LVMH WATCH WEEK IN DUBAI BULGARI MENSWEAR’S NEW RUNWAY TRENDS ELTIZAM ASSET MANAGEMENT NEWS ROLLS-ROYCE Torsten Müller-Ötvös on driving the world’s premier luxury brand into the future CORPORATE DIGITISATION Strategy& on implementing a successful digital transformation strategy BIG LAW VS. VIRTUAL LAW Abdulla Galadari reveals how virtual law is redefining the parameters of the profession , FEBRUARY 2020 # 157 THE GUIDE TO GOOD BUSINESS AND BETTER LIVING STC GROUP CEO NASSER SULAIMAN AL-NASSER ON LEADING SAUDI ARABIA’S TOP DIGITAL AND TECHNOLOGY TRAILBLAZER HUBLOT’S ART OF FUSION CEO RICARDO GUADALUPE TALKS STRATEGY AND INSPIRATION PLUS : CURATED FOR BILLIONAIRES INSIDE THE RAREFIED WORLD OF THE GREG REPORT QUINTESSENTIALLY ELITE LIFESTYLE MANAGEMENT FINANCE AND THE SPORT OF KINGS STANDARD CHARTERED SUPPORTS THE DUBAI OPEN IN ITS 11TH YEAR UA E AED 20 BAHR AIN BHD 2 KUW A IT KWD 2 OM AN OMR 2 Arabian Business FEB 2020 “WE WILL GO FURTHER AS A DIGITAL LEADER”FEBRUA RY 2020 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 3 contents February 2020 18 14 16 0 20 24 Business 14 NEWS ROUND-UP Bitesize news stories and highlights from the region 16 THE DIAMOND DEBATE Could you tell a lab-grown from a mined gem? And does it matter? 18 BRAND VIEW: ELTIZAM As it launches a new customer service initiative, Eltizam Asset Management, a leading regional property management company, shares key industry insights and its plan to make its customers the happiest in the region 20 THE DIGITAL LEADER Stc has grown to become one of the region’s telecommunications and digital technology companies. Its CEO Nasser Sulaiman Al-Nasser tells CEO Middle East about its ambitions for 5G and beyond 22 CORPORATE DIGITISATION Few companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries have successfully implemented a digital transformation strategy, according to thought leaders at PWC’s Strategy&. 24 AMONG EQUINES Standard Chartered is the title supporter of the upcoming Dubai Polo Gold Cup; Ali Hammad, Market Head – Private Banking, Middle East and North Africa, looks at the long history of equestrianism in the Middle East 22 224 C EO M I D D L E E A S T FEBRUA RY 2020 Leadership 32 HUBLOT’S LEADING MAN In an exclusive interview, Ricardo Guadalupe of Hublot tells CEO Middle East about the brand’s approach to innovation 36 HIGH ROLLER Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller- Ötvös on driving the world’s leading automotive luxury brand forwards 40 TURNAROUND AND TRANSFORMATION Temperley London CEO Luca Donnini is a fashion industry veteran with big plans for the London-based independent label contents February 2020 40 0 30 36 32Pleasure 44 THE GREG REPORT Greg Delahaye introduces a curated wish-list for connoisseurs with a refined taste for life’s finest things 48 B E ST FO OT FO RWA R D Riccardo Sciutto of Sergio Rossi reveals the brand’s exciting first foray into men’s footwear 50 QUIN T E SSEN T I AL S T YL E Maria de Coutgarden leads Quintessentially, the leading lifestyle management company 52 RUNWAY REPORT: MEN CEO Middle East takes a front-row look at the latest styles from Milan 56 THE SCENT OF SUCCESS Designer Parfums reveals one of the world’s most exclusive fragrances 58 VALENTINE’S GIFTS Luxurious inspiration for lovers 60 JEWELLED MOMENTS Precious accessories for elite women 62 HOTEL REVIEWS The Langham New York and London’s Intercontinental offer a suite escape 64 DINING HIGHLIGHTS Indochine opens, plus Valentine’s Day dining specials 66 FINAL THOUGHTS Sail into the sunset with Berkeley Assets and Dubai Offshore Sailing Club contents February 2020 44 48 60 66 62 58 50 6 C EO M I D D L E E A S T FEBRUA RY 20204th Edition ORGANISED BY Book your place now | www.dgcgames.com For more information Mr Habib Chams Dubai +971588152161 Beirut +961 76 704 978 habib.chams@itp.com www.dgcgames.com Connecting the Global Game Industry FOUR SHOWS IN ONE 500+ Companies 100+ Speakers C Level Delegates 