< Previous10 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 BUSINESS | MARK FIDDES THE NOTION THAT GREAT IDEAS CAN BE SPARKED BY LOCKING SMART, CREATIVE PEOPLE IN A BOARDROOM WITH A WHITEBOARD AND COLOURED MARKERS IS ONE THAT NEEDS TO DIE, WRITES EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR MARK FIDDES BRAINSTORMING: HOW TO DO IT BETTER (IF YOU HAVE TO DO IT AT ALL) F YOU’VE EVER HAD TO SIT IN a grey room emblazoned with Post-It notes for six hours, you’ll probably agree. Most brain- storms suck. Yet with 34 percent more global brands planning to bring creative projects in-house this year, accord- ing to a recent WARC survey, you may need to stock up on your Sharp- ies. Brainstorms are to innovation what committees are to enterprise; the worst kind of “groupthink” with a deceptively long tail. Remember the Harpic “Ready Brush” with aerosol toilet cleaning power? Thought not. I lived that one for years. Ogilvy founder David Ogilvy called it out half a century ago. “Brainstorming sessions,” he said, “are the delight of sterile loafers who would rather fritter away their day in meetings than shut their doors and get down to work.” Maybe he was just being kind. Back then, it was all the rage thanks to Professor Brainstorm himself, Hans Eysenck. We’ve all read the book. We’ve all worn the funny hats. A strategy colleague enters these encounters into her diary as “Head Hurricanes” or “Mind Monsoons”, then schedules family holidays to avoid them. I’ve never seen a football match played by sumo wrestlers but, to creative professionals, that’s how brainstorms often look. Think of it as Heisenberg’s “Uncertainty Principle” in quantum mechanics applied to innovation. The more you fix your objectives, the more the outputs will randomise multiplied by a) the number of people in the room and b) time/distance from the nearest snack break. Can we brainstorm better? On the assumption that brainstorms are an increasingly unavoidable fact of corporate life, here are my top ten es- sentials for subverting disaster. IJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 11 Brief in advance: Ensure every par- ticipant has the background materials before the meeting so you don’t waste time on the basics. Define outcomes: As attendees confirm, ask what they personally want to see as an outcome. This gives a clear focus to their commitment. Invite questions: Do this in advance for you to clear up misunderstandings before the discussion starts. It’s not a debating society about what we really mean by Generation X or greenwashing. Find a moderator: Identify someone who can keep the flow of ideas going by linking together disparate streams of thought. This has to be someone who prefers the sound of other voices to their own. (Good luck with that one.) Set some guidelines: Stimulate the meeting at the start with examples of the kind of idea you are looking for to ensure the right ambition and tone. Avoid bean bags and comfortable chairs: They only encourage manspread- ing and sprawled out thinking. Most of my favourite idea sessions happened standing up. Set a strict time limit: Even marathon “ideators” start falling over after 90 minutes – like football. So split the match into two halves. Allow folk to pace themselves. Set talking limits: If you know you’re hosting an egotist who just won’t stop talking, invoke elevator pitch rules. One-minute max. Also threaten exile to anyone who uses the words “no” or “yes but” (which amounts to the same thing). Leave wrap-up time: Set aside 15 min- utes at the end to summarise and gain agreements on the outputs. Accept that last-minute rush of productivity. It’s human nature. Assign tasks: Allocate clear respon- sibilities for development and ensure they report back no later than one working week. This shows your meeting counted and the next one you run will count even more. Reminder, though: this is emergency protocol only. Inspiration rarely comes from a Costa-fuelled sugar rush in a soft furnishing zone. Where possible, bring in some experts who come up with turnaround thinking every day for a liv- ing… unless you are the kind of person who prefers to get their teeth fixed by a car mechanic. “AVOID BEAN BAGS AND COMFORTABLE CHAIRS: THEY ONLY ENCOURAGE MANSPREADING AND SPRAWLED OUT THINKING” Creativity counts Mark Fiddes, Executive Creative Director of Havas Task Allocating clear responsibilities for development among staff is essential12 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 U X U RY WATCHMAKERS MAY NOT consider 2020 a ‘vintage’ year, but what is the experi- ence at Richard Mille, have your customers been more cautious in their spending? It’s not a matter of 2020 being a “vin- tage” year or not, it’s more about fo- cusing and appreciating the positives of the year. And 2020 was definitely a year with several strong