OUR TEAM

Dinky Puri

Founding Partner

Dinky has over with over 40 years international experience in management and operations of hotels, resorts, office buildings, mixed-use developments and retail complexes. He has been recognized as an industry innovator, strategy focussed, goal driven and motivating hospitality and development professional. Has a proven track record in hotel, leisure, tourism sales , marketing, identifying and negotiating management contract opportunities and new joint venture projects, providing operational based advice to owners and financiers.

Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Longwings, a Dubai Holding entity, responsible for asset management of Jumeirah Group of Hotels and other key assets owned by Dubai Holding in the international markets. He served as a Director of Dubai Investment Group for their overseas investment companies. He held overall responsibility as the owners representative for driving profitability, standards, lender relationship, operator performance and asset management of the assets. He lead the transaction team of the owners for the Jumeriah Essex House in New York asset sale successfully.

Prior to joining Dubai Holding group, Dinky served as the Head of Asset Management for the Hospitality division of the Majid Al Futtaim Group. Dinky also served as President of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels Plc for Europe and the Sr Vice President of the group a London stock exchange listed Hotel company. He also served the group as their Sr Vice President hotels based in Singapore. He had a distinguished career with Intercontinental Hotel Group, Ganun International, Oberoi Hotels, Steigenberger & Maritim Hotels. He has held senior executive positions in operations and development. His experience has taken him on key assignments with the worlds most renowned companies across Europe, America, Asia, China, Middle East and the Indian sub continent.

Founding Partner

Rahul has been in the real estate and hospitality industry for almost 20 years as top management team member with one of the largest real estate company and a Global Consulting firm in the region.Throughout this time, Rahul has worked on some of the world’s largest master planned projects across GCC and India. During his career, Rahul has been involved in the in various stages of real estate cycle in conceptualization, viability analysis, funding & investment management, project delivery and post construction planning of over 200 million square feet of master planned developments, 30,000 residential units, 1.5 million square feet of retail and 2.7 million square feet of commercial space.

The key projects included Jumeirah Beach Residence, Business Bay, Culture Village, The Villa, The Executive Towers, Ghoroob & Shorooq Mirdiff, Al Khail Gate, Vision Towers, Office Park, Bay Square, Al Waha Villas, Layan community, Staff accommodations etc. Rahul had been associated with some of the prominent hotel project from initiation until completion, namely, The Chedi, Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah, Four Seasons – Nile, Traders, The Leela etc.

In the past 20 years, Rahul has conceptualized and set-up 6 companies from scratch for Real Estate Development, Hospitality Development and Management, Property & Facility Management, Mall & Retail Management, Financial Services and an Education Asset Portfolio Company. Rahul has in-depth understanding of the critical business drivers such as strategic planning, corporate finance, business development and long term organisation development, which includes building brand, developing management teams, products development and setting up of delivery frameworks based on a long term strategic, business and operational plan.

CEO, Warifat

Abdullah has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, with hands-on experience in Assets Management, Hotel Operations, Green Field Developments, Project Management, Budget planning, Sales and Marketing. He obtained his High Diploma in Hotel & Restaurant Management from the leading institute called La Salle College in Montreal, Canada, and continued achieving his bachelor’s degree of Applied Management in Hospitality & Tourism from the University of New Brunswick, in Saint John, Canada.

Prior to joining Elaf Group of Companies, he had worked with various hotels companies in Jeddah and Madinah being part of Marriot International, Accor Hotel and ARAC (Arab Resort Areas Company) from 1997 up to 2015, where he held diverse positions as General Manager, Director of Hotels & Resorts, and finally took his first role as CEO of ARAC in 2012.

He joined Elaf Group of Companies in 2015 as Vice President, where he is managing the assets on behalf of the owners and also operating these assets comprises of 14 hotels in the western region of the Kingdom as head of Elaf Hotels Company ranging from Luxury to 3-stared properties. A year after his joining Abdullah was given the additional responsibility for managing the other two divisions of Elaf Hajj & Umrah, and Elaf Travel & Tours within Elaf Group. Later last year his role was further amplified by adding all the supporting department such as IT, Procurement, HR, and & Legal departments to his role. We have found Abdullah having a perfect fusion of International exposure, C-level experience while having the local roots.