35 Countries 1-2 APRIL 2020 Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE The MENA Region’s #1 Business Event for the Digital Games Industry NEW SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED DGC Ads 2020 Press Ad 205x270 V4.indd 127/01/2020 09:51elcome to the February edition of CEO Middle East. In this issue, we speak with the men and women shaping the business world today. Through their leadership, they seek to foster innovation and progess, securing a competitive advantage that unites their end product, be it a product or a service, with a receptive customer base. The theme of luxury pervades this edition a little more than is usually the case, coinciding both with the recent menswear fashion shows in Milan and with the inaugural LVMH Watch Week that took place in January at the Bulgari Hotel. There, I had the opportunity to meet with several brand leaders, including the CEO of Hublot, Ricardo Guadalupe. “We cannot only repeat the past. Our consumer is waiting on what is next. We constantly innovate and we are able to do this because we invest heavily in research and development,” Guadalupe tells CEO Middle East in an exclusive interview. The Swiss luxury watch brand turns 40 in 2020 and is forging its future around its enduring ‘Art of Fusion’ concept that brings unexpected influences and materials together in horology for the first time. Amongst the novelties it has released this year is a timepiece featuring gold crystal, a rare kind of snowflake-like gold made by heating gold in its purest 14-carat form to boiling point and then cooling it. This fusion of technology and artistry defines the brand and, as Guadalupe notes, even a history-steeped industry such as mechanical watchmaking needs to move with the times. “Breguet invented the tourbillon over 200 years ago. I’m pretty sure if he was alive today, he wouldn’t be making tourbillons. The day we innovate less, we face trouble!” This unrelenting ambition to be a constant innovator and trailblazer is at the heart of the stc (Saudi Telecom Co.) vision, too. While the world of Swiss luxury watchmaking and that of telecommunications in Saudi Arabia may at first glance seem to be wholly disparate, surpsingly common themes connect their leadership visions. “Technology changes and will always be the most important element in any business’s success or survival,” says stc’s CEO, Nasser Sulaiman Al-Nasser, who graces our front cover this edition. The telecom and IT company has grown to become the regional leader in mobile and fixed subscribers with the largest market share. You don’t achieve that without encouraging a corporate culture that values ambition and an ‘anything is possible’ approach. Leaders from brands abundant in heritage, such as the CEO of Rolls-Royce, Thorston Müller-Ötvös, also share their insights into what it takes to drive a global brand today, and we hear from those leading relatively new businesses in the Middle East. Both Quintessentially and Greg Report target an elite client base of sophisticated connoisseurs, and their teams understand the ins and out of luxury in 2020 better than most, making this one of our most luxurious editions to date. Enjoy the issue! Jola Chudy Editor-in-Chief WHAT DO LUXURY BRAND LEADERS ANTICIPATE IN 2020? FROM THE EDITOR W Share your views on thought leadership and innovation by getting in touch. Q U ESTI O N S? CO M M E NTS? Jola.Chudy@itp.com JOLA CHUDY Editor in Chief ED IT OR ’S P OR TR AI T: O LI VE R @ P HO TO SO LU TI ON S. M E 8 C EO M I D D L E E A S T FEBRUA RY 2020FEBRUA RY 2020 C EO M I D D L E E A S T 9 To receive your copy delivered directly to your door, subscribe online at www.itp.net/subscriptions The most important business people and CEOs talk to the most important magazine The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for error or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. 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