milestones for the brand in the region. Not only, was it the dawn of a new beginning for Richard Mille in Saudi Arabia, with the opening of our flag- ship boutique in Kingdom Center. But also, we witnessed Rafael Na- dal earn his 20th Grand Slam in the Roland Garros, French Open along to claiming his 1,000th tour-level match win at the Paris Masters back in No- vember 2020. Our clients, have always appreci- ated the level of close relationship we have maintained with them, whether celebrating Rafael’s win or operating on a private and safe level with each one. Q: How did the brand adapt to the highly particular market conditions of the past year? At Richard Mille we have always stood strong and believe that we are stronger together. Hence, putting the wellbeing and health of our clients and boutique staff always came first. Our approach was to stay focused on all the launches planned for the year which included, the RM 27-04 Tourbillon Rafael Nadal, the RM 72-01 Automatic Winding Lifestyle Flyback Chronograph and two novel- ties under the RM 037 and RM 07-01 collections which showcased a new material for the brand, Gold Carbon TPT, our proprietary new material. What have been the most significant changes, and are these changes that you have incorporated into your L THE BUSINESS OF ULTRA-LUXURY DESPITE THE CHALLENGES WROUGHT BY COVID-19 IN 2020, THE FORECAST FOR LUXURY GOODS IN THE REGION IS LOOKING GOOD, SAYS PETER HARRISON, CEO OF RICHARD MILLE EMEA. WITH A NEW FLAGSHIP IN SAUDI ARABIA, THE BRAND IS EXPECTING GROWTH IN 2021, HE TELLS JOLA CHUDY BUSINESS | LUXURY JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 13 future strategy e.g more flexibility on working from home? As a retail brand, the biggest chal- lenge for us was of course maintaining a business whilst most of our bou- tiques were closed. It was a challenge that we chose to overcome together and use to our benefit which meant stronger communications with our clients, while respecting Covid-19 regulations. As a leader, what was your own expe- rience of leading through this crisis? I wanted to be personally available, to hear and support my team members. This meant remaining empathetic to every person’s different situa- tion while empowering them to sail through this dark storm. Today we stand even stronger and closer than we did before and we are very proud to have been able to achieve more than our original plans. What does the consumer of 2020 look for in his or her Richard Mille watch? Our client’s purchase habits were not affected by this pandemic; however, we saw a rise in the demand of more exclusive and limited pieces, espe- cially tourbillon pieces, that many of our clients started collecting. What is the brand penetration like in KSA and what is your expectation for its expansion and growth? In June 2020, we opened our Ri- yadh boutique, making it the brand’s first flagship boutique in the region directly operated by us. Since then we have managed to maintain and build a truly exceptional database of loyal watch connoisseurs. KSA remains our biggest focus for the expansion within the Middle East region, with many exciting projects to be an- nounced soon. Will the brand be partnering with am- bassadors in KSA, or producing editions relating to the region? The kingdom is taking Flagship. The boutique in Riyadh is open for business. Gold and carbon unite in the new RM 07-01 us all on a journey of expansion and growth, which Richard Mille will al- ways be supporting and enriching. One of our last partnerships was with the Saudi Polo Federation, back in January 2020. Were Richard Mille was the Official Time Keeper of Al Ula Desert Polo Championship, an event that we proudly sponsored to enrich the polo sport within the kingdom. We are definitely looking forward for Al Ula Desert Polo Championship season 2 and I’m sure we would be supporting many more future talents and opportunities in the Kingdom. The new boutique is open for busi- ness, which of your timepieces are popular in Riyadh, have you ob- served any regional preferences? When It came to the Ladies collec- tion, we noticed a higher demand on Black Ceramic RM 07-01 pieces and Red Gold being the first choice. As for the Men’s collection, we noticed, as we developed a stronger presence in the kingdom, their prefer- ence became driven, by their knowl- edge of the brand, making them more focused on seeking timepieces based on their complications and of course the exclusivity. “AS A RETAIL BRAND, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR US WAS OF COURSE MAINTAINING A BUSINESS WHILST MOST OF OUR BOUTIQUES WERE CLOSED.”14 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 HEIKHA INTIS AR AL S A BA H is a Kuwaiti philanthropist, entrepreneur, author, film producer, and columnist, and a prin- cess of the ruling family of Kuwait – and so