< Previous50 Vol. 23/04, April 2022 INDIAN POWER LIST 2022 RIZWAN SAJAN Founder and chairman DANUBE GROUP $1.22bn The value of Danube Properties’ overall development portfolio q Dubai has established itself as the centre of the world and connects the west with the east. Dubai still offers the gfreatest growth opportunity” CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE O ne of the most prominent UAE busi- nessmen, Sajan has consecutively been on the Arabian Business list and has multiple awards to the company’s credit, including the prestigious Dubai Quality Awards and MRM Business Awards. His entrepreneurial journey began in the 1990s when he was forced to flee Kuwait following the invasion of the country by Iraqi forces. Upon arriving in the UAE, he started working for his uncle, but quickly branched out on his own to establish a brokerage business buying and sell- ing building materials. This led to the establishment of Danube, which started as a supplier of building materials to hundreds of projects during the Dubai construction boom. Sajan built his company into the undisputed market leader in his sector, expanding to 38 offices across the Gulf as well as in India and China and is operating in nine countries across the Middle East and Asia with over 2,500 staff. Tapping into the affordable housing sector in Dubai From this position of strength, the group was able to diversify and seize exciting new opportunities in Dubai’s ever-lucrative real estate sector. It launched development company Danube Properties and its first scheme, Dreamz by Danube, sold out within hours of its 2014 launch. The company targets the burgeoning and affordable housing sector in the UAE and currently has eight projects under development, including the trio it launched in 2016: Glamz, Starz and Miraclz. In addition to this, three Glitz towers are under construction in Dubai’s Studio City and there are plans for a new development called Resortz, a neoclassical-designed residential development near Miracle Gardens. In 2017, Danube Properties stated that 75 percent of its Bayz project in Business Bay was sold out within four months of the project’s launch.arabianbusiness.com 51 2022 INDIAN POWER LIST C hief operating officer for Marriott Interna- tional in the Middle East since June 2021, Sandeep Walia oversees 40,000 associates and almost 200 hotels. Armed with 25 years of international expe- rience in the hotel industry and a global mind-set, he has an innate understanding of the consumer landscape. He joined Marriott Interna- tional in 2005 and prior to his current role, Walia was the area vice president for the United Arab Emirates where he played a key role in A global conglomerate with a global purpose, Unilever boasts 400 brand names in over 190 countries. Having worked for Unilever for 37 years, Sanjiv Kakkar was appointed executive vice president of Unilever Arabia, MENA in October 2013 with the addi- tion of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Turkey later in August 2014. His career trajectory with Unilever began in 1984 where he worked in various roles in both marketing and sales across positions in the SANDEEP WALIA COO – Middle East MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL SANJIV KAKKAR EVP, MENA, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Turkey UNILEVER HOSPITALITYRETAIL support of the company’s guests, hotels, and associates during the Covid-19 pandemic. Before his role in the UAE, he was the area vice president – luxury brands for Western Europe, overseeing the company’s luxury port- folio across France, Germany, Iceland, Nether- lands, Poland, Austria, Swit- zerland, the UK, and the Czech Republic and all BVLGARI Hotels across Europe. He completed his studies in hospitality at the Indian Institute of Hotel Management and the Oberoi School of Hotel Manage- ment. And in 2017, he received his Executive MBA from Northwestern Univer- sity, Kellogg School of Management. food, beverage, home and personal care businesses of the company. Between 2006 to 2008, he took over the helm as executive director – foods and was made execu- tive director – customer development on the board of Hindustan Unilever, India. In December 2016, Kakkar was nominated as chairman of the Advertising Business Group (ABG), the region’s larg- est advertising and marketing self-regulatory organisation which aims to promote ethi- cal, responsible advertising in the Middle East. Unilever Dubai’s personal care manufacturing site was the company’s first site to be awarded ‘Lighthouse’ status by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2020. In March 2021, Unilever launched the Positive Beauty campaign in MENA, with goals that include boosting the health and wellbeing of a billion people every year, and protecting and regenerating 1.5 million hectares of land, forest, and ocean by 2030. 