10 Powerful Indian Business Leaders in UAE

™ www.insightssuccess.in JUNE 2018

POWERFUL 10INDIAN BUSINESS LEADERS IN UAE

EXPERT'S VIEW 7 Ways to Succeed or Fail in Real Estate Development

Rizwan Sajan Founder & Chairman

BUSINESS TALK Leadership – Opportunities and Challenges

RIZWAN SAJAN An Inspiring Leader Creating a Wave of Change

Editorial

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he UAE endorses a liberal business environment and has a high standard of living that continues to attract expatriates from around the world. The diversified growth environment that’s being created in the UAE provides abundant business opportunities.

UAE’s liberal climate towards the modernization, foreign cooperation and investment has fortified diplomatic and commercial relations with other countries. Although the UAE comprises of seven emirates, it is Abu Dhabi and Dubai that are better known due to their established infrastructure and business environment; however, the other emirates offer opportunities too. Fujairah, for instance, has multibillion-dollar signs of progress in offshore oil and gas storage, while Sharjah, has mindfulness of heavy industries, and Ras Al Khaimah established a free trade zone with specific benefits.

UAE: A Land of Opportunities

It appears that on the overall, the UAE has maintained a positive longterm outlook. While Abu Dhabi has a strong focus on gas and oil and further divergence of its economy, Dubai is more entrepreneurial and focused on trade with many free zones offering 100 percent foreign possession. Opportunities to do business in the UAE are not withheld by global economic difficulties or regional instabilities in the Middle East and North Africa, and the economy proves to be resilient. The country’s currency, the dirham, is considered to be highly secure and freely convertible.

The location of the UAE is accessible and strategic for major regional markets; it is often seen as the gateway to other GCC countries. The infrastructure is well developed, and the working environment is stable.

New and wide-ranging innovative initiatives have been gaining attention at the government level in the UAE. Renewed socioeconomic and political changes have triggered increased interest in government systems and practices, as well as in ways to make them work better.

Pursuing its 2021 Vision, the UAE aims to place innovation, research, science, and technology at the center of a knowledge-based, highly productive and competitive economy by the time of its golden jubilee. In the face of single global change, the UAE as a nation has remained persistent and consistently buoyant in creating new opportunities for growth, while quickly addressing challenges and immediately finding solutions.

Positioned well for the future, the UAE ranks itself in the top quartile of countries across all drivers of production. However, it has proactively exerted efforts to be at the forefront by developing fundamental mechanisms which ensure its economy remains stable in this uncertain time.

Shweta Priyadarshini Shweta Priyadarshini

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Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Shraddha Deshpande Managing Editor Rajarshi Chatterjee Executive Editor Shweta Priyadarshini Contributors Bhavithiran, Durgesh, Anmol Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Co-designer Aparna Vanzul Picture Editor Alex Noel Art Editor Poonam, Asha Visualiser Mayur Koli Business Development Manager Akansha Garewal Marketing Manager Dhruv Apte Business Development Executive Divya, Meera, Rutuja Research Analyst David Circulation Manager Vivek Bangade Database Management Prashant Chevale Technology Consultant Swapnil Patil sales@insightssuccess.com

June, 2018 Corporate Ofces: Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd. Off. No. 513 & 510, 5th Flr., Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk, Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017 Phone - India: 020- 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85 Email: info@insightssuccess.in For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in

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COVER STORY

Rizwan Sajan:

16 Amit Marwah: A Pass ionate Leader Transforming Ideas into Innovation

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An Inspiring Leader Creating a Wave of Change

INTERVIEW

C X O S TA N D P O I N T 24

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EXPERT'S VIEW

BUSINESS TALK

EDITOR'S TALE

7 Ways to Succeed or Fail in Real Estate Development

Leadership – Opportunities and Challenges

Technology is changing the Way Our Children Learn

UAE: Let’s Date with the Date

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ARTICLES

Global Leadership reforming 30 Domestic Leadership

The United Arab Emirates

To Look Out For

Explore the Pearls among the Sand Dunes

PROFILES 16

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Surender Singh Kandhari:

Tanuj Shori:

Yogesh Mehta:

Taking Pride in Providing High Quality Services in Tyre Industry

Putting the Focus Back on Customers Rather Than the Property

An Entrepreneur Embedded in Petrochem’s Corporate Philosophy

Long-term Business Outlook in UAE Creating New Opportunities for Growth

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iversification has been a mantra of the UAE from day one. UAE has come a long way in adopting progressive methods for getting things done. Embracing modernization in line with global trends has been an essential component to its success, and the UAE has had to do all this while finding the balance that would take into account the traditional values and methodologies ingrained in the fabric of its culture.

To highlight the journey of some of the marvelous leaders in Insights Success Magazine, has introduced 10 Powerful Indian Business Leaders in UAE. Let’s meet 10 of the seasoned business executives and up-in-comers, listed in no particular order of power or wealth, which one should know about that would be crucial to the business expanding to the Arab countries.

On the cover we have highlighted, Rizwan Sajan, Founder and Chairman of Danube Group. Danube has grown into one of the largest building materials company in the region, with 31 branches worldwide - in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and in India, in addition to procurement offices in China and Canada.

We have listed Surender Singh Kandhari the Chairman of Al Dobowi Group, which is the largest tyre distribution companies in the world and has branched out into batteries, lubricants, conveyor belt systems and technical rubber products.

It is committed to the excellence in quality, reliability, on time delivery and continuous improvement. Tanuj Shori Founder of SquareYards which is a technology-enabled transaction and aggregator platform for the Global real estate. Yogesh Mehta the Founder and CEO of Petrochem Middle East that operates as a chemical distributor in the Middle East with its wide product range and unique service proposition.

We have Interview With Insights Success of Amit Marwah, CFA, Head of Strategy & Investments Chief Investment Officer of Dayim Holdings that operates and manages various companies in sectors with high market growth potential using a combination of joint venturing, investment and strategic partnership.

We have also encompassed, Sunil Vaswani Chairman of Stallion Group that is consumer oriented - delivering the best quality product at the most economic pricing. Yusuf Ali Chairman of Lulu Group International which is a highly diversified entity with operations spanning a vast geographical landscape. Micky Jagtiani Founder and Chairman of Landmark Group one of the largest retail and hospitality organizations in the Middle East, Africa and India. Shaji Ul Mulk Chairman of Mulk Holdings which is a multinational conglomerate with diversified business interests in Manufacturing of Metal Composites, Facade Contracting, Healthcare, Aluminum Coil Coatings, Plastic Industries, Power Generation, Real Estate and Cricket Assets. Sugathan Janardhanan CEO of Royal Furniture which in UAE with over one million square feet of display area and another twelve showrooms in India with brand name ‘Indroyal’ besides a wide dealer network. Rajen Kilachand Chairman of Dodsal Group, Dubai based diversified multinational conglomerate which operates in the areas of Trading and Distribution; Engineering, Procurement and Construction; Exploration and Production.

Also, we have included articles of 7 Ways to Succeed or Fail in Real Estate Development, written by Anuj Puri, Chairman, Technology is changing the Way Our Children Learn, written by Nilesh Korgaonkar, CEO, ATLAB, Leadership – Opportunities and Challenges, written by Mustafa O Vazayil, Managing Director, Gargash Insurance Group.

Our in-house editors have come up with some adroitly written articles such as Global Leadership reforming Domestic Leadership and The Date Business- An Omnipresent Activity in UAE Catering to the Global Demand So, flip through our magazine and explore interesting insights into the world of businesses.

C o v e r S t o r y

Rizwan

Sajan

An Inspiring Leader Creating a Wave of Change

Calculated risk-taking

is almost synonymous with

entrepreneurship

housands of miles, uncountable hours and infinite determination. These three elements punctuated a young man’s journey from Mumbai in India to the glitz - and the risks - of the Middle East in the 1990s.

There was hardship along the way, losses both personal and financial, and even the shadow of war. Passion and grit overcame them all.