she would probably be the last person you would think of to suffer from ‘imposter syndrome’. The work of her NGOs on applying the principles of positive psychology to guide positive change processes at hu- man, interpersonal and organisational level has been accepted by the Kuwaiti Government, while earlier this year she presented their insights and achieve- ments to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. However, she admitted her first steps into the business world were filled with more than a little trepidation. She tells CEO: “In the beginning I thought it was so strange. I wasn’t used to it. I used to wear really high heels so I could see the men eye-to-eye. “I don’t think it was an inferiority, it was more like imposter syndrome. There I am coming from no back- ground in the corporate world, sud- denly in the place where I’m running the business. If I take it from where I knew, I knew more about what the business was than these men, because I read everything. I wouldn’t leave a paper unread.” To be fair, that feeling of ‘im- poster syndrome’ didn’t last long and Sheikha Intisar helped transform the business, which, before her ap- pointment, was reliant on loans and overdrafts. By the time she left to pursue other opportunities, she says: “We had cash in the bank, we had a new factory, we had two generations of new equipment.” Her next move saw her launch Lu- lua Publishing, a media house based in Kuwait with publications including Good Health Arabia and Vacations & Travel Arabia. Again, empowering Arab women was at the forefront of her decision-making. S By GAVIN GIBBON OVERCOMING IMPOSTER SYNDROME FROM TENTATIVE FIRST STEPS, SHEIKHA INTISAR ALSABAH, A MEMBER OF THE KUWAIT ROYAL FAMILY, IS NOW A PHILANTHROPIST, ENTREPRENEUR, AUTHOR, FILM PRODUCER AND COLUMNIST BUSINESS | LEADERSHIP JOURNEYS JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 15 She explains: “We’re all about empowering women and what we realised is that the Arabic magazines at the time were very disempowering. They were all about gossip and horo- scopes, beauty – beauty and fashion is good, but I thought and I still think, our Gulf women are very edu- cated. We have engineers and doctors, we have highly educated women, why do we limit to them in fashion, beauty and gossip. “I thought that was unfair. Then I realised, all publishing houses were run by men. Our publishing house actually changed magazines because we didn’t sexualise women, we made them look sensual and beautiful, but also wholesome.” Since 2013, Sheikha Intisar’s two non-profits - Alnowair and Bareec - have been developing national pro- grammes that use positive psychology to help bring about positive social behavioural change among young people in Kuwait. Arguably, however, she is most known for her Intisar Foundation, a humanitarian organisation registered with the Charity Commission for Eng- land and Wales, and the first chari- table organisation to provide psycho- logical support programmes of drama therapy to Arab women impacted by the brutality of war. Furthermore, she launched the One Million Arab Women initiative, a 30-year-plan to alleviate psychologi- cal trauma in one million Arab women affected by war. She explains: “I started the foundation when I realised there was no psychological support for women affected by war and I thought that was appalling, completely appalling. Once we started working on it, we set up a system where we’re using a dif- ferent type of therapy, which is drama therapy because of the taboo and the hindrances to normal psychological support. “We realised, with drama therapy, the women were expressing them- selves in a different way; in a more courageous way. They learned to express themselves, to express their wants and to express their needs. But they also learned to role play, to sit in the other person’s shoes. With theatre it’s all about emotion and feeling, all about connecting, but it’s also about collaborating. Because we do it with groups, what they’ve realised is they are free to say what they want. They One Million Arab Women. Sheikha Intisar’s work supports women impacted by war. have more courage to ask for what they want and also having a support system allowed them to grow on the inside and find their self-worth, to find their value. “Now these women have so much more value. We didn’t realise this, at the time we just wanted to support them and so once they realised they had this value, that they had all this courage and more self-esteem, this allowed them to stop the family abuse on them, and if not stop then really minimise it, and we’re talking about women who have been abused for 16 or so years, that have been able to stop it or reduce it drastically.” Drama therapy, a melange between psychological therapy and theatre, is popular in the USA and the UK. Now Sheikha