20+ The number of properties Marriott International launched in the region in 202152 Vol. 23/04, April 2022 INDIAN POWER LIST 2022 A powerhouse with a proven track record, Sangeeta Desai, who served as a non-ex- ecutive director on the OSN board for over a year, took over the reins as interim CEO in September 2021. The region’s leading enter- tainment business, OSN has rights to broadcast in 17 countries across the MENA region. The company is owned and operated by Panther Media Group, is registered in the Dubai Inter- national Financial Centre (DIFC) and has two shareholders, KIPCO and the Mawarid Group. Commenting on the appointment, Faisal Al Ayyar, chairman of OSN (Panther Media Group), said: “The board is delighted that Sangeeta has accepted the position of interim CEO, which will increase her involvement with OSN as she works towards the board’s vision for the company as a leading entertainment hub in the region. Sangeeta has a proven track record in successfully leading large-scale company transformations, scaling businesses, navigating disrup- tion, and growing global brands. She brings with her a unique combination of strategic, operational, and financial expertise, having led global media businesses for over a decade bolstered by an early career in private equity and investment banking.” Amalgamating a unique skills set Desai’s career began in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan before becoming a private equity investor at Apax Partners. Most recently, she was group COO and CEO of Emerging Markets at Fremantle and prior to that, she served as COO of Hit Entertainment. Desai holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Having started her career in private equity and investment banking to later becoming a C-level operating executive in global media businesses, Desai amalgamates a unique combination of operating, strategic and corporate transactional skills. In addition to her role as interim CEO of OSN, Desai holds various non-executive board positions in publicly-listed and private-equity owned businesses in North America and Europe. As one of the leading entertainment hubs in the Middle East, OSN is the exclusive distributor of Disney+ Originals in the region and has long-term partnerships with several majors including Disney, HBO, NBC Universal, Fox, Paramount, MGM, and Sony. Moreover, OSN offers premium and exclu- sive content in Arabic, English and Filipino. 17 The number of MENA countries in which OSN broadcasts SANGEETA DESAI Non-executive director and Interim CEO OSN MEDIA q For over 20 years, OSN has established itself as a household name and market leader in the entertainment sector” arabianbusiness.com 53 2022 INDIAN POWER LIST D r Sanjay Parashar moved from Australia to Dubai in 2005 with the dream to make Dubai the Beverly Hills of the Middle East and be one of the best plastic surgeons in the world. Today, he stands tall with his dream becoming a reality. Alongside all this, he also operates a skin care range – Skin by Cocoona, Topline – a medical software and IT systems company and a premium beauty salon, Salon 900 by Cocoona. He is also known as a surgeon, writer, professor, entrepreneur and a dad. He has performed over 13,000 surgeries, authored two books, contributed in a few and written a host of medical papers. All proceeds from the books go towards the treatment of cleft lifts for children born with the deformity. He often travels around to world to share is knowledge with his peers and students. He is also the chairman scientific, Emirates Plastic Surgery Society. A surgeon who stands tall among the best in class, Parashar is ambidextrous and extremely ambitious. He has been practicing for over three decades and is among the busiest surgeons in the UAE. As a businessman, he has been listed as the Top Indian Aces, 100 Smartest People in UAE, the 100 Most Influential People in UAE, CEO of the Year and 50 Most Powerful Indians in the UAE by Arabian Business. Cocoona has centres in UAE, India and Beverly Hills. He is currently look- ing at opening Cocoona in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Paris and Rome. When asked about some of the main challenges the industry is facing today, he says: “The aesthetic industry is growing for the past few years and we will continue to see it grow. Obviously, there are challenges. Apart from the challenges of Covid and the health-related issues, the other challenge, and it’s very surprising, is there is a lot of competition that has sprung up in the last two years. “The reason for this competition is a lot of businesses are trying to focus in this category of aesthetic surgery and medicine. They’re expecting this will give them a quicker return on a short-term basis. So, the only thing they can actually compete on are the prices by hiring inexpensive experts and competing on the prices. So this is one of the challenges.” 13,000+ The number of surgical procedures Dr Sanjay Parashar performed over his 30-year career DR SANJAY PARASHAR Non-executive chairman COCOONA CENTRE FOR AESTHETIC TRANSFORMATION HEALTHCARE q The aesthetic industry is certainly going to grow here and is placed in such a position with its infrastructure, with its central location, and the safety that the UAE had provided” INDIAN POWER LIST 2022 54 Vol. 23/04, April 2022 SHAMSHEER VAYALIL PARAMBATH Founder, chairman and managing director VPS HEALTHCARE GROUP D r Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath aspired to work on developing medical facilities and enhancing the quality of healthcare in the Middle East. He went on to launch VPS Healthcare in 2007 in the UAE, underpinned with a vision to deliver affordable, accessible healthcare services to those in need. In just over a decade, VPS Healthcare has transformed into an integrated healthcare network with a presence