Dunston Pereira is the CEO of the Royal Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Faisal Al Qassimi.
PHOTO BY JONATHAN YBERA/EXPAT MEDIA
Working royals in the UAE have their own royal offices, also called private offices, and one such man helping sheikhs in running this like clockwork is Dunston Pereira, CEO of the Royal Office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Faisal Al Qassimi.
As CEO of Sheikh Ahmed’s Royal Office, Dunston is privy to discussions on multi-billion-dollar projects that are being presented to the office for possible investments, collaboration or other support. “The motive of the royal office is to provide a better environment for the future generation. That is my key target as CEO,” Dunston says. Sheikh Ahmed, a member of the Ras Al Khaimah royal family, is the founder of Al Qassimi Group of Companies and Investments, which has businesses in diversified sectors helping investors launch their businesses in the UAE, GCC and globally.
Pereira was a businessman in India before moving to the UAE after being acquainted with one of the royal families here. In an exclusive interview with Expatmedia.net, Pereira demystifies his role as CEO of the Royal Office of Sheikh Ahmed, giving us an insight into a day in his life.
As CEO of the Royal Office of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Faisal Al Qassimi, I am proud that I have been able to contribute a lot to the business community who are coming to the UAE to make their dreams happen. We are here to support them in their expansion dreams.
We are into diversified sectors: Healthcare, hospitality, aviation, entertainment, sports, oil and gas, gold and diamond trading, you name it. We meet with investors, dignitaries and members of the business communities from around the world. Our doors are always open. We make sure we spend time with them, understand what their needs are and to the best of our ability we try to help them out. That’s how the whole day pans out.
I don’t have a fixed 9 to 5 because sometimes when I start the day at 8am, I come back at 6:30pm, but there are days when my meetings have gone to 3am or 4am because I am more into international relations and that is when other countries start their day.
I am a member of more than 10 NGOs across Africa and we have projects providing toilets for girls’ schools in remote areas of Nigeria. We are also supporting a project in Liberia to provide sanitary pads to young women who don’t have access to them.
I have an ambitious project to set up a skill center for autistic children in the UAE.
I try to spend as much time with my wife and our son and daughter. My daughter is a doctor and my son is into film writing. We try to be in the house as a family and watch some movies.
You need to look at the world, or the people around you and see what you can contribute to society. If each individual can take this responsibility, I think we can make this world a better place in the years to come and for the next generation. PIA/Expat Media
ALSO READ
UAE’s next megaproject: Moon in Dubai
5 megaprojects coming up in Ras Al Khaimah
For all the latest news from the UAE and the world, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube page
Share
© 2015 All Rights Reserved. ExpatMedia