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The region was booming, with the UAE and Dubai beginning to emerge as the epicenter of a tidal wave of development. Today, the foundation laid by visionary leaders has transformed the region into one of the most prestigious investment destinations anywhere. Zealous entrepreneurs with ideas that will change the world are drawn here by its incredible opportunities and conducive business ecosphere.

This young man from Mumbai now heads a global empire and has played a significant role in creating this world of possibilities. His name is Rizwan Sajan, and he is the Founder and Chairman of Danube Group.

Rizwan heads what is one of the largest building materials companies in the region. His team of over 3,300 people works at branches in the U.A.E., Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and India, in addition to procurement offices in China.

Danube Group started off as a small trading firm and today supplies over 25,000 quality products to its customers. The company takes pride not just in designing and building infrastructure, but also in nurturing long-lasting relationships with its clients.

Rizwan has worked incredibly hard to establish Danube as one of the most prestigious brands in the U.A.E. Abiding by his mantra of dedication and determination; he has always belieed that there are no shortcuts to success.

Rizwan Sajan Founder and Chairman

In any business, you need to be careful and realize

that if you take one wrong step,

“Hard work is the key to success,” he says, ever true to his reputation for being a workaholic, “You did not come this far to only come this far.

Keep going!”

Danube’s establishment coincided with Dubai's construction boom. Rizwan gradually built his company into the undisputed market leader for building materials in the Emirates. Never one to be complacent, he is now expanding the company’s footprint to include real estate and home improvement.

He believes that a true leader doesn’t produce followers; a true leader creates more leaders. To achieve this, his strategy is to find the right people to trust, and then empower them to run particular aspects of his business.

“It is my people who are my strength and the reason for our roaring success,” he acknowledges.

An Entrepreneur to the Core Rizwan is a people’s person who makes quick, informed decisions. He is relentless when it comes to completing projects and following through on the work required to turn an idea into a sellable product.

“Without customers, you have no business. At Danube, we make sure all of our pitches, products, and services are focused on actual customer needs. Customer satisfaction is at the center of everything we do,” says Rizwan.

His favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur is the opportunity to constantly rediscover him and evolve with every passing day. He feels a great sense of gratitude seeing Danube grow and consequently provide job opportunities to thousands of people.

Rizwan believes that creativity increases curiosity that drives the desire to learn; it opens up the mind to unexplored paths. He encourages

“

you can lose everything

creativity by supporting open-mindedness, fostering an inspirational environment, and offering the right rewards to his employees.

He attributes the mindset that has contributed to so much of his success to the generational privilege of coming from a middle-class family where resources were limited – it helped him understand the value of money and hard work.

“A positive state of mind is what motivates me in difficult times,” adds Rizwan.

An Inspiring Journey Rizwan’s life has been one of risks and results. His journey as an entrepreneur started at the young age of 13, when he began selling books and firecrackers in India. This experience gave him the chance to witness first-hand what people in the market desire.

Rizwan learnt business etiquette from his uncle in Kuwait. With the older man’s help and guidance, Rizwan progressed from being a salesman in his mentor’s company to being his right hand man and finally to fully managing all aspects of the business.

Everything came to sudden halt in 1990 when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. Rizwan returned to India for a few months, then subsequently moved to Dubai and began trading in building materials on a small scale.

It was only after great hardship that he was able to establish Danube Group. The year was 1993; he had very little money and a single employee, his wife.

“The journey has definitely been a roller coaster ride full of ups and downs, but we all know success is never achieved by shortcuts; it’s the result of consistent hard work and a dogged determination to succeed,” asserts Rizwan.

When he is asked who influenced him most on his entrepreneurial journey, Rizwan immediately speaks of his late father and his uncle.

“My uncle used to say, “A lot of people live rich but very few die rich.”

My take from his words was that you need to be careful in any business and realize that if you take one wrong step, you could lose it all,” recalls Rizwan.

With that in mind, Rizwan says, “I think calculated risk-taking is almost synonymous with entrepreneurship.”

The Uniqueness of Danube Group The Danube Group has always set itself apart by dealing exclusively in quality products but at a competitive price.

For instance, it is the first company in the U.A.E. to launch affordable properties – prices start at just AED 450,000 for a studio apartment entirely fitted with world-class amenities. The associated payment plan allows buyers to deposit a 25 percent down payment and then pay off the remainder at only 1 percent per month, even after handover.

The company operates as three divisions: Danube Building Material – Our advantage is large warehousing capacity. Hence, across segment we give complete solutions under one roof.

Danube Properties is a leading property developer in the UAE, which was launched in 2014. Being Rizwan Sajan’s brainchild, Danube Properties came into existence with the launch of affordable housing in Dubai; after extensive research, careful planning with his team, combined with his own entrepreneurial acumen. Danube Properties projects exhibit supreme quality of construction material, equipment, and home interior supplies. Aimed at offering luxury at affordable prices, the firm has particularly garnered interest from mid-income sections, resulting in the most project being ‘Sold-out’.

Danube Home, a one- stop retail destination for complete home solution with over 50,000 individual products we created a benchmark by providing complete home improvements products under one roof. · Living: Sofas, bedrooms, chandeliers, home decorations, dinner ware, glassware, bedding, fragrances · Kitchen: Customized kitchens, electrical and hardware products · Sanitary: Mixers, bathroom accessories, massage bathtubs, saunas · Tiles: Outdoor tiles, indoor tiles, bathroom tiles, and specialized wall tiles in marble, granite and other materials · Garden & Outdoor: Balcony sets, rattan furniture, gazebos, swings, kids’ play range

Success is never achieved by shortcuts;

it's the result of

and a dogged

determination to succeed

“

consistent hard work

Advice for the Budding Entrepreneurs Rizwan is highly inspired by the movie, Manjhi. Directed by Ketan Mehta, the film tells the tale of a man who single-handedly carved a road through a treacherous mountain over 15 years using just a hammer and chisel.

He had to overcome many hurdles as he worked alone on the mammoth project, but his determination and undying spirit helped him to achieve his goal. The movie is based on a true story and serves as the ideal inspiration for entrepreneurs who may be tempted to capitulate in face of adversity.

“I am sure that this movie will give entrepreneurs the boost in selfconfidence they sometimes need,” says Rizwan.

Future Roadmap Rizwan focuses on identifying new business to grow and develop as an entrepreneur every day. Danube Group's future growth plans have been drafted keeping in mind the overall plans of the nation where it is based. They are geared to meet the challenges ahead, keeping the Expo 2020 vision in mind.

The Group aims to achieve 15 to 20% year-on-year growth till 2020.

Rizwan hopes that Danube Home will grow to become one of the top three home improvement retailers, while Danube Properties maintains its pole position in the affordable housing sector market.

Milano will grow both vertically and horizontally by adding more product lines and creating more business opportunities.

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Company Name

Management

Brief

Al Dobowi Group aldobowi.ae

Surender Singh Kandhari Chairman

Al Dobowi Group addresses the needs of a growing tyre management and service industry in the Middle East.

Danube Group aldanube.com

Rizwan Sajan Chairman & Founder

Danube has grown into one of the largest building materials company in the region, with 31 branches worldwide - in the UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and in India, in addition to procurement offices in China and Canada.

Dodsal Group dodsal.com

Rajen Kilachand Chairman

Dodsal Group, Dubai based is diversified multinational conglomerate which operates in the areas of Trading and Distribution; Engineering, Procurement and Construction; Exploration and Production.

Landmark Group landmarkgroup.com

Micky Jagtiani Founder & Chairman

Landmark Group one of the largest retail and hospitality organizations in the Middle East, Africa and India.

Lulu Group International lulugroupinternational.com

Yusuf Ali Managing Director

Lulu Group International is a highly diversified entity with operations spanning a vast geographical landscape.

Mulk Holdings mulkholdings.com

Shaji Ul Mulk Chairman

Mulk Holdings is a multinational conglomerate with diversified business interests in Manufacturing of Metal Composites, Facade Contracting, Healthcare, Aluminum Coil Coatings, Plastic Industries, Power Generation, Real Estate and Cricket Assets.

