Corporate Health & Wellness Programme – Al Dabbagh Group
Led and facilitated the Corporate Health & Wellness Programme at Al Dabbagh Group, focusing on building a culture of resilience, discipline, and high performance through structured athletic development and transformational coaching.
A key milestone of this programme included coaching Mariam Bin Laden to become the first Saudi woman to successfully swim the English Channel — a landmark achievement accomplished during a time when women in Saudi Arabia were not yet permitted to drive.
The project demonstrated how corporate wellness initiatives can evolve into powerful leadership platforms that drive personal transformation, social progress, and international recognition.
Personal Coaching & Transformation
As part of the initiative, Valentin Milkov served not only as a programme facilitator but also as Mariam Bin Laden’s personal endurance coach. Beginning with limited swimming experience in her mid-twenties, Mariam rapidly progressed through intensive training and structured development.
Within several months she completed a demanding 10 km open-water swim in the Red Sea. Preparation included advanced stroke mechanics, endurance conditioning, open-water navigation, environmental adaptation, and psychological resilience training.
Historic Achievement
Mariam Bin Laden successfully swam the English Channel, becoming the first Saudi woman to achieve the milestone — a powerful symbol of perseverance and societal progress.
She later continued to break additional barriers, including becoming the first woman to swim across the Arabian Gulf, further reinforcing the long-term impact of high-performance coaching and disciplined leadership.
Leadership Beyond Sport
The programme demonstrated how corporate wellness initiatives can evolve into transformational platforms for leadership, empowerment, and global visibility.
Achieving such a milestone required long-term strategic vision, disciplined execution, trust-building, and continuous performance optimisation — qualities directly transferable to executive leadership and organisational development.
What began as a corporate health initiative ultimately evolved into a historic sporting achievement with regional cultural significance and international recognition.