Edwina Viel, the owner of Cornerstone Clinic in the Dubai Marina, and I connected over our shared interest in two things: Entrepreneurs’ Organization and Padel!
Every Sunday morning from 8:30am-10:00am, the EO Dubai chapter hosts a rousing game of Padel for all levels of players, even if you’re brand new to the game. When I learned that Edwina owned a local clinic specializing in a variety of services from cosmetic procedures to dental to family medicine and more, we set a time to meet for coffee so I could learn more about how she started her practice.
She’s a former banker with no medical degree, but through hard work, taking risks and real-world experience, has established her practice as one of the most respected in the area. The cool thing about Edwina is…she’s not a doctor and has no degree in medicine. In fact, she was born in Singapore then lived in England for years and worked in banking for over a decade. Her husband, Dr. Maurizio Viel, is an experienced plastic surgeon, who had a practice in England and Dubai for several years.
They noticed how Dubai had a much more favorable tax scenario than their home country, and they moved to the UAE for a few months…but then decided to fully commit to growing the practice in sunny Dubai.
She served as the general manager of the clinic and helped grow it to 8,000 patients over a decade. She helped doctors learn to communicate with patients in a manner more suitable for the region, whose tone and style was different from that back in London. Edwina also focused a lot on PR and marketing, and got Dr. Maurizio in local publications which helped boost his public image to the community
Why She Became An Entrepreneur
One challenge she faced was that she always had to get permission for anything, like start a marketing campaign, and had to run it by the two owners of the practice. Then, in 2021, an opportunity surfaced through her local connections to open her own clinic in the Grosvenor Hotel.
The Grosvenor Hotel is a 5-star hotel and residency in the Dubai Marina with two massive towers and lots of fine-dining restaurants from “City Social,” which has a stunning 40th story view of the Persian gulf to “Buddha Bar,” which features Japanese cuisine in a cozy dimly-lit environment.
The main appeal was that she would have the freedom, with her practice, to build it as she fit. She had a network of great doctors, including her husband, that she could pool together to serve patients at a high-level.
One issue she shared was how Dubai is full of many bad practitioners. An example could be a general practitioner who claims to work with celebrities…even though a credible doctor would never name-drop a client. This GP could then try to provide almost any type of treatment from fillings to botox…and often with subpar results. These patients would then come to Cornerstone Clinic to correct the treatment.
Finding Entrepreneurs’ Organization
Edwina realized that she wanted a community where she could discuss the rewards, risks, challenges and triumphs of running a business. It can be lonely running a company on your own, and having outside eyes can be very valuable. A few friends recommended EO and she soon joined the Dubai chapter.
Today, her practice continues to grow, but there are more challenges to stand out in the marketplace. Social media has changed the landscape and in Dubai, it’s all about “who you know” as well as your reputation.
Outside of work, Edwina is the mother of four kids ages 15, 13, 12 and 10. You’ll also find her on the padel court, improving her game and networking with the coolest entrepreneurs around.
To learn more about her clinic go to: https://cornerstoneclinic.ae/ and connect with the practice on social media here