He comes across as a silent observer, a man of weighed words and sincere effort. To him, work is worship and he acknowledges it his religion that empowers him. Vibrant in his views and firm in his commitments, Arif Buhary Rahman wears several hats at work. He is a member of the board at the ETA-Ascon Star group, he is also the Group Director Finance and the Managing Director of his ambitious mega project, Dubai Lifestyle City. He currently leads ETA’s investments and financial control across the enterprise, overseeing mergers, acquisitions, portfolio management and security analysis.
His professional experience comprises the directorship of a number of companies, including Buhari Holdings (P) Ltd, Chennai, Buhari Information Technology, Chennai, ETA Star Properties, Bangalore, and Gulf Outsourcing Services Pvt. Ltd, Chennai. The gamut of business operations he heads or partners with includes Shipping and Trading, Engineering and Construction, Banking and Investments, Retail, Information Technology, Health and Education.
In addition to his leadership role in the US$5 billion ETA-Ascon Star Group of companies, Arif is also associated with a number of social organizations. He is a trustee of the Crescent Group of Educational Institutions and a member of the All India Islamic Foundation. While one would imagine that he must feel the stress of all the responsibilities he shoulders, it is quite the opposite for him. “I enjoy the thrill of being at the helm of matters. When I am productively occupied I know the day has been worthwhile and well spent,” he reveals.
Arif has served the ETA-Ascon Star Group of companies since 1985 in different leadership roles and has been instrumental in initiating and planning a number of path-breaking projects, including Dubai Lifestyle City, RAK Hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, Metropolis and Trivitron of India. He is currently pursuing his MBA from the Harvard Business School. It would not be incorrect to say that Arif was groomed for his responsibilities right from the cradle. Born as the eldest son to B. S. Abdul Rahman, the Vice Chairman of the ETA-Ascon group, he knew from a very young age that he had promises to keep and goals to achieve, not just for himself but for his father too. Arif shares his mandate: “When you are the first born, you don’t have the luxury of leniency. The message is driven home right from day one that you need to be a role model to your siblings. You need to be the apple of the family’s eye. I was never given a free hand when it came to delivering on tasks. In fact, I grew up in one of the family owned boarding schools away from home that was part of our All India Islamic Foundation schools. There I gained not just my basic education but I was also moulded to understand my religion and the value of its teachings. I understood that the worth of money is not in how much you have but in what you are able to share. Acquired knowledge is of no use unless you utilize it to better the conditions of those around you. My father had a vision to do something for society and with that dream he targeted certain accomplishments. I inherited his dream and understood the value of humility and discipline. I am able to organize and prioritize my commitments because I know that time cannot be replaced. I hold deep respect for that which I have been bestowed with and I wish to better it in every way. I define my goals and achieve them.”
Arif first went to work in a management trainee position in his father’s company. He recalls, “Our roots are in India where the parent company, East Coast Construction and Industries is thriving. That is where I took up my first job to understand firsthand what it is to be a functional part of the company. When you work with your people, you empathize with their opinions, you relate to their inputs and learn what the issues are that they have to deal with at work. Hurdles are easier to overcome when you have real knowledge of how things progress in the organization,” he explains.
Apart from work, Arif considers sport to be significant in personal development. He was a keen athlete during his school and college days winning many medals in swimming to his credit. Though he has not been able to pursue his love for sport with his busy schedule, he still enjoys a good swim. It is obvious that experience and strong convictions have given him deep insights. “Just as religion moulds the mind and purifies the soul – sport builds the body and develops the spirit. Sport is essential. It teaches you the fundamental law of life – you cannot win always. Most people don’t know how to fail or rather what to learn from their failure. They are shattered if they do not succeed; sport teaches you to build your strengths and work harder for the next competition. By and large, life is but a series of competitions. Each day gives you a chance to win or lose in your field, how you fare depends on how you train yourself and your spirit.”
