Strong-willed. Passionate. Empathetic.Successful businesswoman. This is our boss lady CEO Remonda.

Remonda is the perfect example of how women entrepreneurs can excel in business and still ace it as a wife and mother. How does she do it, you may ask? Well, guess what, she got it from her mum!

For our Remonda, a substantial part of her life was influenced by her mum’s way of living. And like most mummy-daughter relationships, you won’t understand the lessons, not until you need to use them.

Let’s see how Remonda’s mum, Mrs Mary Awadallah, has shaped one of Australia’s top women leaders in the construction industry.

 

The value of being detail-oriented

“I used to get really annoyed with her for trivial things like – leaving me big sticky notes on the expired items in my fridge. Doesn’t she know how busy I am! But the truth is – she was relentless in shaping me to be the mother, woman and CEO that I am today! Because of her, I make every day count and never let the little things slip by – including expiry dates,” Remonda said.

Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford economics professor, named one trait that most successful CEOs have in common: They always pay attention to detail. And that’s clearly a strong attribute that Mrs Awadallah had imparted to Remonda even before becoming Blue Haven’s CEO.

It takes time to build the habit of becoming detail-oriented and seeing how Remonda is so hands-on in leading Blue Haven in the 21st century, there’s no denying that Mrs Awadallah’s efforts paid off. “Her consistent attention to detail has been my best training for construction & project management. I can now run over 500 projects at one time at all different stages, values, timelines and locations and do it effortlessly,” Remonda said.

 

A tough industry doesn’t require an authoritarian leadership

There’s a common misconception that to lead a construction company, you need to be tough to get what you want. But Remonda found that it’s actually through leading with lots of compassion that she attracts more bees with honey. She understands that men are human beings who also need care, compassion, and understanding. And this is something that her mum has taught her. Mrs Awadallah raised her to be a strong yet gentlewoman.

 

A global perspective

Remonda’s childhood is anything but typical. Her parents took her to different parts of the globe, which gave Remonda a global perspective on life. Along the way, she met different business women who are courageously taking the world of entrepreneurship. These exposures and experiences with different cultures and people became her leverage when she took on being Blue Haven’s CEO. It widened her perspective on design, people, customers, and business.

 

Strength, independence, and the value of teamwork

Another trait Remonda has embraced due to her parents’ way of upbringing is independence. Remonda recalls how she asked her parents to buy an encyclopaedia where she learned a myriad of topics all on her own. She was already decisive and knew how to use her resources, and this became Blue Haven’s advantage. But, as independent as she is, Mrs Awadallah taught her that she cannot live alone and that she needs strong support to be successful. And her mum taught her this with her incredible support to the entire family.

As Remonda would always say, Blue Haven wouldn’t be how big it is today without her mum giving her, her brother and her father, Mr Ray Awadallah, unwavering trust and support that they could do so much more than what was plausible.

Under Remonda’s leadership, Blue Haven continued to flourish and amass prestigious awards and recognitions. These included Remonda being part of the Top 100 Women in 2021 and Blue Haven making it to Australian Financial Review’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in 2021. And she has been absolutely grateful for having a great team on her side to support her vision for the brand.

And amidst all of the responsibilities at work, Remonda is still ever-present for her family. Whilst dealing with business challenging and leading over a hundred team members, she never missed any special milestone or occasion in the life of her three sons – be it soccer academy training, Easter hat parade, or state swimming. And she home cooks some of their family meals too.

 

Thank you, Mrs Mary Awadallah!

Blue Haven has remained an authority and a game-changer in the pool construction industry for more than 50 years. We’ve refined how people in Australia can add more value to their homes with our exquisitely-designed pools. We’ve also pioneered online pool sales thus making it easier for Australians to own a pool. On top of that, we capitalised on 3D technology so homeowners can see how our online pools look in their backyard from the comfort of their own homes. And there is more to come.

As they say, “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” We couldn’t agree more as Remonda is living proof of how Mrs Awadallah’s simple yet powerful life lessons honed her into what she is today and thereby allowing Blue Haven to continuously conquer greater heights through the years.