Simply Abu Dhabi III

69 SIMPLY ABU DHABI YOGESH MEHTA MANAGING PARTNER , PETROCHEM MIDDLE EAST Finally, meet the man behind Petrochem. PetrochemMiddle East FZE has transformed the face of the regional petrochemical business andbecomeoneof the largest independent chemical distributors in the Middle East. Let us kindly introduce to you Yogesh Mehta, born on 24th September 1959. Yogesh started in Dubai from literally nothing and today presides over a petrochemical empire, he has a plush Shaikh Zayed Road office overlooking Dubai’s landmark Twin Towers. Petrochem also has offices in China, Singapore, India and the UK. Yogesh Mehta, did his B.Sc (in chemistry) fromMumbai University, National College Bandra in India. He took his MBA from the Narsee Monjee Institute of Management and is also a Graduate from the highly acclaimed, Harvard Business School. He is an outgoing personality who has incredible social and networking skills which made his initial career in sales the obvious choice. By 1982, Mehta’s entrepreneurial flair kick started the beginning of his commercial journey to the present day multi-billion dollar empire that he controls. Unfortunately, in 1987 disaster struck and Mehta had lost all his money. The loss is something he openly attributes to his inexperience. However, like most entrepreneurs that have experienced the rollercoaster ride of loss and gain, it is the burning desire, belief, foresight and determination that eventually leads to success. He ended up in Dubai in 1990. This is how it all started. With hard work, honesty and his addictive charm, the business rapidly took off. He found a great partner in London who was his original supplier of chemicals, with whom he eventually set up a PetrochemMiddle East in 1994. He strongly illustrates his consideration for this partner to be as close as family. Mehta explains: “Our group turnover is now 1.3 billion dollars. When the turnover hit 500 million dollars we had arrived. After that, the rest is all icing on the cake. He adds: “I am very fortunate, my employees don’t leave my company unless they want to relocate back to their home town. This is because we treat them like family. We have 235 staff worldwide. From the tea boy to the sales director, everyone is handpicked by me. We hire them for their attitudes and aptitude.” The role of Falguni, his wife, has been simply overwhelming in Mehta’s rise to success. His son is now a graduate from the North Eastern University at Boston. Leisure Yogesh reveals: “Nowadays, I have more leisure than work. I am a huge music buff. On a given day, I listen to music for three hours. Closest to my heart is Indian classical music.” “The success of Dubai owes a lot to the infrastructure that this country provides. You can set up a company in two weeks straight. You have no red tape here. People are work-oriented. If you are on the right side of the law, nobody bothers you.” “I have been in Dubai for 20 years now but I never felt pressured to learn Arabic to become a successful businessman here. This is a land of opportunities. There is no city like Dubai. If I am lucky, I’ll die here in Dubai. I swear by Dubai.” His message to the youth? “Youth must have education. Education brings discipline. Gone are the days when people could survive without education. The world is getting more competitive and professional.” For more information please visit: www.petrocheme.com