Arif believes a positive thinking spirit goes a long way and he passes on his values to his three daughters – Aisha (24), Khadeeja (20) and Afra (16). The girls are a reflection of his persona. Though he has less time on hand due to his considerable commitments at work, he still manages to nurture his love for the outdoors with his family. “We enjoy our holidays abroad. We take long nature walks, engage in trekking and we spend time swimming. When I am with my family, I feel rejuvenated. It gives me the opportunity to pass on to them what I learnt from my father without making it tedious or giving them big lectures. We have an open channel of communication and I think that is very important in today’s age of growing distances in families.” Being a perfectionist Arif likes to see things done in a systematic way and ethics are central to his way of thinking. He believes the most important thing for each individual is his own self. “Let’s face it,” he says, “I am the best thing in my life! When everyone thinks this way, they will develop a sense of worth about their existence and be the best they can be. Your soul rests in your body and the body is the nest of the soul. When you take care of yourself from within, you have a clean soul and conscience. I constantly keep check of my behaviour and deeds. When I’m clear my intentions are pure – I know the rest will fall in place.”
And rightfully so as it is evident from the track record and strong growth of the company where he holds a key leadership role. The ETA-Ascon Group was established in 1973 as a joint venture with one of the largest UAE national business houses in the region, the Al Ghurair Group. Arif’s father, B. S. Abdul Rahman, the founder of the group’s parent company in India was a close associate of the Ghurair family and knew them from the time they traded pearls in Mumbai. Taking his association with them a step further, they established what has now become an international organization synonymous with quality, service and cost-effective technological capacities. Through far sightedness and sheer professionalism, the company has grown to have 140 branches and associate offices in 20 countries with more than 73,000 employees. Since its inception in 1973, the firm has completed projects in excess of AED 5 billion and numerous landmarks in the Emirates and beyond stand testimony to the firm’s engineering capabilities. Their latest and most significant real estate project, Dubai Lifestyle City is world class in luxury, sophistication and construction standards. A multi-dimensional project, located in Dubailand, Dubai Lifestyle City is ultimate elegant living defined.
About this 2 billion dirham project Arif reveals, “The idea for DLC was seeded with the objective of giving Dubai something better than the best if not more. We have managed to keep the project in the flow despite the challenges faced by the construction industry. The basic infrastructure work for DLC is complete, which includes completion of road networks, telecommunications, surface water drainage, sewage networks, irrigation networks, fire-fighting systems, street lighting and portable water networks. With this there has been considerable progress in DLCs construction schedule. Soon we intend to have a curtain raiser for the villas, and people will be able to see and experience what we have till now shared with them only in print and in words,” he says confidently.
Raza Siddiqui, Executive Director of ETA Star Projects has been in the core team that launched the Dubai Lifestyle City concept. Explaining Raza’s role Arif observed, “DLC is not a mere real estate concept, we are offering people a unique lifestyle. When we were discussing the idea we wanted sports and health to have a significant focus in the project. But as we proceeded we realized that health in itself is a standalone sector for development. Among other luxuries that we built into DLC is a world class sports academy with multi sports venues.” Proceeding from that concept, ETA Star Projects focused on a parallel healthcare development in Ras Al Khaimah which Raza leads.”
Raza’s experience spans over three decades across the healthcare industry vertical, when he previously worked with the Apollo Group of hospitals in India before joining ETA. Working in different capacities, including Director - Operations, and General Manager - International Operations, Raza witnessed Apollo’s diversification into the healthcare industry in 1998, joining them when they set up the Belhoul Apollo Hospital joint venture in Dubai. Soon, ETA soon branched out and set up its own ETA Star Healthcare, a turnkey consultancy that can plan and execute an entire hospital right from research to operations. “This was the time when healthcare was getting privatized. There was a huge demand for health care services and we stepped into the eye of the storm and grew with the industry,” Raza revealed.
The growth however did not stop at being on par with the others adds Raza. “We wanted to give the industry some more. So we conceptualized, planned and launched the RAK Hospital. It was a means for us to add a new dimension to the healthcare industry – hospitality. RAK Hospital is a joint venture between the government of Ras Al Khaimah and the ETA-Ascon Group – it is a pioneering concept in this part of the world. We have based it on the wellness and preventative model.” Raza explains.
The RAK Hospital is the first private hospital in the region that aims to change the age old concepts of the healthcare industry. “It is different from conventional hospitals as we wished to give a touch of luxury to healthcare. So we modelled it on a hotel concept without compromising on healthcare standards. Doctors are service providers, the patient is their guest and the hospital has the comfort of a premium hotel! Our focus is to give the patients value for their money not just medically but also in the surroundings that they experience. The emphasis is on total healing and not just on cure,” points out Raza.
