The view from the top, the saying goes, is a lonely one. Her boss once told her exactly that, and the chief operating officer of a growing Gulf dermatology practice had little reason to doubt it. Then Felle Adelitz Gerardine L. Diaz-Samala, RN, looked down from where she stood and found the view crowded with faces she knew by name.
“My boss once told me that it is lonely to be on top management, and then suddenly I just realized that as I have reached this stage, it is much better of a view as you will be able to oversee the people whom I have helped along the way to grow,” Felle shares with TGFM.
That shift in perspective sits at the center of how the Filipina nurse-turned-executive works. At Dermaklinic LLC, Felle oversees the daily administrative, financial, and operational side of the business across the Riyadh and Dubai branches, with Qatar next in line. Her job is to make sure patient care stays high and the business keeps growing. By her own measure, though, the real work happens in the people around her.
“When you see people you’ve trained as good as you or even much better than you, it is more of a fulfilment not only as a leader but also as a person,” the chief operating officer says.
From the operating room to the front office
Before the spreadsheets and branch expansions, there was the operating room. Felle began her career as an OR nurse at Far Eastern University in Fairview, the kind of posting that trains a nurse to stay steady when the stakes are highest.
Her reason for leaving was the familiar one for millions of Filipinos. “I hoped to provide and give back not only to my parents, also to my family,” Felle says.
Her overseas career began in 2011, when she joined Sulaiman Al Habib in the UAE as a registered nurse [confirm: form lists 17 years abroad, which does not match a 2011 start]. From there, the path bent toward management and, eventually, toward the partnership she calls the major highlight of her career: working alongside Dr. Razan Kadry, the consultant dermatologist who owns Dermaklinic and whom Felle describes as the GCC’s best.
Today, the former OR nurse carries a load that surprises even the people who see it up close. Her team notes that alongside the clinic’s operations, she also handles HLM Pharmacy, is pursuing an MBA, and still guards time for family.
Grief, and the people who carried her through
Seventeen hours of work can fill a day, but it cannot fill every gap. Felle is candid that settling abroad came with sadness, and just as candid about what pulled her through.
“My peers give me consolation and I put my dedication to work. These things make me outgrow the sadness and it helps me be more focused on the purpose I am where I am today,” the Filipina executive says.
Asked who she looked up to during those years, her answer is five words long. “My angel in heaven, my Mama.”
It helps explain why Felle counts “having an extension of family” among the best parts of working overseas, next to the expertise she has gained. For someone who left home to provide for family, building a second one abroad was less a bonus than a lifeline.
A leader who doesn’t need to be loud
The people who work with Felle describe a manager whose strength is her composure. Her team at the clinic puts it plainly: “She has always been someone who truly listens. No matter how busy she is or how challenging a situation becomes, she takes the time to understand, listen, and find a way forward.”
They add a line that captures her style better than any title could: “Felle reminds us that leadership does not have to be loud to be impactful.”
Meia Perez, who works in HR, sees a softer side behind the discipline. “Ms. Felle is a strong and disciplined leader, but behind that strength is a genuinely kind and compassionate heart, someone who always believes in giving people another chance,” she says.
Aya Surour, a senior patient coordinator who has worked with the COO since 2019, credits her with years of growth. Nurse Manager Nerriz goes further, calling her one of the kindest people she knows and, affectionately, her “Boodiday.”
For her part, Dr. Kadry sounds less like an employer than a grateful friend. “I’m very fortunate that God brought our paths across one another, because your presence has definitely made our lives richer and more worth living,” the dermatologist says.
Family, naturally, offers the least filtered portrait. Her sister, Aime Diaz, laughs about the one reliable way to see the calm leader lose her cool. “She’s very easy to please, just don’t let her get hungry or you’ll definitely see that grumpy face,” Aime says, adding that no matter how grown-up Felle gets, she will always be the youngest sister who loves little gifts and treats.
A foundation, and a kitchen table
Long before she managed clinics, Felle had a plan she never let go of. “When I was a kid, I always wanted to start up a charity or foundation,” she says.
Meeting Dr. Kadry, she believes, pushed that childhood wish closer to reality, giving her room to help not only those close to her but also people in genuine need. The nurse keeps her ambitions honest in scale. “I may not be able to save the world, but I can help a part of the world,” Felle says.
Her other dream is quieter, and she knows it. She wants to be a hands-on mom, cooking for her family and getting her kids ready for school. “It may sound a simple dream but I always see my future revolving around my husband and kids,” the chief operating officer says.
For fellow Filipinos navigating life abroad, Felle’s advice is as direct as her management style. “Focus on your goals and always choose to be humble. Success is doing, not wishing,” she says.
She has held herself to that since before she ever boarded a plane to the UAE, always goal-oriented but never rigid about it. “I am fine with adjusting my goal along the way,” Felle says.