Intisar is looking to expand the operation and an MoU was recent- ly signed with a Lebanese university to introduce drama therapy as a curricu- lum as a Masters programme. She says: “We’re going to have 300-600 drama therapists within the next 30 years. We want to transform the Arab world into a nation that speaks what they want, therefore they can find peace inside.” “IN THE BEGINNING I THOUGHT IT WAS SO STRANGE. I WASN’T USED TO IT. I USED TO WEAR REALLY HIGH HEELS SO I COULD SEE THE MEN EYE-TO-EYE”16 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 HILIPPE GAS HAS INSISTED there are no boundaries when it comes to the potential for Saudi Arabia’s $8bn giga-project Qiddiya. It may only be a matter of weeks since he took over as CEO of Qiddiya Investment Company, but the French- man is under no illusion in terms of the challenges and, more significant- ly, the opportunities that the massive 334 sq km development, situated 45km from Riyadh, offers. His predecessor Michael Rei- ninger had previously indicated a desire to bring Formula One racing to what is being dubbed Saudi Ara- bia’s future capital of entertainment, sports and the arts (Jeddah will host the kingdom’s first ever F1 race next year). Although he wouldn’t be drawn on specifics, Gas tells CEO Middle East that there would be no limits placed on hosting future events. He says: “Definitely motorsport is going to be a key focus for us. I would expect to see exciting things to be an- nounced in the very near future. “We don’t want to give ourselves any limits. Qiddiya will be like noth- ing you have ever seen before. There will always be something happening at Qiddiya, from large events, musical events, festivals; whether it’s modern and international or more traditional celebrating the Saudi culture.” The site is half the size of Singa- pore and two-and-a-half times bigger than Walt Disney World, a company Gas knows very well, having spent 30 years with them, most recently serv- ing as president and managing direc- tor of Walt Disney Attractions Japan and Disneyland International. “At some point you become a one company man and you think your life is going to go on like that. It has been great, so it’s not like I was feel- ing in any way, shape or form bad, P THE SKY’S THE LIMIT NEWLY APPOINTED CEO OF QIDDIYA INVESTMENT COMPANY, PHILIPPE GAS, HAS SWAPPED THE WORLD OF WALT DISNEY FOR A DREAM PROJECT IN SAUDI ARABIA, WRITES GAVIN GIBBON BUSINESS | PHILIPPE GASJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 17 but suddenly for some reason the world changes and I’m not talking about Covid; my world changed,” says Gas. And while many things were forced to change as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic, Gas re- veals that the Qiddiya project, which is backed by the Saudi Crown Prince’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), re- mains on track. He adds: “To date, there has been no delays or situations that have impacted negatively the Qiddiya project because of the virus. We’ve had no impact, neither timing-wise or budget-wise.” Gas was also previously CEO of Euro Disney SCA, the first tourism destination in Europe, for seven years and then successfully led the launch of Shanghai Disney Resort, The Walt Disney Company’s first theme park in mainland China and its largest inter- national investment to date. He says: “From my own personal experience and my professional past, especially the closest one to me which is the work I had and the lead- ership role I had on the development opening and running the business in Shanghai, I would say it’s the similar muscles to use, just at a different type of athletic level in terms of the intensity of what the muscle is going to be put through, but it’s pretty much the same type of activities in the sense that it’s a brand new type of business, in a very new industry, in a very new market. “It’s going from a start-up to running a full-grown business.” Spread over a lower plateau and atop an imposing cliff face, Qiddiya will be home to over 300 recreational and educational facilities designed around: Parks & Attractions, Sports & Wellness, Motion & Mobility, Nature & Environment and Arts & Culture. There will be a Six Flags theme park as well as a speed park and water theme park, major sports stadiums, the motor-racing track, arts venues, a creative village and a plethora of hotels, retail, dining and entertain- ment options. The first phase, which is due to be delivered in 2023 involves more than 45 projects, including what has been described as the “most unique” Six Flags ever built, complete with 12 record-breaking attractions, the world’s longest, tallest and fastest roller coaster and the world’s tallest drop-tower ride. Gas says: “Projects like Qiddiya will be key for the kingdom in its ability to change its international perception, to