Sanjay Raina is the general manager and vice president for Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan at Fox International Channels. Born and raised in Indian Kashmir, the 47-year-old moved to Dubai in March 2011 to head Ten Sports as the chief operating officer for international markets before taking on his current role. He is also actively involved in Tender Hearts, a recreational centre for children with special needs. Set up and run by his wife Neena and her business partner, it was inspired by their 17-year-old son who suffers from autism spectrum disorder.
What are your favourite things to do on the weekend?
In the mornings the entire family goes to the gym. On Fridays we watch a movie together as a family, and evenings are again spent together dining out. We devote our Saturdays to the kids. My older son plays in a baseball challenger league that is focused on special needs children, where I accompany him as a buddy dad. My younger son comes along and also becomes a buddy to the children. Our afternoon is spent at Tender Hearts. The centre offers differently abled kids a normal day to day life by providing recreational support through activities such as yoga, martial arts, arts and crafts, music, theatre and cooking. I volunteer every weekend; a lot of what Tender Hearts offers is modelled on what we, as a family, provided our autistic son with in his formative years. In the evening I play at least nine holes of golf with my 12-year-old son, a budding golfer.
What do you consider your favourite hobby?
I love playing golf. I play at least twice a week, mostly at night under lights. I am also an avid reader and I enjoy practically anything I can get my hands on. Gandhi is my personal hero and I have read a number of his autobiographies; I also enjoy historical anecdotes and my favourite fiction author is Charles Dickens. Once in a while, I team up with my cousins in Dubai for a sing-along. I have recently started learning how to play the guitar, which adds to the fun. Singing is my favourite pastime. My eldest son is also an accomplished singer.
What can’t you live without?
My BlackBerry, my golf bag and my family. BlackBerry remains the best smart device for sending and receiving emails, and it keeps me connected with the office as well as my personal life. My golf bag is my connection to golf; I simply love golf have been playing for over 10 years. I ensure that I catch at least one game every weekend. My family is the most important thing to me.
What do you consider the secret to your success?
I am a small-town boy who grew up in very humble and down-to-earth circumstances; however, I had great aspirations. My secret to success is very simple – hard work. When you work hard, it pays and you succeed. When people work hard they are determined, focused and willing to find solutions to problems that may afflict their work. Hard work is a differentiator of good and bad work.
What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?
Learn the medium well. Media, and all forms of it, is a people’s business. In order for you to succeed, you have to know how to manage people properly. Learn by example, start by looking at the people who have made a name for themselves in the industry, and learn from their success. Have heroes in the industry and follow their career; get inspired by their work and how they attained their success. At the same time, practice patience and media management, as this industry’s greatest assets are people, and those who learn to deal with people well will thrive in the industry.
How do you achieve a work-life balance?
This is tricky. Achieving a balance during a hectic week is tough. I manage to catch at least an hour of conversation with my kids every day and a late evening chat with my wife to discuss her day at the centre. During the weekends the work-life balance is far better achieved.
How do you relax after the working day?
By listening to what my kids have to say about their day at school, with a late night TV show and essentially having dinner with my wife, as often as I can manage it.
If you weren’t general manager of this company, what else would you be doing?
I would be playing golf, golf and more golf. I would be climbing mountains. I used to be an avid mountaineer, until corporate life lured me in. India’s first female to climb the Mount Everest was my instructor once, and I have attended high grade mountaineering courses early in life. I would also devote more time to kids with special needs. They need our attention and to be integrated within the so-called ‘normal’ fabric of society.
arayer@thenational.ae
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Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Everton%20Fixtures
%3Cp%3EApril%2015%20-%20Chelsea%20(A)%3Cbr%3EApril%2021%20-%20N.%20Forest%20(H)%3Cbr%3EApril%2024%20-%20Liverpool%20(H)%3Cbr%3EApril%2027%20-%20Brentford%20(H)%3Cbr%3EMay%203%20-%20Luton%20Town%20(A)%3Cbr%3EMay%2011%20-%20Sheff%20Utd%20(H)%3Cbr%3EMay%2019%20-%20Arsenal%20(A)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