Creating room for such a concept in one of the smaller emirates like Ras Al Khaimah was an uphill task. “But challenges only make the journey more rewarding,” says Raza. ETA Star Healthcare is working closely with the government to make Ras Al Khaimah the health care destination of the region. “It is a vision, it cannot happen overnight. We have been steadily winning the trust and confidence of the local community and are gaining ground in the region. There is a focus on personalized treatment and therapy. We are now strengthening certain departments like the joint replacement program, the advanced cardio-logical procedures, and advanced general surgeries so that we have patients coming in from other parts of the region and other countries too. It is a process and the vision is coming to realization in stages, soon we will be where we set out to be,” reasons an enthusiastic Raza.
Indeed the RAK Hospital is a venture that is bold and forward thinking. It is a statement of attitude and gratitude rolled into one. “It is but natural for people to come back to you repeatedly when your product is par excellence. When a person genuinely feels cared for and well looked after, he is willing to return and give you that time and trust. I am honoured to be working with an organization like ETA because they have complete trust in my judgment for this project. It is a concept that has never been conceived before. They empowered my decisions throughout and together we have established a model hospital that can be franchised. I am proud to be a part of it, just as I am proud to be a part of ETA itself,” concludes Raza.
DUBAI LIFESTYLE CITY AT A GLANCE...
Catering to the crème de la crème, the Dubai Lifestyle City project seeks to implement a holistic concept of “Haute Living”. The whole city is a pristine reminder of the European Renaissance giving it a unique and historical ambience. The Italian architecture, plush interiors and designer accessories of residences within Dubai Lifestyle City reflect an entirely new mode of living. This comprehensive lifestyle project is conceptualized and executed by the ETA-Star Group. It encompasses everything in terms of luxury: digital facilities, sports training, recreation, world class hotels, fashion, art, theatre and shopping. To ensure the exclusivity of the project and make it truly world class, Dubai Lifestyle City has entered into partnerships with some of the most respected global brands including JW Mariott, Microsoft and CISCO.
DLC will have 68 Tuscan themed villas and 120 villettes (apartments) all conceived by Tony Ashai, the celebrated Beverly Hills designer. The project covers a land area of over 4 million square feet and aims at the creation of a self sufficient lifestyle community.
JW Mariott is developing the living component of Dubai Lifestyle City as the first JW Mariott branded residential property worldwide. Besides, JW Mariott will run three separate, yet integrated lodging facilities to fulfil all the requirements of visitors to DLC. The 170-room JW Mariott hotel, 152-room Courtyard by Mariott and the 46-unit Mariott executive apartments will provide accommodation for DLC visitors. The entire community including homes, hotels and other facilities, will be integrated across the spectrum with a digital datacenter to manage all communication systems-telephone, cable, satellite TV, audio and security-and this will make every unit a fully self-sufficient high speed network.
Dubai Lifestyle City: The Villas
Type A - Rosea
Rosea takes you back to rural Italian pastures inspired by Tuscan architecture. Comprising 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 powder rooms along with the living room, formal dining room, family room, and lounge, and library, kitchen with prep; a pantry and butler add to the Tuscany flavour.
Type B - Siena
Siena, the famous hill town in Tuscany, is the inspiration behind the Siena villas. The villa encompasses 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 4 powder rooms, living room, formal dining room, lounge, and library, a well-detailed kitchen with a prep, pantry and butler area that authenticates the true Italian style.
Type B1 - Nuova
Nuova meaning ‘new’ lends a new and exquisite touch to the Nuova villas. Incorporating 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 powder rooms, living room, formal dining room, family room, lounge, library, kitchen with a prep, pantry and butler area provides high style living a new meaning.
Type C - Toscana
Toscana, Italian for Tuscany, remarkably transcends the Tuscan artistic legacy to the Toscana villas at Dubai Lifestyle City. The 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 4 powder rooms coupled with living room, formal dining room, family room, lounge, library, kitchen with a prep, pantry and butler area is an ode to Tuscan artistic heritage.
Type C1 - Tizzano
Adapted from the famed city of Venice, Tizzano villa affords an opportunity for living the true Tuscan lifestyle. Tizzano features 6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 3 powder rooms together with living room, formal dining room, family room, lounge, library, and kitchen with prep, pantry and a butler area adding grandeur to your lifestyle.
It takes but a single step to cover a journey of several miles. When Arif Buhary Rahman took up his responsibilities as the Group Director Finance of the ETA ASCON Star Group, he moved forward with bigger dreams, wider visions and a strong stride against the times and tide.