From Goldman Sachs & KPMG to Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership

How do you transition from the intense world of derivatives trading at Goldman Sachs and private client tax at KPMG to launching a global luxury swimwear brand? In this episode of Inside Saudi, we sit down with Katleya Nielsen and Ayesha Mahomed, the visionary founders of Lanuuk.

They pull back the curtain on the "maternal shift" that led them to leave their 10-year corporate careers to solve a massive gap in the market: fashionable, high-quality modest swimwear. From packing orders on their living room floors to a landmark partnership with Aquarabia—Saudi Arabia's first and largest water theme park—Katleya and Ayesha share how they built a global empire with zero paid marketing. We dive into supply chain secrets, the reality of being "control-freak" founders, and how they are redefining luxury for the modern woman in Riyadh.

What you’ll learn:

How to pivot from high-finance/accounting into a creative industry.
The strategy behind building a global brand through organic growth and zero ad spend.
Sourcing sustainable fabrics in Turkey and managing craftsmanship in the Philippines.
Identifying the massive retail gap for high-end modest swimwear in Saudi Arabia.
Behind the scenes of the Aquarabia x Lanuuk partnership.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: The Goldman Sachs & KPMG Pivot

01:25 Meet the Founders: Katleya and Ayesha

03:30 The 10-Year Corporate Grind

05:40 The "Maternal Shift": Why We Left

08:45 The Problem: Why Modest Swimwear Didn't Exist

12:15 Manufacturing Secrets: The Philippines & Turkey

17:40 Scoping Riyadh: The Saudi Retail Gap

21:10 The Viral Blow-Up: $0 Ad Spend

32:20 "Control Freaks": Managing a Global Brand

41:10 Aquarabia: Saudi’s Biggest Modest Swim Partnership

47:00 Vogue & Organic PR

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