Chief Executive Officer, Petrochem
When Yogesh Mehta arrived in Dubai on 15th March 1990, he had one thought in mind, to put his entrepreneurial skills to work in his own specific area of interest, the chemical industry. Indeed, Yogesh wasn’t looking for a job; he wanted to be his own boss. He had some knowledge of the industry, but only limited finance. Nevertheless, he chose to go the extra mile to achieve his goal. “I went to the library and gathered further knowledge on what new chemicals were being bought in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait. I did my research and made a business case. My idea was to show my business plan to potential clients.”
Dubai is paradise – Dubai is a land of opportunities.
Nowadays, people instantly visualise skyscrapers and complex infrastructure when they think of Dubai. However, Yogesh’s initial impression was considerably different. “I thought it was a sleepy, fishing village. There were two-lane highways; it was a very small town where everybody knew everybody. The UAE was still finding itself, Dubai was still making itself.” Over the years, Yogesh watched Dubai evolve from a small town to a modernised metropolis. “The two-lane highways turned into seven-lane highways. Dubai has grown into an unbelievably successful city… and it’s still growing.”
While claiming that Dubai is a land of opportunities, Yogesh added that Dubai is not for everyone and had some advice for first time visitors. “You need to be a high performer with a strong skill-set and a solid business plan. Only then can you succeed.”
Yogesh believes the city’s success lies in “its airport and the government’s great foresight to make Dubai the gateway to the Middle East and Far East. What London is to Europe, Dubai is to the Middle East.”
Given that Yogesh started off with nothing, he feels that Dubai has given him everything. “I believe when I came to Dubai in 1990, I came to the right place at the right time.”