Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

Formerly the Unscripted Podcast with Spencer LodgeJoin Spencer Lodge as he connects with the most fascinating personalities in Dubai. A city that rose from the desert sands to become one of the most ambitious, innovative and inspiring places on Earth. Behind its glittering skyline are people with stories just as extraordinary - pioneers, dreamers and doers who dared to turn bold visions into reality.Made in Dubai is where those stories are told. Hosted by Spencer Lodge, each episode is a front-row seat to conversations with the people shaping the UAE's future — from business leaders and record-breakers to cultural icons and creative disruptors.But this isn't just about their success. It's about the journey - the risks they took, the challenges they faced and the moments that defined them. It's about the unique magic of Dubai: a place where ambition meets opportunity, where cultures from around the world collide to create something truly special and where anything feels possible.

Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge is a news podcast hosted by Spencer Lodge, with 416 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Spencer Lodge hosts Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge, a news show with 416 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

  #416: From Nissan to Louvre Abu Dhabi: Reda Raad on 27 Years of Making Brands Stand Out

  Sep 28, 20261h 9m

  Reda Raad has spent the last 20 years shaping how one of the world's biggest car brands is seen across this region, and picked up international recognition along the way for his work putting the Louvre Abu Dhabi on the map. He talks to Spencer about the discipline he says most people are losing in the age of AI, and why some brands earn decades of trust in this region while others never get close. Timestamps 02:00 – Starting a new podcast and personal motivations 03:07 – Working with his father and their early professional relationship 08:06 – Childhood memories, growing up in Dubai, and family dynamics 13:07 – Starting at the bottom as an Assistant Account Executive 22:50 – A humbling lesson from his father about consistency 26:33 – Nissan's long-standing history and brand loyalty in the GCC region 33:23 – Founding TBWA and gaining Nissan's trust 39:48 – Understanding agency identity: "The Disruption Company" 45:00 – The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in advertising and thinking 56:56 – Specific AI tools used in business (Omni, Claude, ChatGPT) 59:01 – Outdoor advertising and the Louvre Abu Dhabi case study 01:06:11 – Five key things to look for when choosing an advertising agency Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Reda Raad on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reda-raad/ https://www.instagram.com/redaraaddxb/ https://tbwaraad.com https://www.facebook.com/TBWARAAD/ https://x.com/TBWARAADDUBAI https://www.linkedin.com/company/tbwa-raad/ https://www.instagram.com/tbwaraad/

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  Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

  #415: What Does It Actually Take to Build Landmarks Like Ain Dubai and the Royal Atlantis? | Dean McGrail, WSP

  Sep 21, 20261h 3m

  Dean McGrail has spent over two decades building his career in the Gulf, and today he leads WSP's operations across the Middle East and Asia. He talks to Spencer about the humbling start that shaped his entire career, his approach to leading his team, and what it's actually taken, personally and professionally, to get to where he is now. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction 0:28 What WSP actually does 1:45 The landmarks across the region, Ain Dubai, Royal Atlantis, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and more 3:26 "We've been part of building a nation" 4:14 The scope of his role 5:47 Does he feel presidential 6:39 Imposter syndrome 7:39 Growing up in Aldershot 8:44 Rejected from the RAF and told he was "socially inadequate" 10:19 How he ended up studying fire engineering by chance 11:47 His first job overseas in Hong Kong 13:19 Joining WSP and his dad's reaction 19:01 His two mentors, Chris Cole and Norman Curtis 29:23 Why you can't fake thirty years of trust in ten 31:22 His warning to newcomers arriving in the Gulf 34:33 The hardest conversation he's had with his mentor 40:11 Would he give someone a blueprint for his job 41:06 Build your network, get uncomfortable 44:34 "Quality is the absolute cornerstone of everything we do" 46:20 What he's sacrificed for his career 48:58 Was it a price worth paying 50:07 Does he feel guilt 53:41 Who is Dean McGrail without the title 55:29 What AI has actually changed at WSP 1:00:00 What he'd tell himself at 19 Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Dean McGrail on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dean-mcgrail/ https://www.instagram.com/wsp_me/?hl=en https://www.wsp.com/en-me/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/wsp-in-the-middle-east/

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  Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

  #414: Jon Marchant: "The enemy isn't AI, it's mediocrity" | Ogilvy Middle East President

  Sep 14, 20261h 12m

  Jon Marchant is Group President at Memac Ogilvy, part of WPP, leading 450 people across one of the region's biggest advertising networks after 27 years in the industry. Jon explains why he believes the real threat to the advertising industry isn't AI, it's mediocrity, and what that means for agencies trying to stay relevant. He also opens up about why he believes vulnerability builds more trust in leadership than authority ever will, and how his own definition of success has changed over nearly three decades at the top. Timestamps 0:00 Introduction and imposter syndrome about the guest list 1:04 Moving to Dubai and running an international agency for the first time 1:57 "Dubai is not a city, it's an attitude" 3:23 Temping as a secretary and falling in love with advertising 4:17 Fighting for a job on the Manchester United account 5:16 The 1999 treble shoot and sneaking in with the European Cup 9:00 What mental availability actually means 9:38 Why billboards still work in a digital world 14:30 Getting inspiration and using AI as a spark, not a replacement 15:26 "The enemy is not AI, the enemy is mediocrity" 21:03 Why being an introvert is an advantage in leadership 22:41 The call to the hospital and the hole in one that changed everything 24:39 His father was 45 28:55 The car accident that reminded him who he does it for 30:28 Redefining success: is the ladder leaning against the right wall 39:00 The misconceptions Brits have about working in the Middle East 41:07 Dubai as the shop window, Abu Dhabi as the strategic engine 44:31 Never been fired, but he has had to fire people 46:11 Three things that make a good leader 47:48 From British fell running champion at 11 to endurance sport as de-stressing 54:08 Running the Lebanon office during the conflict 56:01 The night his wife packed a suitcase 1:05:00 What roles AI will actually replace 1:08:56 Chinese EVs, Jaguar's collapse, and the German car dilemma 1:16:31 The Go Compare opera singer story 1:17:24 End Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Jon Marchant on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-marchant-70998324/ https://www.ogilvy.com/ae/team https://www.linkedin.com/company/memacogilvy/ https://www.instagram.com/memacogilvy/?hl=en

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  Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

  #413: Nick Watson built a special running chair and bike so his disabled son could race triathlons by his side.

