Deepak Chopra is in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for speaking engagements geared to the public and to corporate bigwigs. We look at his rise from medical doctor to running a multimillion-dollar empire promoting holistic practices
Who is he?
One of the world’s biggest new-age gurus. Chopra’s success stems from creating health practices fusing western medicine with alternative healing methods from the East. Nearly two dozen of Chopra’s 70-odd books – dealing with health, spirituality and leadership – have been bestsellers, propelling him to become a sought-after public speaker who has given addresses alongside the likes of the Dalai Lama and former US president Bill Clinton.
In scrubs
Born in New Delhi, Chopra graduated from medical school and at the age of 21 immigrated to the US. He worked at numerous hospitals and taught at medical schools at Harvard University and Boston University. Chopra became deeply unhappy with western medicine’s over-reliance on prescription drugs. An intense workload coupled with a lifestyle heavy on smoking and drinking saw Chopra hit rock bottom.
The celebrity guru
His personal breakthrough came after studying Transcendental Meditation, pioneered by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1985, Chopra quit his job and with Mahesh Yogi launched Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products International, promoting herbal tea and oils. The company’s success lead Chopra to create several boutique Transcendental Meditation clinics targeting the rich and famous; high-profile clients included Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Donna Karan. With his profile rising rapidly, Chopra got together with the American neurologist David Simon to set up his California-based The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, offering wellness programmes for the mind and body, including yoga and meditation classes. Celebrities who enrolled included Demi Moore, George Harrison, Michael Jackson and Oprah Winfrey.
The concepts
Chopra’s core message is that unhappiness lies in a lifestyle rooted in materialism and decadence. He states contentment is found internally with a sound body and mind. Chopra is also keen to see people to develop a “healthy brain” by creating a “matrix for positive lifestyle”, including engaging in worthwhile pursuits, stress management and associating with people living a healthy life. Chopra also set his sights on creating a new generation of “inspired leadership”. On his website, Chopra describes a visionary leader as someone who “operates from the soul level, inspired by vision and inner wisdom as opposed to greed. She is the heroine of her own story.”
In popular culture
His clinics may command a price that only celebrities can afford, but Chopra’s ideas have reached a wider audience through his books. His 1993 release, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind sold more than a million copies. In 2011, Chopra published what is probably his most accessible work: The Seven Spiritual Laws of Superheroes, a fun treatise in which Chopra explores the key qualities that allow heroes – from Buddha to Batman – to endure in the collective consciousness. Time magazine has acknowledged Chopra for crossing such cultural divides, praising him for “erasing apparent differences between East and West by packaging Eastern mystique in credible western garb”. In 2006, Chopra and his son Gotham teamed up with the businessman Richard Branson to launch Virgin Comics, now known as Liquid Comics, in an initiative to spread positive messages through comic books and trading cards. Unlike his contemporaries, Chopra has also been very active in the phone apps market – he has launched meditation and yoga apps.
The events
Chopra has two dates in the UAE. On Tuesday, September 17, he will conduct a public lecture titled The Future of Well-being at Dubai’s Madinat Arena in Jumeirah at 7pm (tickets cost from Dh150). On Wednesday, September 18, the country’s business leaders and entrepreneurs will converge on the St Regis Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, to learn about Chopra’s inclusive form of management at an all-day workshop starting at 8am (tickets cost from Dh3,000). Attendees are invited to a special book-signing after each event. For details, visit www.ticketmaster.ae.
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Three stars
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.”