Petrochem Middle East petrocheme.com

Yogesh Mehta Founder & CEO

The Petrochem Middle East operates as a chemical distributor in the Middle East with its wide product range and unique service proposition.

Royal Furniture royalfurniture.ae

Sugathan Janardhanan CEO

Royal Furniture is over one million square feet of display area and another twelve showrooms in India with brand name ‘Indroyal’ besides a wide dealer network.

Square Yards Consulting Private Limited squareyards.com

Tanuj Shori Founder

Square Yards is a technology-enabled transaction and aggregator platform for the Global real estate.

Stallion Group stalliongroup.com

Sunil Vaswani Chairman

Stallion Group is consumer oriented - delivering the best quality product at the most economic pricing.

Amit Marwah A Passionate Leader Transforming Ideas into Innovation Amit Marwah CFA Head of Strategy & Investments/Chief Investment Officer

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he globalization of business models and dramatic changes in the way that businesses operate and compete has resulted in a shift in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) strategy and execution. M&A or organic growth is not always feasible, nor is it always the fastest route to achieving desired objectives in a very competitive marketplace.

Increasingly, corporations and investors are moving beyond the traditional acquisition/disposal model and using joint ventures (JVs) and strategic business alliances to achieve their business development objectives.

In an interview with Insights Success, Amit Marwah, CFA, Head of Strategy & Investments/Chief Investment Officer of Dayim Holdings gave some insightful answers highlighting the influences made by his company to take Business assets to a new level.

“

We are a vehicle for investment in the rapid growth environment of modern Saudi Arabia

“

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•How did your company’s journey as a distinguished brand arise in UAE? What was the underlying bedrock impression behind incorporating the company?

The vision behind Dayim was to act as an incubator of international brands in the Gulf Region and create businesses in the B2B services domain. The businesses in the Gulf region have often been criticized for not being able to offer service of international standards; our endeavor has been to change the same, in partnership with some of the top global organizations. We are now a regional company present in UAE, Saudi, Qatar & Kuwait with a goal to elevate the service level and redefine the market standards in every sector we enter.

•Tell us about yourself as an entrepreneur. How do you use your skills to run your company above and beyond your competitors?

The mindset of an entrepreneur is completely different from a consultant or an employee. This has been my biggest learning in this journey, on how to look at the situation as an opportunity and not a roadblock.

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Interview with Insights Success It’s all about getting the basics right- spotting a gap in the market, following it up with meticulously planned research and execution plans, hiring driven & dynamic people and offering your customers an absolute delightful level of service. Businesses which consider customers as long term stakeholders and brand ambassadors of business, always thrive above the competition.

•How do you see your entrepreneurial journey till date?

Could you name a person/mentor/book/ who has had a tremendous impact on your entrepreneurial journey?

It’s constantly evolving. Everyday there is something to learn and something to improve upon.

I think the Co-Founder of Dayim, Rida Hassan Saïd has been my mentor and has been instrumental in inculcating the essence of entrepreneurship in me. I was a Strategy consultant, before I joined the business 10 years ago. As a consultant you approach situations very differently. An entrepreneur looks at every roadblock as a challenge and sometimes feign ignorance in believing that “there is a way out” and trust me when you think a there is a way out, more often than not there is. That’s how the universe operates.

Secondly, it’s essential for every successful business personnel to be a great salesman. That's one skill which I have emulated from Rida. One is always selling/convincing somebody whether it’s to the employees, stakeholders, customers or even to himself/herself. In the times of adversity, one needs to sell himself/herself the idea that this is an opportunity and not a calamity. That’s the first quality which we look in every employee, even if his/her role is not sales driven. The basic sales skills should be there in each and every employee.

You might not realize it yet, but success in any field or any endeavor hinges on your ability to get people to say “yes.”

•What are risks when you have ever taken? What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?

As they say, nothing great is achieved without taking some sort of risk. I left a conventional career with Mckinsey to join a kind of start-up organization in the Gulf. A lot of my ex-colleagues raised eyebrows and termed the move as inherently “risky”. Today, I feel it was a wonderful decision.

I have been able to gain the experience of building four successful regional businesses under the Group and have been able to fast track my professional evolution. Today, we are in UAE, Saudi, Qatar and Kuwait. It has been one amazing journey.

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•How would you describe your entrepreneurial skills?

What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

The best part is that one is not categorized functionally. You see a problem across different functions; you roll up your sleeves and get down to taking it head on. In the whole process you learn about the entire value chain of creating and operating businesses, be it feasibility, structuring, marketing, financing, operations or even HR and Organizational development issues.

•What are the business opportunities in UAE? There are massive possibilities for the UAE and in fact in the whole region especially in the service sector inc. entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, security, transportation, rental, logistics to name a few.

For many years Middle East was seemed as an unlikely locale for flourishing entrepreneurialism but off late there is a growing startup and entrepreneurial culture. There are many promising unicorns looming on the horizon.

Souq.com has been a great story, which got acquired by Amazon last year. This was actually unusual as when Amazon enters a new geographic market, it generally does by growing organically. In this case, Amazon apparently impressed by Souq.com’s management team, its technology, and its ability to navigate a complicated region, decided on a different strategy.

Also, one needs to see the response at the Step Conference in Dubai, one of the most popular startup gatherings in the region, which was truly phenomenal.

Just to play a devil’s advocate here - the need of the hour is to create globally scalable enterprises as many of the region’s start-ups appear to be focused locally. Also, there are challenges facing budding entrepreneurs in the region especially when it comes to financing. Regional banks have shown no appetite to fund start-up businesses even with a ring fenced business model. However, things are changing for good as more and more start-up funds and VC funds are surfacing to address this.

Another opportunity is to bring international brands and service prepositions to sectors which are dominated historically by local companies. There lies an opportunity to change the rules of the game and redefine the relevant sector.

•How do you encourage creative thinking in your organization?

We do not structure our organizations based on hierarchies and have an open door policy. Everyone is encouraged to bounce off ideas and suggest solutions. As mentioned

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above, we look for sales and service driven people. Idea is to make employees see themselves as stakeholders and condition them to believe that their success in life/career will be driven by the overall success of the business they are a part of.

•To what do you attribute your success? What motivates you at difficult/down times?

Honestly, I would not call it a success yet. I think it's just the start and my best years are ahead of me. All the great experiences I have had over the last 10 years in the Arab world is definitely attributable to leadership in my organization and the international partners we have worked with. Our business model allows continuous learning, since we are working with a new international partner from a different sector and geography and get exposed to their best practices, cultural nuances and a proven business model.

I want to constantly go to the next level because I dread being average and that is what motivates me in difficult times. I believe that while you can’t always control what happens to you, you can always control how you respond to it. I firmly believe in the science behind the 1% rule. Keep on adding 1% to your last performance and you will keep moving forward.

•What are the crucial aspects that exhibit uniqueness of the company?

With the volume of competition that businesses face in most industries, it’s very important to stand out and develop a unique identity and value proposition. We at Dayim strive to provide the best possible service in each sector we operate in. This is a common thread across all our businesses.

Another important aspect is the employees. Every employee is the spokesperson for the brand. His/her knowledge of the business and passion for the brand gets rubbed onto the customers as well as other stakeholders.

Lastly, maintaining an effective culture is of paramount importance, so much so that it even trumps strategy.

I will quote here something which I read in Harvard Business Review and it has stayed with me since then: “Culture guides discretionary behavior and it picks up where the employee handbook leaves off. Culture tells us how to respond to an unprecedented service request. It tells us whether to risk telling our bosses about our new ideas,

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and whether to surface or hide problems. Employees make hundreds of decisions on their own every day, and culture is our guide. Culture tells us what to do when the CEO isn’t in the room, which is of course most of the time.”

•Is there any book or movie you would like to recommend to the budding entrepreneurs? What advice would you like to give them?

