Katie Murray

About Beyond Cubicles

📢 #BeyondCubicles is a weekly LinkedIn series created by Carolina D’Souza, born out of her own experience transitioning from a corporate career to independent consulting. Since its launch in June 2024, the series has evolved into a platform that showcases the inspiring journeys of several founders who have redefined the traditional 9-to-5.

Through authentic narratives, #BeyondCubicles highlights themes of courage, resilience, and purpose. The stories feature individuals from diverse industries—ranging from tech and education to wellness and adventure—who share their experiences of stepping away from conventional roles to pursue passion-driven careers. 

✨ Note: All features in this series are unpaid and shared as a way to honor and amplify real stories of transformation.

“… I believed in myself and built a brand.”

When a desired career change was met with closed doors, Katie Murray decided she was done waiting for permission to be creative.

“I took matters into my hands, believed in myself and built a brand,” she says.

Katie had been seeking a pathway from HR into marketing, completing a post-graduate degree in business psychology. Her broader professional background spanned talent acquisition, marketing, and business development in the UK, Australia and the UAE.

Yet, despite her efforts, she remained pigeonholed in HR and wasn’t taken seriously as a creative.

“I applied for over a hundred jobs and wasn’t selected for a single interview.”

Building her business and launching a bakery became her leap into a different kind of future.

In December 2022, alongside her friend and business partner Alexandria Ashkar, she became the Co-founder of Billionaire Cookies in Dubai: the city’s first rotating cookie concept with flavors dropping every week for a limited time.

Launched in June 2023, the brand distinguished itself with its playful brand identity and mission.

“We wanted to play with the concept of ‘seriously rich dough’ and the parallels between dough and money,” she says. “Billionaire Cookies is hand-crafted cookie dough rich in flavor, like your tastebuds struck gold.”

The first months were humbling. “Some days we’d receive orders and others we wouldn’t,” she says.

Momentum began to build by March 2024 after countless popups and a cult social media following. During Ramadan orders grew so fast the team had to pause in the kitchen.

While growth was exciting, Katie experienced moments of overwhelm as a first-time business owner in F&B.

“I’d feel a heaviness in my chest, breathlessness, my mind racing,” she says of navigating industry pressures. “Prioritizing and taking deep breaths helped. Sometimes I’d sit and focus on breathing.”

Originally from Edinburgh, Scotland, she has found strength in her Dubai community. “Some of the best support comes from other small business owners,” she says.

Her entrepreneurial experience reshaped her personal brand. “I began posting on LinkedIn and sharing my journey.” These shifts redefined what fulfillment meant for her.

A year on, she says freedom is: “Not needing to request PTO from my employer.”