Nadeira Y. Khan is the Managing Director of Ralico Insurance Services Ltd. since 2008 and is also the only daughter of both Haji Ralph and Hajjin Jennifer Khan.  She was born in the city of San Fernando and has always lived there.  Nadeira was told by her dad that she had to work in the family business because someone had to carry on its legacy, as well as, her dad was concerned about her future and being pushed around by opportunists. So she immediately began working at Ralico in July, 1989 at the age of 19.  Prior to that she would always spend the  July August holidays working in her dad’s office.  She worked together with Mr. Khan until his untimely demise on 06 February, 2008.  So she has spent the last 27 years working at Ralico Insurance Services Ltd. and is a qualified Insurance Agent with expertise in General Insurance namely Liability, Motor, Personal Accident, Marine, Aviation and Transport, Pecuniary and Property Insurance.

 

It was no picnic working for dad all those years because Mr. Khan was very strict in upbringing his children and she worked hard from Monday to Friday and would spend all her spare time on weekends and public holidays at the office because of her commitment and dedication.  She started off by learning the basics such as general filing, computer related operations, typing etc. thereby moving on to the handling of company accounts and customer relations.  Of course, the idea was to learn about hard work so there was no salary for a number of years.

 

In December, 1989 Haji Ralph D. Khan incorporated another company known as Ralico International Travels Ltd. because he saw an opportunity to progress by offering an additional service to his existing clientele.  The travel agency was also located at the same venue.  This gave Nadeira additional responsibilities and she was then encouraged to learn more about the travel industry by dealing with customers and pursued relevant courses qualifying her to be a licenced travel agent.  She trained with various airlines but mainly the then known BWIA International Airways.   She also trained with TAREX and AMADEUS which were the operating computer systems used at the time for booking airline tickets, hotel accommodations and cruises etc. Hence, becoming a Reservation Clerk and later she became a Director and the Manageress of Ralico International Travels Ltd.  Thus, she was assisting Mr. Khan with the operations of both businesses.

 

The business was closed in the latter part of 2007 since competition was increasing especially with the introduction of online internet bookings and it was no longer feasible to operate. Her experience in the travel industry however, proved to be quite interesting and adventurous to her since it allowed her to travel to different countries as part of the incentives and Familiarization Tours hosted by various airlines in different countries.  She was able to visit some Caribbean islands, Miami and Orlando.  It was sad for her when it closed but the experience and credentials were well worth it.

 

Apart from working in the family businesses, Nadeira ventured into assisting dad with his endless extra curricular activities especially community service and charitable works.  In 1997 she got more involved with the mosque she attended and had grown up in as a little child i.e. San Fernando Jama Masjid, Mucurapo Street, San Fernando.  She became a Member and Secretary of the Young Women Muslim Association.

 

During this year she also became a Member of the National Geographic Society.  She studied with The Writers Bureau Ltd. of Manchester, England and in addition   became a Freelance Writer with The Association of Freelance Writers in the United Kingdom.

 

During the years 2000-2002, she was a journalist for a locally based company  known as ESSE Women’s Quarterly Magazine.  In 2002-2003 she worked voluntarily with her dad as an Administrative Assistant for the A.S.J.A. Haji Ruknuddeen Institute of Islamic Studies in San Fernando.  Nadeira was always interested in working with daddy and enjoyed it because it always involved assisting the public in one way or the other.

 

In 2001, she became the Vice President of the Young Women Muslim Association for a period of one year.  She later declined nominations because she thought the organization had lost its perspective on educating the women in the muslim community, as well as, the interest of those on the executive seemed to only serve their personal agenda.

 

In 2002 she met Ashmead and they got married in June 2003.  She has been working alongside her husband ever since by doing additional charitable and community work and evidence would show that via their non-profit organization, The ASH-NAD Foundation, their work continue on a daily basis aimed at assisting the needy and less fortunate individuals of our society.

 

Nadeira became Ashmead’s Personal Assistant in 2003 and still holds this position up to present.  In 2004 they both formed and managed an Islamic music band known as the ZIKRULLAH Orchestra.  In 2006 she became a Director of Ashmead Ali Contracting Services Limited.

 

All of this she did while working with her father as Assistant Manager.  In 2009, a little over a year after her dad passed away, she was looking at cable television and an Avon advertisement appeared which encouraged her to become a Representative.  She recalled her dad joining years before and said they had a good clientele so why not try.  At that time she told dad sales would be too difficult and she would not be good at it.  So this Advertisement gave her an opportunity and she became an Avon Independent Sales Representative.

 

In one year during the period 2009-2010, she was presented with the Award for “Best New Sales Performer in Trinidad and Tobago; “Best New Performer Trinidad-2nd Quarter 2009.”  She cried because she said her dad was probably laughing at her right now saying “I told you so!” Following in the footsteps of dad in marketing and sales she received awards for the period 2010-2011 “#1 District Trinidad and Tobago – Customer Increase” and “#3 District Trinidad and Tobago - Sales Increase 2011-2012.”  This increased her status with Avon every year since she would set goals to reach a higher level each year.  As an Avon Independent Sales Representative, in addition to other titles such as “Avon Beauty Advisor,” she climbed up the ladder and became a Member of Avon’s “President’s Club, Honor Society, Rose Circle, Mc Connell Club 2014 and President’s Council in 2015."  Each level represented an increase in sales according to Avon’s structure.

 

Due to her hard work with Avon, she won an all expense paid trip to Honolulu Hawaii in June 2013.  She had an accident earlier that year which meant being incapacitated in a wheelchair for a period of two weeks but that did not stop her from enjoying her trip.

 

In 2015 however, Avon USA Inc. ceased all operations throughout the Caribbean islands and this was a major disappointment especially since it was her main and only hobby.  It was her passion and brought much joy and satisfaction to her.  Incidentally in 2015, her status increased to President’s Council and she qualified for another all expense paid trip to Las Vegas.  However, it did not materialize but Representatives were compensated in USD currency for the trip. Since Nady has a 'soft spot' for Avon, you can still check her for affordable gift items and gift sets.

 

At the moment, Nadeira is the mother of three beautiful children.  She says the hardest things she has had to face in life were dealing with the loss of her dad who was her strength and becoming a mother.  Dad was her strength, mum was her lifeline. 

 

Nady, as she prefers to be called, enjoys writing, travelling, peace and quiet, reading, collecting various items as evidenced in her office, singing, listening to music, watching movies and enjoys extending assistance to those in need.  She said God created her to make people happy.

 

Nadeira continues to preserve the legacy of her father Haji Ralph D. Khan by managing Ralico Insurance Services Ltd.  Although she may not always be there physically, she is always available to all clients whether it is for advice, personal chat or whatever their needs are.  She would also like to take the opportunity to thank all those people who stayed with Ralico over the last 36 years.

 

 “Thank you for your loyalty and patronage.  May God continue to bless you all.”

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