A book which I will highly recommend is “Autobiography of a Yogi” and I strictly recommend it to everyone. It has the power to change your whole perspective and life. The book will help you understand the importance of selfrealization, the hidden human powers and possibilities. It might sound philosophical but it is a great ability to look inwards and realize how we can take charge of our lives by controlling our brain and thoughts. For someone who is interested in spirituality or have a different way of looking at life, this book is incredibly illuminating.

People like Steve Jobs and more recently Indian Cricket Team Captain Virat Kohli have endorsed this book. Steve Jobs used to read this book every year and also mentioned many times that his keys to success were the spiritual qualities, he had developed and he had this incredible realization that his intuition was his greatest gift, and that he needed to look at the world from the inside out.

Majority of people today live on what I call an Auto Pilot mode. This book really makes a big difference to make a switch from Auto pilot mode to self-realization mode.

•What measures do you take to ensure to grow and develop as an entrepreneur every day? How do you see yourself growing in the next five years?

Our brain gets inclined towards thoughts and ideas you feed it every day. So I ensure that I feed mine with positive, inspirational and successful ideas and stories every day.

Another initiative of mine has been to follow strict work ethics and plan on a daily basis. This helps in controlling one’s thoughts and channelizes the energy in a productive manner.

In five years as our business portfolio expands and gains further size, it will be an altogether different opportunity with its own set of challenges. I am looking forward to that phase as well. Once we see our businesses are close to achieving their full potential in the Gulf States, we will look towards other geographies to expand especially the African continent.

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SURENDER SINGH KANDHARI

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o be the leader in the Tyres, Batteries and Retreading business in the Mideast and Africa, one should be specialized in automotive field through services. Born in 1948 in India, Surender Singh Kandhari is the Chairman of Al Dobowi Group, started his journey from Dubai to grow his family business and in 1976; he established this massive organization. Kandhari was educated and graduated with honors from Loyola College Madras, where he was the Students Union President. The initial days to establish a base in the lucrative Middle East market went in trying to establish Kandhari himself like setting up things.

Though getting a trade license was not difficult in the big supermarket, where everyone from the Middle East was buying but kandhari had a strange experience in choosing the name of the company. Finally, the name AL DOBOWI- The man from Dubai in Arabic was given by the officer of the Dubai Municipality.

Today, the Al Dobowi Group is the leading management services provider in the UAE and has grown to have over 2000 employees and have a significant presence in Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Ghana, Europe and Canada.

Al Dobowi’s Value-Added Products and Services Al Dobowi Group is the largest tyre distribution companies in the world and has branched out into batteries, lubricants, conveyor belt systems and technical rubber products. It is committed to the excellence in quality, reliability, on time delivery and continuous improvement. They want to make sure that their experience is flawless every time when a customer interacts with the group. Even while interacting with their website, customer service people, sales personnel, finance people etc. They want their service to be predictable and consistent. Since the group’s inception, on- time delivery has been a core element for Al Dobowi

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value proposition. They also empathize with their customers’ needs to keep their products ahead of the competition.

Over a long time, the group has learned how to develop a world class supply chain to ensure how to respond to their customers’ needs in the timeframe. Whether the group manufactures it by them or they distribute the product from their partners, Al Dobowi always stands behind their customer and waiting for the customer’s regards to any concern on quality. Al Dobowi recognizes that their value of excellence will only be realized if they continually raise their own bars. For this reason, Al Dobowi’s Executive Management Team leads the company with continuous improvement program known as Quality Leadership. The emphasis of this is to use data, to drive improvements in the business processes, service & support and manufacturing sectors.

Successive Holistic Way of Approach The knowledge and clear understanding of tyres by V. Narayanan and RNR Gandhi was admired by Kandhari. Narayanan is the Managing Director of Goodyear, India who introduced Kandhari to the business in a very holistic way by offering him a book named “How to Win Friends and Influence People” written by Dale Carnegie. He also taught the leader to look at the good virtues of people by informing Kandhari to appreciate their good work and learn from people’s good deeds. Kandhari says “Even Narayanan personally never criticized anybody and his knowledge about the industry was amazing. During his time in the seventies when there was acute shortage of tyres in India, his head was always held very high and looked after his colleagues, dealers and the consumers. He always had a soft heart for people and this won him a lot of friends and admirers like me.”

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RNR Gandhi, President of CEAT Tyres India is the mentor of Kandhari, who was very close to the leader’s father and his father always took advice from Gandhi in the business matters as well as the social and personal issues.

Inspiration to Overcome the Fear of Failure One must build up the confidence to overcome the fear of failure and hold to achieve much more. During Kandhari’s lifetime in Dubai, he had been completely supported by his family.

Kandhari also mentioned “People say that behind every successful man is a woman - telling him he is wrong! In my case this is only partially true.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with me is definitely a strong woman, my wife Bubbles Kandhari, but she is not telling me that I am wrong. Instead she is strong enough to be my rock and gentle enough to be the wind beneath my wings.”

Awards and Achievements As a vivid golfer, Kandhari is the Club Captain of the Emirates Golf Club and also a founding member of the World Trade Centre Club. He is the Chairman of the Guru Nanak Darbar, Sikh Temple, Dubai - the First Sikh Gurudwara in the UAE – the will of his grandfather, Atma Singh. He has also attended the G20 Interfaith Summit held in the Gold Coast Australia in 2014 and

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Malaysia in 2015 as a delegate of the UAE Government to promote Interfaith Harmony & Tolerance. On 30th October 2017, Kandhari attended the 2nd Athens International Conference on Religious and Cultural Pluralism and Peaceful Coexistence as a delegate of the UAE Government.

Kandhari was awarded as “Jewels of Punjab” in 2017 by Former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. On13th April 2017, Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara holds the proud Guinness World Record title holder of ‘Most Nationalities Having a Continental Breakfast’ and in March 18th 2018 declared the official Guinness World Records title holder of ‘Largest Distribution of Saplings’.

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Be

sincere to yourself and Be considerate to others

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Taking Pride in Providing High Quality Services in Tyre Industry

Leading With the Professional and Social Ideas In an economy characterized by the convergence of globalized commerce with widely available information and rapid technological progress, innovation and entrepreneurship are the crucial factors in sustaining and growing as a successful leader. While sharing about the future plans, Kandhari states “Professionally, my goal is to become a Billion Dollar Group; Socially, my goal is to do Sewa to the underprivileged by the way of education and serving the community at large.”

Surender Singh Kandhari Chairman

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Let’s Date with the Date T

he one thing that represents the history, culture, heritage, religion, and agriculture of the United Arab Emirates is undoubtedly the dates. They have been an integral part of the existence of the country for near about 7000 years. In fact, it may not be incorrect to address UAE as the land of dates. This is because more than 70 per cent of the world’s dates are grown here. Various reports apparently stated that around 76,000 tons of dates are grown every year from about 44 million date palm trees in the country. These dates are grown by using various time and labour intensified processes under specific climatic conditions.

When it comes to climate, the UAE has two ecological zones; one is the coastal region having humid climatic conditions and the other one is the dryer region of the inlands. The dates are grown in the dryer region of the country as this region provides with the climate best suitable for the successful growth of the plant.

There are numerous ways to grow dates naturally. But in order to grow tens of thousands of dates on a regular basis, various sophisticated laboratory techniques are inculcated by farmers in the UAE. Tissue culture is one such technique which ensures the growth of necessary quantity of date plants and also helps in getting rid of various diseases that affect the plants. UAE is the hub of this business and has been using tissue culture from the late 1990s after the authorities offered tenders to companies for supplying plenty of tissue-cultured date palms.

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Cloning of Female Date Palms It is the female date palm plants that grow dates. Farmers do not waste their time in simply producing more and more plants only to find out that they are males. Hence, a process called cloning is carried out using the female plants. In this process, the female plants are cloned to generate offspring genetically identical to the parent plant. It typically involves cutting out small sections of the offshoots of the growing plants and then planting them separately in a nutrient rich medium before shifting them to the dark.

The UAE currently grows about 160 varieties of dates.