in the GCC, India, and Europe with 22 operational hospitals, 13,000 employees, and over 125 medical centres. VPS also manages LifePharma, the first and only pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in the UAE to have USFDA approval both for ANDA & facility. It’s recognised as an Industry Partner by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a member of the MENA Regional Partnership Community of the WEF. A role model for Indians, in January, 2014, Parambath was the recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest recognition for NRIs by the Indian government, followed by an Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt & DSE Honors Degree) by Aligarh Muslim University. In 2015, he went on to receive the GPF Global Humanitarian Award at the UN headquarters. In 2008, VPS Healthcare launched the breast cancer screening initiative to spread aware- ness about the disease. Just last month, the healthcare group announced it’s preparing to expand boldly into new global markets, introducing the same personalised care and expertise to patients that has elevated healthcare in the UAE. Parambath said: “We are extremely proud of our contributions to the healthcare industry in the UAE. With 15 brands, 24 speciality hospitals, capacity of over 2,700 beds and dedicated divisions on digital health, pharma and bioscience, VPS Healthcare has rapidly grown into an operator with global appeal. The diversity and extent of the VPS Healthcare network is our greatest strength, and we are committed to bringing the same quality of care and service to patients in new markets as we seek to expand our operational footprint to meet evolving needs.” 13,000 The number of staff employed by VPS Healthcare in the GCC, India and Europe HEALTHCARE q We are extremely proud of our contributions to the healthcare industry in the UAE” arabianbusiness.com 55 2022 INDIAN POWER LIST SUNIL JOHN Founder ASDA’A BCW $2bn The value of the PR industry in the MENA region by 2030 MEDIA q Television will always remain important for the Arab world. For decades, television has brought the voice of the Arab street into Arab living rooms” A t the heart of the media and communi- cations business in the Middle East for over 25 years, Sunil John is the founder ASDA’A BCW. He founded ASDA’A in 2000 and has shaped its growth into the benchmark PR consultancy in the Arab world. In 2008, after WPP Group acquired a majority stake, he relaunched the firm as ASDA’A BCW. John serves on the global board of BCW, a top three global PR consul- tancy and a WPP Group company. He drives the annual ASDA’A BCW Arab Youth Survey, a unique thought leadership initiative started in 2008. In 2020, he launched the 12th annual survey on the region’s largest demo- graphic, the over 200 million Arab youth. The study is now one of the most widely cited pieces of public opinion research by media and policymakers across the world. Discarding tried-and-tested communications playbook during the pandemic in 2020, John led the firm through a strategic ‘reset’ to make ASDA’A BCW and its offerings agile, flexible, and relevant to the changed landscape and evolving needs of clients. He describes a more transparent communications model, with a focus on social purpose as the only way for brands to tell their story to an anxiety-ridden consumer base. Climate change and a new emphasis on ESG communications will rule the roost in the corpo- rate sector. John believes that embracing a digital-first mind-set, while delivering truly integrated and creative communications, will be the game changer over the next five years. He delivers this through ASDA’A BCW’s differentiating strength, which he describes as The Power of Three – integrating data and digital into PR through two fully owned subsidiaries: PSB Middle East (research) and Proof Communications (digital, social and design). In July 2021, John was nominated as an advisory board member of the Dubai International Chamber, a newly formed entity to strengthen Dubai’s status as a global trade hub.INDIAN POWER LIST 2022 56 Vol. 23/04, April 2022 132,500 The area in square feet of the 93-bed Women and Children Hospital in Dubai DR SHANILA LAIJU Group CEO MEDCARE HOSPITALS AND MEDICAL CENTRES W ith a career trajectory that evolved from a clinic supervisor to operations manager, and then Group CEO, today, Dr Shanila Laiju heads up Medcare Hospitals and Medical Centres. Despite having studied dentistry in India in 1994, after starting her family, Laiju became a hospital administrator instead to afford her more time with her chil- dren. After a four-year hiatus, she joined Aster Clinic in a supervisory role and was promoted after three years to work at Aster Hospital. At that time, the hospital was very small with only 14 beds. Her hard work and tenacity paid off as she rose through the ranks and in 2006, was appointed hospital administrator before joining Medcare in 2008. Medcare is a part of the Aster DM Healthcare Group, which serves over 10 million patients a year through a network of hospitals, clinics and phar- macies in the Middle East, India and the Philippines. Aligned with modern medical technology and innovation, the Medcare network comprises of four multispecialty hospitals, four speciality centres, nine medical centres and over 350 highly qualified doctors. With over 18 years of