Off hours: COO of BPG believes in no short cuts in work and personal life

Public relations chief says the three things he cannot live without are carbs, TV and a cigar on the weekend.

Golf is on top of Nitin Puri's list of weekend activities. Sarah Dea / The National

Nitin Puri, 49, is the chief operating officer of the marketing company BPG Group, overseeing its public relations practice, BPG Cohn & Wolfe. He began his career with FCB in India, and then worked with Interface (now Publicis) and Lintas before arriving in Dubai in 1993. Ten years later he moved to Jakarta and headed Bates Indonesia for four years, followed by a short stint in Muscat, before returning to Dubai with BPG in 2008. He is married with two grown children.

What are your favourite things to do on the weekend?

Probably the number one thing would be a round or two of golf. Other components of my ideal weekend would be unwinding in front of a mindless action film, a cigar and having a chat with at least one of our two kids. One of them is in London and one is in Philadelphia, so it’s not always easy with the time zones, but we do our best.

What do you consider to be your favourite hobby?

Golf, no question. My wife and I have a membership at the Montgomerie in Dubai. That’s where I normally tend to play, although sometimes we get to play at the Emirates Golf Club. I’ve been into sports from an early age, and played table tennis for India. I started playing golf about six years ago when I was living in Jakarta because I want to be able to play sports for as long as I can, and it’s easier to do that with golf than other sports such as tennis and badminton at the age of 70 and beyond.

What can’t you live without?

A lot of people say their BlackBerry, but No 1 for me would be carbs. I went on a diet once where I didn’t eat carbs for two months, and I decided never to do it again. Second would be my television. I just love being a couch potato and chilling out in front of a sport, especially golf, cricket and tennis. Then third would be my weekend Partagas cigar.

What do you consider the secret to your success?

I’d say it’s a combination of two or three things. What’s really put me in good stead in a service industry such as public relations is the ability to stay calm and not stress out in difficult situations. It’s not an acquired skill – you either have it or you don’t. Second, being transparent and open with people, and letting them be. Don’t hide stuff or play games with your own people. It always backfires. Third, the ability to build relationships. Early on I realised that mistakes will happen in the service industry, and when they do what saves you is the strength and depth of relationship that you have with your client. Last, everyone tends to have a grand plan for where they want to be in 10 to 15 years. I’ve often found it helpful to try to break that down into shorter, smaller steps, and not focus too much on the big picture.

What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?

First, there is no substitute for honest hard work done with integrity and the willingness to learn – there are no short cuts. At the same time it’s important not to just blindly accept the status quo; in our industry it’s very important to try to do things differently, and not just repeat what was done before. There’s the cliché about giving the client what they need rather than what she wants, and being able to distinguish between the two – perhaps asking them more questions than usual to get to the heart of their requirements, and to come up with an innovative approach. And then finally, you need to develop a thick skin. It’s not an industry for people who are overly sensitive.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

Some people say it’s not possible, but it absolutely is. You need to empower the people that you work with and make sure you’re not absolutely indispensable, which means you can switch off from work when you leave the office.

How do you relax after the working day?

In the evenings during the week I just tend to be a couch potato, surf the channels until I find some interesting sport, chat with the wife and then see if one of my kids is online and available to chat.

If you weren't the chief operating officer of this company what else would you be doing?

I’ve been fascinated with flying ever since my childhood, so perhaps a commercial airline pilot. The fact that you have something that lifts 500 people and their luggage off the ground and deposits them halfway around the world is still absolutely fascinating to me after all these years.

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