Among these, Khalas, Barhi, Dabbas, Lulu, Fard, Khenaizi, Maktomi, Gaberi, and Sheesh are the most expensive ones.

According to Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCD), shape, size, and taste of the dates determine their quality and price. Other factors affecting the price of dates include high demand, low availability, mechanisms used for post-harvest activities like drying and packaging and many more.

According to the latest figures, Dubai accounts 96 per cent of the UAE’s date exports, which make the Emirates one of the top exporters of dates. Morocco was the largest importer of dates from Dubai in 2016, with $11.7 million worth of dates. Followed by Morocco were Oman, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Syria, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Tanzania, Malaysia and other countries.

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Date's Tale

The UAE, accounting for 8.5 per cent of global date exports, is the world’s fourth largest exporter of dates. The prime importers of these dates are the Middle Eastern countries. Followed by them are the European countries like France, UK, Germany, and Italy and North American countries like the US and Canada. Along with fresh and dried dates, other products like date syrup, date vinegar, date paste, and dates blended with chocolate and coffee are also imported by various countries.

Natural Sweetness through Dates As dates are dried fruits, they are a rich source of energy which comes from the high calorie content of carbohydrates present in them. Dates also contain multiple vitamins and minerals in addition to fibre and antioxidants. Fibre helps in preventing constipation and also in regulating blood sugar levels. That is why people break their fast during Ramadan by eating dates. Also, due to its natural sweetness, dates are a healthy replacement of white sugar in many recipes. Minerals like phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium present in dates enhance bone health and can prevent bone-related conditions like osteoporosis. It also contains vitamins like A, B, and K, which makes it healthier.

In UAE, before the discovery of oil, the nomads relied on dates as a source of food. This continued for many years and was possible because dates have all the necessary minerals, vitamins, and energy for the survival of a human being. They used to live in huts made out of the barks of date palm trees. The bark was also used as firewood. The dried leaves of the date palm trees were used to create baskets, mats, and other objects. Interestingly, dates are also known as a cure for illnesses and a pain reliever.

Enlargement of Dates’ Business It is assumed; rather found that dates are consumed by each and every person of the UAE. With the gradual increase in the awareness of significance of dates, they became popular throughout the globe. Hence, the fruit is in high demand. This is the prime reason behind the magnification of the date business in the country. With every passing moment, the demand for dates and other products made out of it is increasing, apparently giving a boost to its production market. Therefore, it can be said that the business of dates in UAE certainly has a bright future and has no reasons to slow down anytime.

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About the Author

Anuj Puri Chairman

ANAROCKProperty Consultants Real estate development may seem to be little more than laying down brick and mortar to develop a massive concrete structure. It may seem to be a business that anyone can and probably should enter, especially considering the massive unmet housing demand in the India. Nothing could be further from the truth - real estate development is a tough business. And though the entry barriers have reduced over time, the complexities of the real estate business have increased manifold.

As of now, developers across the country are grappling with a massive unsold inventory of more than 7 lakh units being unsold in the top 7 cities alone. How does a real estate developer make his mark in today’s dynamic property market where everyone is struggling to sell?

The 7 Hallmarks of Success: 1. Understanding that it’s still always about location: Location is the most critical success component for any real estate development. Even the humblest of small-sized projects with the

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Anuj Puri, Chairman has over 27 years of experience in multidisciplinary advisory and transactions ranging from real estate to social development projects.

Expertise in planning, undertaking demand assessment studies and transaction services including marketing strategies based on technical real estate market analysis, feasibility studies, program requirement derivation and fund and investor sourcing.

At JLL India, was responsible for the overall direction, strategy and growth of the largest premier real estate services company in India. He has overseen a team of over 4800 employees across 11 cities in India with an annual business turnover in excess of INR 800 crores.

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EXPERT'S VIEW

7 Ways to Succeed or Fail in Real Estate Development barest minimum of facilities and amenities will find takers if they are in locations with sufficient social infrastructure and good multi-nodal transport connectivity. The fanciest modern apartment high-rise will fall flat if the location doesn’t work. A real estate developer has to factor this truth in at the most initial stage of land acquisition itself.

He also needs to have a firm grasp of planned and proposed infrastructure upgrades in the area, and whether they sync up to the project’s development timelines.

4. Ensuring brand consistency and resonance: Any real estate development must resonate with its potential buyers as per the company’s brand created over a period of time. If there is a gross mismatch, a development can fail. For example, a developer specializing in affordable housing projects will find it difficult to attract buyers to a high-end/luxury project, and vice versa. There is a niche that the brand fits into, and it must not deviate from it.

2. Accurate market assessment: In addition to assessing the location in terms of connectivity and social infrastructure, a developer also needs to study the exact demand profile, the competition’s projects and the development pattern in and around the location. What works in one city/region may not work in another.

3. Avoiding plagiarism: One of the worst mistakes a developer can commit is to merely replicate other projects that the catchment offers.

One particular project’s success does not necessarily equal success for similar projects which offer nothing new.

Project performance is a function of numerous factors including land acquisition cost, sales and marketing, a developer’s brand prominence, cost of development rights, etc.

Considering these variables, trying to emulate another builder’s product in the same market may not work practically or in terms of potential sales. In fact, even self-emulation may not work - when a developer replicates a product which one city greeted enthusiastically in another city, it can sometimes fail miserably. Again, real estate development is highly location-dependent.

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This is why many developers who have in the past built a brand for mid-income or high-end housing have formed separate companies for developing affordable housing. By adopting this approach, some luxury developers have created successful affordable housing offshoots under the parent brand. However, this is a tricky feat - not only of accurate marketing but also of expertise. The techniques, engineering, design, materials and requisite market understanding for luxury housing are very different from those of mass housing.

5. Creating the right buzz: Making the general public - and therefore potential buyers - aware of a new proposed development is a key success ingredient when it comes to eventual sales. A detailed marketing plan has to be drafted to create the right kind of noise at just the right decibel levels, and to just the right kinds of audiences. Developers who still rely solely on traditional offline marketing and lack expertise in and understanding of digital marketing media cannot succeed anymore.

6. Strategically leveraging local expertise: When a developer ventures beyond his accustomed

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borders, it is always advisable for him to tie-up with local majors for any real estate development in their territory.

This not only brings local know-how to the table but also helps reach out to potential buyers, as strong local majors already have a good hold on the market. Many developers who had previously ventured out of their territories on their own without forging the right partnerships and without creating enough market buzz and brand recognition have faced serious disappointment.

7. Emphasizing transparency: Transparent business operation is not only the best strategy in the post-RERA era - it’s the only strategy which will work, and not taking it seriously can potentially land a developer in hot waters. RERA is still a relatively new phenomenon, and is not even a reckonable force in some parts of the country. However, homebuyers are quite aware of the fact that it exists, and why it exists. Property buyers have been dealing with unscrupulous fly-by-night players for a long time and their tolerance for ambiguity and hanky-panky is now down to zero.

Honest and transparent developers can and will succeed, but those who try to ‘play the market’ won’t. The reputation of both honest and dishonest builders spreads by word-of-mouth as well as over the digital information highway in various consumer forums, which anyone looking to buy a property can and will access.

The 7 Hallmarks of Failure: The factors that result in failed real estate projects can be many, but if we study the recent stories of failure closely, we can isolate the seven most critical errors: 1. Ignoring the all-important location factor: Venturing into areas which are bereft of necessary support infrastructure with no immediate possibility of it getting deployed.

2. Following the herd: Starting projects in micro-locations which already have too much supply 3. Launching without adequate capitalization to

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complete projects: A serious drawback if one also lacks an established track record and therefore wields no clout with banks and other financial institutions 4. Excessive focus on land aggregation: Just because land was cheap at some point - primarily to drive up the company’s valuation, with no focus on actual project execution.

