This week, we speak with Anelle Bakitzhanova, founder of Minoa, a sustainable home textile brand based in the UAE.
Welcome to the Emirates Woman weekly series ‘How I Got My Job As…,’ where we speak to some incredible entrepreneurs and businesswomen, both based in the UAE and globally, to find out about their career paths that led them to where they are now; what their daily routines look like; the advice they’d give to those starting out; and the hurdles they’ve had to overcome.
The UAE homeware landscape welcomes a new quiet disruptor with the launch of MINOA, founded by Anelle Bakitzhnova and Roger Chedid, a brand redefining luxury through sustainability. Arriving at a time when consumers are actively shifting towards restorative sleep and mindful living, the brand positions itself as more than a product line; it offers a full sensory upgrade to everyday rituals.
Let’s jump right into a conversation with one of the founders of Minoa, Anelle Bakitznova.
What was your favorite subject at school?
Math and biology were the loves of my school years. I competed in math olympiads, won several biology science competitions, and by the age of 14 I was already running my own ecology projects in my spare time. That blend of analytical precision and a deep fascination with living systems eventually became the lens I would bring to Minoa. Today, every decision I make is part spreadsheet of profit and margin, part reverence for nature and care for the planet.
What was your first job?
I joined Ernst & Young at the age of 20 as a consultant in financial advisory, then moved to audit at KPMG a year later. From there, I went on to become financial director at Baker Hughes, an international energy company, before founding Minoa. That progression, from Big Four audit floors to running finance for a global business, taught me discipline, how to read a company from the inside out, and the kind of attention to detail I now apply to every part of Minoa, from supplier contracts to fabric specifications to pricing.
What inspired you to enter the space and launch your brand?
Ecology has been my compass since I was a teenager. I have always believed the home is a sacred place. It is where we rest, where we recover, where we become ourselves again. And yet, so many of the products living closest to our skin and to our most intimate moments are made with shortcuts, harsh chemicals, and complete disregard for the planet. We spend nearly a third of our lives in bed, and most people underestimate just how much the chemicals and synthetics in their sheets affect their long-term health and quality of life. That dissonance is what gave birth to Minoa. Our home is our sanctuary. The planet is our greater home. Both deserve the same reverence, the same clean materials, the same care. I am proudly building Minoa right here in the UAE alongside my partner Roger Chedid. Together we have created a locally rooted brand, designed and grown in this region, with global standards and a deep love for the country that has shaped us.
What are the key elements of your role?
We joke at home that I am like the character in the movie Split, one person carrying multiple personalities, each running a different part of the business. But that is what being an entrepreneur really is. On any given day I am sourcing fabrics, briefing our marketing partners, reviewing logistics, talking with customers, and protecting the integrity of the brand. After years in the corporate world, where roles are clearly defined and work moves slowly through layers of bureaucracy, stepping into entrepreneurship felt like jumping onto a fast train. Decisions have to
What was your favorite subject at school?
Math and biology were the loves of my school years. I competed in math olympiads, won several biology science competitions, and by the age of 14 I was already running my own ecology projects in my spare time. That blend of analytical precision and a deep fascination with living systems eventually became the lens I would bring to Minoa. Today, every decision I make is part spreadsheet of profit and margin, part reverence for nature and care for the planet.
What was your first job?
I joined Ernst & Young at the age of 20 as a consultant in financial advisory, then moved to audit at KPMG a year later. From there, I went on to become financial director at Baker Hughes, an international energy company, before founding Minoa. That progression, from Big 4 audit floors to running finance for a global business, taught me discipline, how to read a company from the inside out, and the kind of attention to detail I now apply to every part of Minoa, from supplier contracts to fabric specifications to pricing.
What inspired you to enter the space and launch your brand?
Ecology has been my compass since I was a teenager. I have always believed the home is a sacred place. It is where we rest, where we recover, where we become ourselves again. And yet, so many of the products living closest to our skin and to our most intimate moments are made with shortcuts, harsh chemicals, and complete disregard for the planet. We spend nearly a third of our lives in bed, and most people underestimate just how much the chemicals and synthetics in their sheets affect their long-term health and quality of life. That dissonance is what gave birth to Minoa. Our home is our sanctuary. The planet is our greater home. Both deserve the same reverence, the same clean materials, the same care. I am proudly building Minoa right here in the UAE alongside my partner Roger Chedid. Together we have created a locally rooted brand, designed and grown in this region, with global standards and a deep love for the country that has shaped us.
