The 13th The Duke of Argyll, Torquhil Campbell. Satish Kumar / The National
The 13th The Duke of Argyll, Torquhil Campbell. Satish Kumar / The National

Life Lessons: wisdom from the Duke of Argyll



1. You don't wake up one day, ready. My father never tutored me, but he told me my life's aim would be to hand on the family business in a better condition than I received it. My family has been on the West Coast of Scotland for 1,200 years. This is a lifetime's work. If you waited until you felt "ready", I'm not sure you'd ever start.

2. It's important to try to understand different cultures. People respect you a lot more if you make an attempt to learn about their culture and recognise that there is not simply one way of doing things. Travel is a tremendously enriching experience when you make an effort to learn.

3. Never be apologetic about enjoying life, luxury and glamour. The Nations Cup is the most glamorous polo event at the most glamorous polo venue in the Middle East. That's something to celebrate. Earlier this year my family visited India. The children are two, five and seven. They rode on camels, visited palaces and watched polo played by a maharaja. Those are extraordinary experiences and having them doesn't mean losing a sense of how fortunate they are. It's my duty to give my children every opportunity I can and to instill values in them. The ability to enjoy life, whatever it may offer, is a great gift.

4. Everybody has to have a bit of down time. I love what I do. I believe absolutely in the importance of running the estate and am proud of that heritage. I love my wife and children dearly. And as global ambassador for Royal Salute I travel the world meeting fascinating people and experiencing wonderful things. But sometimes you need to clear your mind. I love fly-fishing. I enjoy the tranquility and the ability to just focus on nothing but that one thing.

5. When times are bad you find out who your friends are. I've been visiting the UAE for 10 years. Last year the financial crisis was hitting and some people questioned the wisdom of a luxury brand coming here. But that's the time to show your belief in a place. Twelve months on you can feel the optimism.

The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Price: From Dh801,800

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.”

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

Profile of Whizkey

Date founded: 04 November 2017

Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani

Based: Dubai, UAE

Number of employees: 10

Sector: AI, software

Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million  

Funding stage: Series A

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