5. Diversifying into non-core businesses: And diverting funds meant for real estate projects to these ventures.

Diversification is a good thing if it starts from a strong base and is backed by the right intent – many of India’s largest players are well-diversified. However, if diversification merely equals diversion and nothing else, it will backfire 6. Failing to undertake micro-location research: Investing no effort in trying to understand the product typology which is in highest demand, and merely developing the same product mix that had previously succeeded 7. Failing to innovate: Trying to replicate a housing model that worked well previously, without checking how the competition is innovating and what customers expect now Taking a cue from Mumbai's developers Mumbai’s larger developers are extremely seasoned players who have worked one of the toughest (and now fully RERA-governed) markets in India - and they are quick to learn from others’ mistakes. In fact, quite a few of Mumbai’s builders succeeded in NCR where local players failed. Apart from the fact that they came in wellcapitalized, they studied their new locations and appropriateness of housing typology well, and timed the market to align their offerings with the Government’s latest subsidies and incentives for first-time homebuyers.

Most importantly, they are also hard-focused on their core business of project execution - given their experience in land-starved Mumbai, land aggregation was never on their priority list. The all-critical execution mind-set served them well in a market which is notorious for unfinished and stalled projects.

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TANUJSHORI T

he real estate sector is one of the largest sectors, anywhere in the world. The Indian real estate market is expected to touch US$ 180 billion by 2020 and the housing sector is expected to contribute around 11 percent to India’s GDP by 2020.

Retail, hospitality and commercial real estate are growing significantly, providing the much-needed infrastructure for India’s growing needs. Given this, while many players have caught the attention of the general public through their products and marketing strategies, they still lack the professionalism and transparency that is expected from a rapidly growing economy.

Driven by a singular focus to innovate and try to solve the common real estate investor’s problems (which were faced first-hand when he was investing in real estate in his personal capacity), Tanuj Shori founded Square Yards. The objective with which he had started the company continues to guide him even today; to handhold the average buyer and offer unbiased, transparent and trustworthy information to those looking to buy/invest in real estate. They also support the customers with guidance on other processes involved in buying a property such as taxation, documentation, registration, and financing.

Starting with just 3 people in a small office in Hong Kong, the real estate start-up, Square Yards, has scaled up to more than 1800 employees in 36 cities in 10 countries including India, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Singapore, Hong Kong, UK, Australia and Canada.

Tanuj is an IIM graduate and had more than 8 years of experience in Capital Markets before embarking on the entrepreneurial route to lay the foundations of Square Yards, India’s largest real estate and fintech aggregator.

During his tenure with Lehman Brothers and Nomura, he tracked the Asia Pacific & US markets extensively and rose through the ranks to become one of the youngest

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Executive Directors in Nomura.

As an entrepreneur, Tanuj firmly believes in the concept of empowering people as a company is only as good as its people. He constantly encourages them to take ownership and lays special emphasis on developing an aggressive corporate culture and focus on excellence in execution by hiring sales leaders who are proactive in their approach and well equipped to build and manage large teams.

The Journey towards Success “It has been a tough journey for us but a very rewarding one,” shares Tanuj. From that initial stage, through his growth journey, the motivation and the driving force continues to evolve with the business. Today, Tanuj claims his greatest inspiration and driving force to be able to scale the business to such a level that this scale starts creating value for all stakeholders from developers, broker partners, the customers and our sales agents to grow and flourish with us.

However, like any other start-up, Tanuj also faced his fair share of challenges relating to growth such as scaling, funding, recruiting the right talent etc. The value that drove him to overcome each of these challenges was self belief and mindset towards building something scalable Advising the budding entrepreneurs Tanuj says, “Treat starting out on your own as you would treat a new job. Remember whether you are your own boss or working under someone, you are fully responsible for the profile, deliverables, and profitability.”

Unique Approaches At Square Yards, they have pioneered a new approach where they have introduced the concept of Principal Partners wherein each one acts as mini-CEO of their own vertical. Likewise, in sales, they have adopted the concept of P&L account wherein every P&L Head is | June 2018 |

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accountable for the profit & loss of their individual units. The mini CEO and P&L model has been very effective & has helped in cascading the strategic objectives of the organizations to senior and middle level management of the organization.

Many of the Square Yards’ practices like its unique sourcing strategy, multichannel distribution, sales metrics & incentive structure etc. have now become industry benchmarks. Finally, the fact that they are a heavily HRfocused company with a strong emphasis on the kind of people they hire and the opportunities they provide them makes them a winner in the market.

“While many business ideas may be alike, I believe what sets the leader apart from the rest of the pack is execution and the people behind that execution,” shares Tanuj.

This is also what is unique about Square Yards and have helped them become the biggest player in the primary residential market surpassing many others who came before them.

Another cornerstone of their success is the fact that they have managed to maintain a fine balance between profitability and growth by being flexible and dynamic with our business model.

Upcoming Steps towards Growth

have a great positive energy, imbibe new skills, and behavioral traits in my friends, family, and colleagues, which has resulted in my personal and professional growth,” says Tanuj.

At Square Yards, they are focused on surpassing USD 1 billion in GTV annual run rate this year. In terms of market share, they are looking at capturing 15 – 20% share in the primary residential sales market in the country over the next few years. Tanuj expects their broker-driven initiatives such as Square Connect to catalyse much of this growth. Apart from continuing focus on Indian real estate, which should remain a lion’s opportunity (~with 10x growth plans over 2 years); Tanuj is investing aggressively into the International real estate, which is one of the fastest growing and most profitable segments of the business.

Tanuj expects Square Yards to gradually expand to 25 plus International markets and aims to become the largest aggregator of primary real estate anywhere in the world.

I have always believed that more than money, what matters is an inspiration, the quality of work you do, the kind of change you are able to bring about, the passion for professional and person al goals and most importantly the legacy you leave behind

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Putting the Focus Back on Customers, Rather Than the Property

Tanuj Shori Founder

“I constantly try to live with people who

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Highilights

Global Leadership

Reforming

Domestic

L

eadership is one of the most studied subjects in the last decade. The World Wide Web has all the studies, ways, notions, and drills required to be a tremendous leader. A worthy debate can be conducted on the topic “leaders are made, not born” or vice versa. The global phenomenon of world leadership is glistening in the recent emerging globalized business market. This emerging attribute is changing the way in which the global context expands and how the leadership emerges in global business.

The expansion of the business with company’s operations going global demands for extraordinary leadership skills. It should also be noted that sometimes companies keeps their leaders of the same nationality, even for other nations. For

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Leadership

example, Huawei’s CEOs, all around the world, belong to the same nationality. When a business goes global, it is prone to bigger challenges and complexities, which at the times domestic leaders lack the expertise to handle. The attributes, a leader have to acquired, range from culture, politics to geography and economy.

Nancy Adler, PhD in management describes: “Global leaders, unlike domestic leaders, address people worldwide.

Global leadership theory, unlike its domestic counterpart, is concerned with the interaction of people and ideas among cultures, rather than with either the efficacy of particular leadership styles within the leader’s home country or with

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Editor’s Choice the comparison of leadership approaches among leaders from various countries – each of whose domain is limited to issues and people within their own cultural environment.

A fundamental distinction is that global leadership is neither domestic nor multi-domestic”.

cultural consciousness, and complexities. The global mindset has also been characterized on characterize the context of globalization in four conditions: multiplicity, interdependence, flux, and ambiguity (Lane, Maznevski, Mendenhall and McNett, 2004).

The leaders have to change their Multiplicity: Across a range of mindset towards the other cultural dimensions, understanding different awareness, their capabilities, and their competitors, following different complications. Learning the other customs and government regulations. culture will help in understanding the basic mentality of the residing people.