  Sep 7, 20261h 13m

  Nick Watson is a former Royal Marine who moved to Dubai in the late 1990s and later founded Team Angel Wolf, a nonprofit built around his son Rio, who is 23 and lives with a rare chromosome condition. The wider mission behind Team Angel Wolf, teaching communities and schools across the UAE what real inclusion looks like. Timestamps 0:57 Nick and Spencer meet after 21 years of near misses 2:12 Why Nick says the timing wasn't right before now 2:56 Growing up in Cornwall and his parents' cafe in Falmouth 4:06 Leaving school at 16 and the family's move to central France 5:38 Discovering art and the dream of designing cars 6:31 Finding triathlon and building a community in Toulouse 9:56 Choosing the Royal Marines over art school 10:35 Joining the Marines at 21 13:19 The hardest decision of his career, stay or leave 14:50 Meeting his wife Delphine on a personal training course 16:15 The conversation that led them to Dubai 16:56 Arriving in Dubai in 1996 with £850 to his name 18:41 What Dubai looked like before the Marina and the Burj Khalifa 22:06 Rio is born in 2003 23:44 "Something's not right" 24:18 The first time Rio stopped breathing in the bath 26:05 It happens again, and the hospital sends them home a second time 27:16 The four and a half year search for a diagnosis 29:41 The call from Paris confirming Rio's chromosome deletion 30:08 What Rio lives with today at 23 38:02 Holidays, and the last one they took 10 years ago 39:19 Delphine, the backbone of the family 40:30 Tia, and her bond with her brother 41:43 A day in the life of the family 44:37 Why Team Angel Wolf was founded in 2016 46:24 What inclusion actually means to him 47:56 Whether organisations are genuinely inclusive or just ticking boxes 48:44 The four step plan behind Team Angel Wolf 53:01 What it would take to fund the mission properly 55:56 Three practical tips to become more inclusive 58:29 Whether he sees himself as successful 1:00:22 How hard it is to ask for help 1:01:41 A brush with clinical depression 1:05:44 The conversations he has with Tia about the future 1:07:00 What he'd ask of Spencer's audience 1:09:37 How to follow and support Team Angel Wolf 1:11:38 The advice he'd give himself, looking back 1:12:58 End Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Nick Watson on Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickwatsontribewatson/ https://www.facebook.com/TeamAngelWolf/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-hasan-alogaily-mbbs-mrcgp-dipcd-iblm-icflm-6318a2171/

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  Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge

  #412: Why getting a health check once a year could save you a lot of money, and it might just even save your life | Dr. Hasan Alogaily

  Aug 27, 202652 min

  Dr. Hasan Alogaily is a global expert in longevity, and he's here to cut through the noise. Peptides, supplement stacks and expensive therapies dominate the conversation online, but he says none of it matters if the basics aren't in place first. In this conversation, Hasan explains why lifestyle is the real foundation of a longer life, how often you should actually be getting your bloods checked, and why skipping your annual health check is a bigger risk than most people realise. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 00:09 Longevity vs health span: what is the actual difference? 04:00 The longevity pyramid and why Dubai has it upside down 06:41 The patient on 37 supplements who was still smoking 07:29 Peptides, RCT evidence, and what the science actually supports 09:30 Blue zones: movement and food as a cultural norm 11:06 "Lifestyle doesn't sell. It's not sexy enough till you're 80." 11:28 Why the blue zones data may not be what we think it is 14:06 Mental well-being and why no supplement addresses it 15:25 What health span medicine actually challenges about standard practice 16:01 "In my medical school, I was never taught to write an exercise prescription." 18:00 Ozempic, BPC157, and what the peptide space actually looks like 19:17 1 in 3 people in this region have fatty liver 22:10 Why even 10 minutes in the gym changes your mortality risk 23:13 Why muscle mass is a bank account you draw from later 24:29 Zone 2 cardio and the Maffetone formula 25:51 Why walking uphill on a treadmill might be all you need 29:29 "If you have an Emirates ID card, I guarantee you've got vitamin D deficiency." 33:13 Spencer's Harley Street story: two surgeons, one MRI, opposite advice 35:10 Spencer reveals his own lifestyle and Dr Hasan says it's really good, then asks the one question that reframes everything. 38:19 Sleep in Dubai and what the Arabic language reveals about why it matters 39:27 Wearables: the only two metrics that actually tell you anything 44:40 Spencer's 4:30am wake-up and whether he is getting enough sleep 47:08 Spencer books his health check at the clinic 48:49 "Do not pass go unless you've done a health check once a year." 50:03 End Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076 https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/ https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/ Follow Dr. Hasan Alogaily on Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/dubaifamilydoc/ https://kingscollegehospitaldubai.com/dr/hasan-alogaily/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-hasan-alogaily-mbbs-mrcgp-dipcd-iblm-icflm-6318a2171/

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