change people’s view of what Saudi Arabia is and will cre- ate curiosity and interest for people to come and visit and discover that Saudi Arabia is actually an amaz- ing place, a very diverse place, a very vibrant place and we want Qiddiya to reflect that.” “PROJECTS LIKE QIDDIYA WILL BE KEY FOR THE KINGDOM IN ITS ABILITY TO CHANGE ITS INTERNATIONAL PERCEPTION, TO CHANGE PEOPLE’S VIEW OF WHAT SAUDI ARABIA IS” “WE DON’T WANT TO GIVE OURSELVES ANY LIMITS. QIDDIYA WILL BE LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE” Tourism plans The first phase of the Qiddiya project – due to be delivered in 2023 – involves more than 45 projects18 C EO M I D D L E E A S T JA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 BUSINESS | AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI AOLO SARTORI MADE THE SWITCH to become Automobili Lamborghini’s regional head for the Middle East and Africa in September, a move that coincided with record sales for the luxury Ital- ian supercar in this area. He laughs when it’s suggested his arrival was the driving force behind the success, but points out that South Korea, where he left for Dubai in the summer, was also experiencing some- thing of a resurgence, as the world gradually recovers from the coronavi- rus crisis. Indeed, the company revealed 2,083 Lamborghinis were sold in the third quarter of the year globally, and 85 in the MEA region – in Septem- ber, in particular, there were 41 of the P DRIVING THE RECOVERY supercars sold in the region, up from 39 in 2019. He tells CEO Middle East: “Even during the pandemic, worldwide, yes there was this shutdown for a few weeks at the factories, for the safety of the employees, about seven weeks I believe. The production was on hold for a while, but then it started after the summer, quite strongly, not only AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI MAY HAVE WITNESSED A 9 PERCENT DROP IN SALES THIS YEAR AS A RESULT OF THE CORONAVIRUS, BUT NEW REGIONAL HEAD PAOLO SARTORI EXPLAINS WHY THERE’S PLENTY OF ROOM FOR OPTIMISM By GAVIN GIBBONJA N UA RY 2 0 2 1 CEO MIDDLE E A ST 19 in the Middle East, but worldwide. “Overall we can say that this full year you will probably see a lower total figure compared with 2019, but still we are in good shape the company in terms of profitability, financials.” Sartori is forecasting sales of just under 400 of its iconic supercars in the Middwwle East and Africa region for 2020, a drop of around 9 percent year-on-year. However, he is confident that the recovery process will continue into next year. “We see quite a strong 2021 in our forecast,” he adds. “I would expect for sure more than 10 percent compared to 2020, but we’re still working on our internal budgets and forecasts.” Sartori reveals that the UAE is the biggest market for the car manufacturer in the region, but there is “incredibly strong growth” in the Saudi market, where the company has three dealers, in Riyadh, Jeddah and Khobar. He says: “We can see very big potential in Saudi.” Sartori was speaking at a media event to promote the Lamborghini Urus, which was launched over two years ago but is experiencing in- creased popularity across the region, with 20 new colours available, new technology and an increased person- alisation proposition. He says: “Urus is a car that when you see from outside you maybe have a different feeling. Some people think, it’s a big car, maybe it’s heavy, is it re- ally a supercar? But when you drive it, Supercar SUV The design, performance and driving dynamics of the Urus appeal to wealthy clients in the region 100 percent and it’s not just because we have our script to say such things. You will definitely have the same feeling in a very transparent way when you drive the Urus, especially if you drive on a race track. It’s incredible – the car is a supercar.” It’s a crowded marketplace in terms of supercars when it comes to the Middle East, proof of which can be seen from a single drive along Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road. And the Urus faces stiff competition in the SUV sector from the likes of the Porsche Cayenne and Macan, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Aston Martin DBX. Even Ferrari NV has previously announced plans to join the trend with the Purosange, due to be available by 2022. “There are different types of customers in terms of age. They are maybe a little bit younger and more into technology and design, lifestyle,” he says. “Now it’s very much more about the experience and going into the lifestyle. We are able to work on these features to keep the custom- ers very excited, along with all the personalisation that you have with a Lamborghini,” he adds. “WE ARE ABLE TO WORK ON THESE FEATURES TO KEEP THE CUSTOMERS EXCITED, ALONG WITH ALL THE PERSONALISATION THAT YOU HAVE WITH A LAMBORGHINI”Next >