Interdependence: On organizations To communicate, the leader should both internal and external and in also learn the required languages of a culture, politics, economics, and geographical area that they are going to environment. lead. It’s not compulsory, but a slight touch of foreign language will Flux: In quickly transitioning systems, strengthen the communication core of shifting values, emergent patterns of the leader. Further, learning customs, organization and behavior. religions, and ethnicities will help in understanding the citizens and their Ambiguity: In understanding the mindsets because there is always a joke causal relationship, interpreting cues that turns out to be offensive in some and signals, identify appropriate other culture. The leader should be actions and pursuing plausible goals. aware of the politics, which entails the laws, trading guidelines, ties, and Additional Competencies currency policies. Laws and various ties have different customs duties and Competencies refer to the ability to middleman in different geographical perform certain tasks. The leaders areas. In terms of terrestrial areas, the going abroad have to build front-runners should know the area communities through the development physically. They should know about of trust. This trust should be built from the land borders and their rules and both sides i.e. company, its employees, regulations. Further, the time zone and and the clients. Leaders should be climate should also be learned. aware of the current market, Economy wise, the leaders should be organizations structures, and aware of the income level, arrangements of the local environment infrastructure, natural resources and and how the product is consumed by economic information. the local people. An efficient leader focuses on integrating different type of The Global Mindset people onto the same track. Different cultures affect different people’s A global mindset is mandatory to form, perceptions and propensity to trust in order to lead in any foreign other people. Culture differences also countries. Expanding the mindset will affect people’s judgment in situations help in understanding the capabilities, where trust is needed. For example, a

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good manager of a good culture will apologize for any problem and try to fix the situation right away. The same type of remedies also applies to crossborder power, geographical area, ethics, self-organizing, efficient learning, growth, and climate culture.

Distinctive Work that Global Leaders do There is a vast difference in the scale of work that global leaders do.

Geographically, the front-runners have to manage different dispersed and diverse employees and teams. Their culture, values, ethics and many more attributes are considered in mind before addressing them. The executives have to handle the external and internal clients depending upon the situations and countries. To communicate with the various culture people, a leader should not have a language barrier.

This accomplishes in making various important verdicts which impact the whole world. They develop a strategic business plan and negotiations in other countries with different nationalities, taking risks on a worldwide basis.

The Remoteness between the Two Global leadership is surely more complex than a domestic leadership.

However, there are distinctive competencies and abilities required to be a domestic leader. Often a company doesn’t go global and leaders don’t desire to be a global leader. The global leaders have to irrevocably change the way they think and behave. Despite shared commonalities with traditional leadership, global leadership differs in degree in which it is practiced.

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Leadership Opportunities and Challenges

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f we go back to history of leadership – one can see an evolution. Along that path one witnessed many theories and analysis. The old carrot and stick approach, to Theory X and Y and then to ACL and many others.

All these were products of their time and the then eco system of the industry and the organizational structure.

We also witnessed the replacement of the suited CEOs and with the likes of Steve Jobs and now Mark Zukerburg opting for jeans and T shirts in corporate offices and rewriting corporate dress code, at least in certain industries for the time being.

A more participative style of leadership is now becoming the norm. However in all these, the leader at the end of the day has his deliverables and it is achieving these deliverable that will differentiate a leader from a failed manager.

Today’s leader has at his finger tips on the click of a mouse information and statistics that was not available say 10 years ago. In this regard the leader has considerable information available today to analyze a market, its trend, the future prospects. He or she is also able to understand the competition at home and globally. All this are indeed great opportunities for leaders to make more informed decisions and course corrections where required. Even internally real time data is now available to the leader with regard to his organization’s performance and profitability ., In the past mostly only historic – in that it was previous quarters figures or previous months figures were available restricting the leader’s capability to act immediately and where necessary do course correction The challenge any leader faces today is primarily disruptive forces in their own industry. Often they sneak into the market without much fanfare and by the time the leader or the business realizes a new company has emerged with innovative products, solutions and delivery systems. As such the greatest challenge I see for a leader is keeping ahead of technological development not just in his own industry but across all businesses which could be adapted by someone to the leaders business itself. In such an environment the leader has to have an open and innovative mind.

The other challenge today’s leader face is retaining quality team members. Unlike the past where loyalty was a virtue, today’s younger employees are more interested in getting more challenges and differing experiences to achieve their personal development. Employment today is seen by many as an opportunity for personal development – and not just a job to get a salary at the end of each month. Motivating such employees and retaining them is certainly one of the main challenges of the leader. Often monetary benefits alone will not persuade an employee to stay back in his or her job for too long.

Tomorrow’s leader will be a compassionate and creative individual with adaptability and drive.

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BUSINESS TALK

About the Author Mustafa O Vazayil is the Managing Director of Gargash Insurance Group since 1994. He worked as a Manager of General Accident Insurance in U.K and Deputy General Manager in NZI, UAE. His is a life inuenced by the books he reads. From Karl Marx to Peter Drucker, Mustafa has read them all. While the former took him to the verge of becoming a full time politician, the latter bit him with the entrepreneurial bug that changed his destiny.

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The United Arab Emirates Explore the Pearls among the Sand Dunes

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he United Arab Emirates is evolving as one of the fastest growing tourist destinations.

Consisting of seven self-governed emirates, Abu Dhabi is the largest and also the federal capital of the country. Over the years, the UAE Government has taken numerous initiatives to establish the island country as a global business hub. Post-1962, the UAE has transformed as one of the Middle East’s most essential economic centers. The religion followed is Islamism; however, the UAE is very cosmopolitan in nature and embraces different cultures and religion with the same exuberance and respect.

This special presentation is a miniature step to emphasize the key economic and business practices which have assisted the country to �ourish at such a swift pace. Tourism is a pivotal component of the UAE economy, as the dazzling city of Dubai attracted over 4.7 million international visitors in the rst quarter of 2018. Forecast further predicts that the contribution of tourism in the UAE economy will rise over Dh72 billion in 2018.

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To Look Out For

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The Beginning of a New Era The country earned its independence from the British in 1971 and the federal was formed by the mutual consent of six emirates.

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the founder and the rst president who ruled for 33 years since 1971. Sheikh Zayed, as he is popularly known as, is a true visionary and a pragmatic leader who has successfully worked on the potential areas and developed the nation as a dominant player in the middle-east region. Today, it's unbelievable to imagine the huge magnitude of ultra-modern cities existing in the midst of vast deserts across the UAE.

Fun Facts – The Possibilities Are Innite Pneumatic trains, ying taxis, Robocop’s manning the cities, world's biggest shopping mall and theme park - The UAE offers a plethora of wonders which is denitely a country to visit. In a span of a few decades, it has procured the necessary infrastructure and talent to be a global hub – both in terms of emerging technologies and entertainment.

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The Economic Eco-System and Business Propositions The UAE Government, Nakheel, Dubai Ports World, Borse Dubai, Emirates Group and Emaar Properties are the diverse pillars of the mega-foundations and are the most important assets of the nation. The UAE stands amongst one of India’s top trading partners and the recent initiative by both Governments have raised the bar of investments.

Tourism Industry - Where Technology Meets Talent Tourism has been the mainstay of the emarti economy for decades. As the oil reserves are decreasing at an alarming rate in the country, it moves ahead to be one of the fastest-growing regional hospitality markets in the world. The travel and tourism industry is at the helm of a multi-faceted paradigm shift as a result of the changing economic scenario. The tourism industry is currently the epicenter of the UAE economy as it has resulted in driving job creation and economic growth.

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YOGESH MEHTA

O

ver centuries, the Indian and Arab civilizations have been at the forefront of human progress connected by land and sea. At present, the Arab world is heating up with new job opportunities and economic growth fueled by the area’s growing legion of powerful businessmen.

The leading entrepreneurs are billionaires and founders of huge businesses in the country that range from retail, education to health care and real estate. Among these entrepreneurs, some of them run family-owned organizations that have been in the region for several decades. One of such entrepreneur in United Arab Emirates is Yogesh Mehta the Founder and CEO of Petrochem Middle East, who established this organization in the year 1995 with a driven passion and a need to succeed.

business experience. At the beginning of his journey, with his hands-on business experience and due to young age, he lost his own business in India and he faced a severe challenge due to financial problems. Meanwhile, Yogesh got married to his childhood friend Falguni and found a great companion who was like a pillar through his tough times and a great admirer of his achievements.

