends, Sonal is particularly excited about AI-driven technologies that make customer journeys more seamless, sustainability initiatives that align with consumer values, and video marketing and live streaming that engage audiences in real-time to build deeper connections.
Women Leaders Shaping the Middle East Business Landscape
Looking to the future, Sonal sees significant potential in the role of women leaders in shaping the business world in the Middle East. “Women leaders in marketing across the Middle East are playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of business,” she observes. “By bringing fresh perspectives, challenging established norms by breaking gender stereotypes, embracing inclusivity and diversity, supporting innovation, placing a stronger emphasis on sustainability, and empowering other women through mentorship, they are redefining the way we think about business.”
She believes women leaders’ impact is steering a new era of practices that are not only progressive but also closely aligned with the region’s ever-changing cultural and economic dynamics.
Lessons from a Journey of Continuous Growth
Reflecting on her journey, Sonal offers wisdom that would serve her younger self well: “Success is a journey, not a destination. It’s about continuous learning, self-improvement, the experiences and lessons learned along the way. Enjoying the process is just as important as the outcome. Failure is a stepping stone to success, and fulfillment comes from ongoing effort and never giving up.”
Her commitment to continuous growth is evident in her approach to evolving her marketing career: “Learning is a constant process of discovery – a process without end,” she quotes Bruce Lee. She stays abreast of the latest Martech and Insurtech trends, expands her data proficiency through online courses, attends conferences, engages with mentors, builds a strong network, and works on meaningful projects to gain hands-on experience.
Recognition and Impact
Sonal’s achievements have earned her significant recognition in both the professional and personal spheres. She has been named a ‘Middle East Woman Leader’ and honored as ‘Best Marketing Leader’ and ‘Top CMO in Middle East.’ Her work has also garnered the ‘Award for Excellence’ and ‘Best Performer Award.’
Beyond these accolades, her impact extends to mentoring women across various domains and collaborating with women-focused entrepreneurial organizations. She actively participates in environmental sustainability initiatives, from beach clean-ups to tree planting, and shares her insights through panel discussions to inspire others.
Her career history demonstrates outstanding communication and leadership skills, as well as a reputation for exceptional client service and a solution-oriented approach. She has earned appreciation and recommendations from customers and business partners for her ability to develop deep levels of trust with industry professionals.
For Sonal, success in both marketing and life comes from a blend of visionary thinking, authentic relationships, continuous learning, and a holistic approach that balances professional achievement with personal fulfillment and social responsibility. Her journey from advertising to insurance, from marketing manager to department head, and from professional to beauty pageant winner exemplifies how breaking conventional boundaries while staying true to one’s values can lead to extraordinary achievement and impact.