What are the key elements of your role?
We joke at home that I am like the character in the movie Split, one person carrying multiple personalities, each running a different part of the business. But that is what being an entrepreneur really is. On any given day I am sourcing fabrics, briefing our marketing partners, reviewing logistics, talking with customers, and protecting the integrity of the brand. After years in the corporate world, where roles are clearly defined and work moves slowly through layers of bureaucracy, stepping into entrepreneurship felt like jumping onto a fast train. Decisions have to be made quickly, instincts have to be sharp, and you are responsible for everything. What ties it all together is making sure every decision, no matter how fast, stays true to our values, from the flax fields in France to the pajamas set folded into a customer’s drawer.
Talk us through your daily routine.
My day begins at 7am with a walk with my dog, a slow breakfast, and the gym. From there, I head into work. My calendar is a mosaic of calls with our marketing agency, designers, logistics partners, and customers. Between meetings, I read about emerging trends in AI and sustainability, the two forces I believe will define the next decade of conscious commerce. I am also currently building UMAI, an app for the pet industry, so part of my day is spent with software engineers mapping processes and reviewing code. My evenings belong to books and rest, the very things Minoa was built to support.
What advice do you have for anyone looking to follow in the same footsteps?
Start with the why. A beautiful product without a meaningful story will not survive. Today’s customer is too informed for that. Become genuinely obsessed with your category, get close to your supply chain, and embrace the unglamorous parts: the spreadsheets, the certifications, the cost negotiations, and the long flights to meet a mill. That is where real brands are built.
What are the pillars that define your brand?
Three: nature, craftsmanship, and longevity. Every Minoa piece is made from naturally derived fibers. We use TENCEL™ Modal for our sleepwear and a curated selection of French flax linen, bamboo lyocell, and hemp for our bedding, all sourced with full traceability. Each product is finished with the kind of care that quietly disappears the moment a brand starts scaling carelessly. And we design for years of use, not seasons.
What do you think makes your brand unique?
Most home textile brands ask you to choose between planet, performance, and beauty. Minoa refuses that trade-off. We use TENCEL™ Modal because it is biodegradable and made from sustainably harvested wood. We use French flax linen because flax requires almost no irrigation and very little pesticide. We use bamboo lyocell for its silky softness and the closed-loop process that gives it one of the lowest environmental footprints of any fiber. And we use hemp because it grows quickly, regenerates the soil it is planted in, and produces some of the most durable, breathable bedding on earth. The result is true eco-luxe: a softness and elegance that does not cost the earth, literally. Our customer never has to compromise her values for her comfort or her comfort for her values.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Know your non-negotiables. For us at Minoa, those are sustainability and quality. We have met countless suppliers offering us much better prices, but we would never compromise on either. Once you are clear about what you will not bend on, every other decision becomes much easier.
And what is the worst?
That margin drives the business. In the short term, perhaps. But if you want to build a long-term brand with loyal customers, margin alone will never get you there. You have to focus on quality and your core values. The brands people return to year after year are not the ones with the cleverest spreadsheets; they are the ones that stay true to what they promise.
What has been the biggest challenge you had to overcome?
Navigating the unpredictable. When regional tensions rise and people feel unsettled or are on the move, home textiles, by their nature, become the last thing on anyone’s mind. We have also faced real logistics shocks. At one point, some of our shipments were placed on hold because of disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz. But those moments have become some of our most defining lessons. We have learned to find new shipping routes, to deepen our care for the customers who stay with us, and to keep building even when the market quiets. A brand is not what you do when conditions are perfect; it is what you do when they are not. And beyond every short-term challenge, my biggest dream, and the bigger challenge I have set for myself, is to help replace synthetic bedding and unsustainable materials with truly clean, natural alternatives. That is the mission that keeps me building, no matter the conditions.
What are your goals for the future?
To make Minoa the reference point for eco-luxe home textiles across the regions we operate in and beyond, without ever loosening our standards. We are already running two markets: Minoa Kazakhstan, led by my sisters, and Minoa UAE, built here in Dubai. Long term, the United States is the market we are most excited to enter, where we believe Minoa’s story will resonate strongly with a customer increasingly focused on health, longevity, and conscious living. Beyond growth, my goals are to expand the collection thoughtfully, keep our supply chain transparent, and use the platform to fund and amplify the ecological work I have cared about since I was a teenager. The bigger goal is simple: to show that beauty, business, and the planet are not in conflict. They are, in fact, the same project.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: emirateswoman.com