Yogesh made a bold move by relocating to Dubai in 1990 with a will-power to open up his own chemical trading business which gave a kick-start to his dream.

Within five years, Petrochem Middle East achieved success which has grown from strength-to-strength to become the largest independent petrochemical distributor in the Middle East and Africa with global offices and a turnover of more than a billion dollars.

The Leading Chemical Distributing Company

In 2003, Yogesh well known as ‘Yogi’ became a Harvard Business School Alumnus when he obtained his MBA. He has been widely documented across several publications worldwide including BBC, CNN and Forbes. Yogesh strongly believes that Petrochem Middle East's success has been a result of forecasting and anticipating the market and customer needs. He is an enthusiast of ‘the people’, constantly asserting that his employees are the business's greatest assets.

The Journey of an Ardent Leader Yogi mentions “He loves Dubai. For him, Dubai has always been melting pot of cultures and a great place for Business. It’s a Retail hub; it’s a financial hub and a hub for Petrochem.”

Yogesh graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from National College Bandra in Mumbai, India. His first job was at his father’s chemical manufacturing factory in western India, where he honed his innate leadership skills and gained valuable hands-on

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Yogesh mentions the ethos of the company through his mission statement which is outlined by three words – love, respect & integrity.

The high-tech Jebel Ali terminal of Petrochem provides just-in-time logistics and specially blended quality products. The Terminal adheres to the strictest of Health & Safety norms to be part of environment friendly, making sure all operations upkeep the Health & Safety of their Personnel. Petrochem had acquired ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 & OHSAS 18001:2007 accreditations. Within short span of time from the company’s inception, Yogesh managed to establish a business by opening a state-of-the-art storage terminal for bulk and drum chemicals. As per the ICIS 2014, Petrochem is the 13th largest in the world.

Yogesh’s greatest attributes are mentoring and leading by example. His grasp on the dynamics of the chemical industry, and on building a strong reputation with buyers and sellers in the fraternity. All these factors have

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assisted the company to become the ‘Petrochem Brand’ and raising the company to new heights. Under his leadership, Petrochem Middle East has evolved into one of the largest independent petrochemical distributor in the Gulf. Yogesh is credited with an ability to carve water out of stone, a burning desire to succeed against odds, with a do or die attitude. Today, Petrochem has offices around the globe such as in Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Taiwan and Distribution terminals in Jebel Ali and Adabaiya (Egypt) with a turnover in excess of a billion dollars.

Yogi. His contribution to the business has been recognized at many awards ceremonies and has been widely documented. In 2010 during an Alumnus at Harvard Business School, Yogesh was ranked seventh in the Arabian Business Indian Power List. He has also been recognized as one of the Top 100 Indian Business Leaders in the United Arab Emirates by Forbes Middle East in 2013.

Further, he went on gaining more glory by receiving the Power Brands ‘Hall of Fame’ Award Big Ideas – Entrepreneur Icon Award, Indian Innovator Award – Energy Innovation in 2014 and Dubai SME Award.

Contribution to the Business Recognized at many Awards Ceremonies

Contributing towards the Progress of his Company

A key for any spinoff or verticals depends upon the monetary investment.

All new projects (or verticals) of Petrochem planning will have a progress on future due to the diligence done by them to view if there is a return on investments. Yogi has developed an honest and ethical organization culture team who did not even think of taking shortcuts on their way to success.

Embedded in Petrochem’s corporate philosophy was the only fact that Petrochem would not dilute their success for faster returns by their business on distribution of chemicals globally.

“Success is to be found internationally rather than being local-centric” states

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Yogi reveals “Today, Petrochem Middle East has offices all over the world with a turnover in excess 1.5 billion dollars.

With his son Rohan having joined the business recently they strive for growth and diversification into new industries and markets globally.”

“

Successful businesses needed a good idea, a good environment, and a good business case to convince key stakeholders, a good team and some money

“

An Entrepreneur Embedded in Petrochem's Corporate Philosophy

Yogesh Mehta Founder & CEO

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is changing the

O

ver the past few decades, learning environments have changed significantly - sticking to the traditional curriculum and methods is no longer optional. A significant challenge in the present education system is that the students are not motivated to be lifelong learners or be innovative in learning nor do they graduate from the school system with skills, mindset or the curiosity to survive the world of accelerating change. In the era of tech disruption, institutions will need to go beyond merely emphasizing on individual academic achievements and short-term grades.

This leads to the question: What is the most effective way to educate students and equip them to tackle the increasingly complex challenges of tomorrow?

Incorporating or adapting emerging educational technologies and their changing environments will not only make small incremental changes but also change the face of mainstream education entirely.

Ed Tech is more than just gadgets, AI and immersive tech is already changing the ways in which we teach and learn. For example, interactive textbooks help in visualizing concepts or theories.

Introducing animations, videos, assessments, and additional materials to support learning, technology is paving promising new paths.

The introduction of voice recognition software and AI has made classroom

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Way Our

Children Learn

teaching to become more informative and communicative. Also, teaching children with special needs or with language barriers has now become relatively easy. Numerous educative apps, innovative technologies, and smart devices such as tablets/iPads have advanced the teaching process in schools and colleges. They have emerged as one of the powerful and adaptive tools for teaching and learning. Apart from that, extended classroom communities like Edmodo is being utilized by students and teachers to discuss homework, assignments and interact with peers.

While the idea of a library may never go obsolete, but a lot of research and learning is now gradually shifting to the cloud as it is quick and easy-to-access.

What takes hours to find amongst the books in a library, can now be found instantaneously on the web. Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) are transforming learning experiences. They allow students to take a trip into history, travel across the universe, and visit museums in different countries, all from inside a classroom, making learning more engaging. For instance, the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program allows teachers to take their students on a trip anywhere in the world. Whether it’s “exploring coral reefs or the surface of Mars,” teachers can take their students on educational, virtual field trips.

Immersive experiences contribute to better learning, retention, decision making, and is not limited to something that students must do at a particular institution for a specific period of time for a certification at the end.

Taking a new approach, education should be a lifelong journey of exploration and self-discovery. Atlab, world’s leading education training and learning solutions provider, is working towards this goal in creating such immersive curricula and with that objective, has partnered with some of the pioneers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) solutions to engineer a curriculum that caters to the needs of an innovative curriculum.

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EDITOR'S TALE

Every student’s unique learning style is accommodated within the curriculum, whether a student is a kinesthetic or visual learner, or a nonreader. Atlab-based schools have displayed marked improvement in student motivation, resulting in students grasping subject matters with increased ease and excelling in handling systems and equipment in shorter time frames. The idea of virtual classrooms is highly intriguing. Students can do a lot through virtual classrooms like access their coursework 24/7 from anywhere, discuss projects, go on virtual field trips, understand concepts in a virtual setup, and so much more.

Having the best in technology is not enough.

Applying it to education to make it better is important and what’s more important is devising ways to improve universal access to technologybased education. Various political bodies will see these new educational capacities as a threat to their power. In fact, some of these techniques might even be outlawed to prolong existing ideologies and belief structures in various places across the world. Therefore, the challenge is not only to apply technology in improving learning process but also to make it available for all.

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About the Author

Neuroeducation is an emerging field of educational neuroscience, where scientists are trying to get a better understanding of the brain and an individual’s learning process. Understanding the underlying processes of learning would have powerful implications on the learning capabilities.

Some experts even expect for a complete mapping of human synapses to determine how learning occurs and thereby develop biological strategies for improvement in learning. If they are successful in determining the underlying processes, it may also pave way for cognitive enhancement drugs, genetically-enhanced intelligence, and integration with AI devices through brain-machine interfaces.

But that, of course, is a bit far-fetched for now.

Nilesh Korgaonkar, has been with Centena Group since 2000. He was appointed as the CEO of ATLAB in February 2018. He is currently a member of Executive Board of Centena Group - a UAE based multinational conglomerate and the parent company of ATLAB. Nilesh is also the CEO of Life Analytical Sciences – another division of Centena Group.

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