Episode 430: Salma Abassaly talks about inspections and certifications, relationship capital, and normalizing diversity

Looking for daily inspiration?  Get a quote from the top leaders in the industry in your inbox every morning.   Every year, millions of attraction visitors lose hours in line instead of making memories. Since its inception, accesso’s virtual queuing has saved more than 4.5 billion minutes of wait time, freeing guests to pack their day with more rides, eats, and excitement. The result? Happier guests who spend more and a better bottom line for you. Ready to turn waits into wins? Visit accesso.com/ROIClinic. The queues are virtual. The results are real. Salma Abassaly is the co-founder and managing partner of CERTIS LLC. Born and raised in Paris, she moved to the United Arab Emirates in 2007 and built a career that spanned luxury hospitality, corporate services, managing children’s play areas, and leading leisure facilities before becoming an entrepreneur. CERTIS LLC is a UAE-based inspection and certification body that serves rides, attractions, and leisure facilities, pairing technical rigor with real-world operational insight. In this interview, Salma talks about inspections and certifications, relationship capital, and normalizing diversity. Inspections and certifications “We work with leading operators regionally and we ensure their rides meet international standards and we offer them an end-to-end approach from concept design to installation inspection as well as their ongoing operational audits and inspection.” Salma explains that CERTIS LLC provides an end-to-end approach, from concept and installation inspections through ongoing operational audits and periodic inspections. Her own operator background means she “speaks the language of the operators,” helping clients see an inspection body not as a cost or constraint but as an ally that aligns perception and reality through standards. She and her partner, Fadi, intentionally balance operational fluency and technical rigor so there is “no gap” when addressing client concerns. She also emphasizes credibility as foundational. Accreditation was the stamp that allowed CERTIS LLC to demonstrate quality, reliability, and transparency from day one, opening doors with regional leaders and setting a bar the company intends to uphold as it grows across the region and into emerging markets. Relationship capital “I think the transaction is the ultimate accomplishment of the relationship through the company, but before that, there's the relationship.” Relationships are not just a tactic for Salma; they are a metric of success. She prioritizes availability, consistency, and nurturing human connections beyond business, noting that trust built early makes hard conversations possible when inspections surface issues clients would rather not hear. To protect the partnership at the heart of CERTIS LLC, she and Fadi even engaged in proactive relationship coaching at the company’s founding to set ground rules for how they would show up, disagree, and decide together. That investment sustains a culture of collaboration with each other and with clients, where long-term partnership matters as much as revenue. Salma adds that surrounding yourself with people who are “smarter than you” elevates outcomes and turns competition into collaboration. Growth, she says, is rarely linear; persistence, shared purpose, and strong partners win over time. Normalizing diversity “The goal is not really to highlight gender, but more to normalize diversity.” Reflecting on often being one of few women in boardrooms, Salma argues that representation fuels aspiration and that women’s leadership brings emotional intelligence, resilience, and collaboration that benefit teams and guests alike. Her advice to women entering the industry is to lead as their authentic selves, not by copying stereotypically male behaviors. She hopes her daughter’s generation won’t even need to notice whether there are two women in a meeting, because diversity will simply be normal. Salma also shares her experience of the UAE as dynamic, opportunity-rich, and safe, with visible commitment to entrepreneurship and women in leadership. That environment, she says, has enabled her to turn vision into reality and to scale with clarity of purpose.   To connect with Salma directly, reach out to her on LinkedIn, and to learn more about the company, visit the CERTIS LLC website. This podcast wouldn't be possible without the incredible work of our faaaaaantastic team:   Scheduling and correspondence by Kristen Karaliunas   To connect with AttractionPros: AttractionPros.com [email protected] AttractionPros on Facebook AttractionPros on LinkedIn AttractionPros on Instagram AttractionPros on Twitter (X)