02. Donna Benton

Australian

Founder & Chairman, The Entertainer

Donna Benton launched The Entertainer in 2001, to make Dubai’s dining and leisure venues more affordable for residents and to drive footfall to the growing number of outlets. The Entertainer’s ‘buy one get one free’ model was designed to mutually benefit both customers and merchants. In a cost-conscious climate market, The Entertainer is often cited as a reason that restaurants have continued to attract customers.

In 2012, the Abraaj Group acquired 50% of The Entertainer - expediting international expansion across Asia, Africa and Europe and the development of an award-winning smartphone app.

From a print publication, The Entertainer has transitioned to the data-driven digital company it is today. To date, customers have redeemed over 12 million mobile offers. Over the last 12 months, redemptions have grown by an impressive 85% YOY, saving customers over AED 502 million ($US 138 million).

2018 will see burgeoning B2B model that produces apps for global brands including Samsung, HSBC and Pepsi.

NUMBERS GAME...

Number of years in this role: 16

Offices worldwide: 14

Employees: 280

Coming soon: A 100% digital Entertainer

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