success and fostering a people-focused hospital administration, Laiju’s hands-on approach towards financial discipline, leadership, and strategic decisions has raised the bar on patient trust, led to resilient employees, as well as satisfied physicians. Her rich expertise also brings great value to the medical community at large. Also an engaging communicator and relationship builder, she has spear- headed organisational planning, multimillion-dollar capital projects, contract negotiations, and team development while also increasing the brand’s visibility and growth. She also served as mentor in the women lead- ership programme at Aster DM Healthcare and for over six years has been a member of the Aster DM Group’s senior management committee. Other noteworthy career highlights include the launch of the 93-bed Medcare Women and Children Hospital, in addition to carving out one of Medcare’s centres of excellence: the 65-bed Medcare Orthopedics & Spine Hospital. HEALTHCARE q We will continue to provide advanced healthcare services to our patients at Medcare Women and Children Hospital” INDIAN POWER LIST 2022 58 Vol. 23/04, April 2022 A n independent advertising agency in Dubai since 1998, Equity Group of Companies has associates in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. A force to be reckoned with in Dubai’s advertising agencies landscape, Shoba Menon, Group CEO and founder of Equity Group of Companies for almost 18 years to date, has taken her brand from strength to strength. Armed with a Master’s Degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Mysore in Karnataka, she initially started out with just two clients and a modest team of four employees. And now, Menon’s team has serviced well over 20 high-profile clients on a wide variety of campaigns. Providing key communications solutions Renowned as a straight-talking agency, Equity Group of Companies has grown exponentially across the MENA region, with over two decades of award-winning experience. Through refined market experience and a hand- ful of seasoned professionals, they provide key communications solutions. Fostering fresh ideas that steer away from the box and a strive to stay fresh and relevant, just some of their services include branding and strategy, through-the-line advertising, direct marketing, online and new media, event planning and management, media planning and buying, and printing and publishing. Equity Group includes Equity, The Cheek, The Cheek Active and M3 Productions, with clients that include some of the leading names regionally and globally, which include Citibank, Dettol, Samsung, Jacky’s, Hershey’s, L’Oréal Paris, DP World, Peugeot, and more. Menon has received several awards and recognitions, some of which include an appreciation award for ROUTES Dubai from Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation, CEO and chairman of the Emirates Group, and chairman of Dubai World. Equity Group also received certificates of appreciation from Jacky’s and Citibank, to name a few. $2bn The projected value of the PR industry in the MENA region by 2030 SHOBA MENON Group CEO EQUITY GROUP MEDIA AND MARKETINGarabianbusiness.com 59 2022 INDIAN POWER LIST 16,500+ The number of Apparel Group employees across 14 countries SIMA GANWANI VED Founder and chairwoman APPAREL GROUP RETAIL q Apparel Group cares about the wellbeing of its employees” S ima Ganwani Ved is the founder and chairwoman of the Apparel Group, one of the largest retailers in the Middle East based out of the UAE. The multibillion-dollar company is home to 75+ brands with over 1,850+ retail stores in 14 countries with 16,500+ human capital. Over the years, Ved has been the recipient of many awards professionally and person- ally, some of which are The Philanthropreneur of the Year, Retailer of the Year, Great Place to Work, Great Women’s Award and Emirates Woman of the Year. Ved was born in Africa and brought to Dubai by her self-made entrepre- neur father in the 1970s. She studied in King’s College London to achieve her bachelor’s degree and subsequently an MBA in business management. She began her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 20, working in her dad’s shopping mall in early 90s as the manageress of a department. To her, that set the tone of her value for hard work and business ethics. Sima is an active member of many world organisations like YPO and CEO. Her compassion for underprivileged children led her to mentoring her teenage daughter to launch her own Athleisure brand F5global, some of the profits of which will go towards the education of such kids. She simultane- ously has mentored and founded a new social commerce beauty platform NESSA with her eldest. “When you think about female empowerment; you have a vague figure of someone in your head, but then meet Sima and you go like, oh wait a minute; that’s female empowerment, that’s what it looks like!”, said Eva Longoria at the Global Gift Gala in Dubai, before bestowing Ved with the Philanthropreneur of the Year award. Every decade or so, Ved likes to reinvent herself creatively. She has writ- ten a column for two and a half years in the newspaper back in 2000 and at the same time won awards for her play acting. In 2010, she launched her own TV chat show, Hi tea with Sima Ved, on Star Plus international. So stay tuned to see what comes next!Next >