Ehtisham Waris

Ehtisham Waris is the Head of Operations and Development, with Warifat (a JV of Eaglewing and Jabal Omar Development Company in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) Hospitality Company.

Having completed his Master Degree in Business Administration & Master’s in Hospitality Management from University of Sydney, Australia in 1993 and 1995 respectively, Ehtisham started his career with IHG Hotel Group as Management Trainee in Food in Beverage department in 1995 and stayed with group for 6 years. He has worked around 4 continents in his 24 years of hospitality experience working through supervisory and managerial positions.

Ehtisham during his carrier has managed Food and Beverage perpetration, service and Rooms Division departments in most of the leading hotel chains within Europe and Asia. In one of his previous roles he headed the Corporate Operations Department as Director of Operations for Best Western International based in Bangkok responsible for 475 hotels operation and new development within Asia and Middle East. He is well experienced and vast experience in opening new projects, takeover and converting operating hotels of types and categories.In his current role, Ehtisham is responsible for delivering the operational standardization and profitability, by introducing best industry practices, processes and standard.

Ankur Arora

Manager- Asset Manager and Development

Ankur has over 8 years of experience in the Hospitality Real Estate Advisory, Feasibility Finance, Development and Asset Management with a demonstrated history of working in the industry across South Asia and the MENA region. He possesses experience of working with multiple stakeholders from a real estate asset life-cycle standpoint namely; Hotel brand (Hyatt Hotels), Consulting & Advisory (Colliers International MENA) and Owners Representation (Eaglewing Group)

In his last assignment, Ankur was part of Colliers International’s Hotel Advisory & Asset Management function based in Dubai, UAE, with a focus on Asset Management. He worked on Asset Management assignments and was actively managing over 1,800 branded hotel keys across Saudi Arabia and UAE. Some of the hotels he managed were part of renowned hotel brands such as Radisson Hotel Group and Millennium & Copthorne Hotels.

In addition Ankur was part of Hyatt Hotels Feasibility & Development Finance function for South Asia for over 4.5 years, where he was responsible for the financial underwriting of potential deals across various Hyatt brands in South Asia. In addition, as part of Hyatt’s internal Asset Management endeavor, Ankur Asset Managed over 2,200 luxury and upper-upscale hotel keys, including a few re-positioning exercises. As part of Hyatt’s global feasibility function, Ankur gained international exposure in Europe & North America of underwriting deals across Management, Franchise & JV deal structures. Ankur graduated with B.A Hons in Hospitality Management from Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad, University of Huddersfield, UK. He also holds a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Finance & Asset Management from Cornell University. He is currently in the process of acquiring membership for Hotel Asset Management Association (HAMA).

Senior Manager

Mayank is a Project Management professional with extensive experience spanning over 11 years in Real Estate Development, which incudes Construction Management, Design and Development, Procurement/Material Management, Site Administration and financial management . Mayank posses a post graduate degree in Construction Management from NICMAR, India and in past he has been associated with the leading Project Management Consultancy industry since 2008 working with Multinational firms in the Indian sub continent like Cushman & Wakefield and JLL. His long exposure to the project management domain has resulted in good understanding from the Concept to Completion of various real estate projects comprising of mixed use development, Hotel, township development, University , Commercial retails and office spaces.

Mayank has played Pivotal role in leading projects of Green field and Interior fit out nature and successfully delivering the projects for reputed clients like Honeywell, Luxottica, Accenture, TCL, NMIMS, Marriott .

He is Multi-tasking leader with qualitative approach in formulating strategic plans, executing projects and establishing entire operations with key focus on profitability and company’s image. Proficient in executing and planning civil projects entailing planning, estimation, resource utilization, maintenance and quality management with a flair for adopting modern construction. Mayank hold various accolades and distinction of being globally awarded for Integrated Services Best Practice for his submission on decision making model in 2009 Best Practices Award Program during his service tenure with Cushman & Wakefield. Mayank has accomplished a certification program in “Real Estate Finance” from ICFAI India.

Nemanja Ristivojevic

Senior Design Manager and Project Architect at EAGLEWING/AVANTIME

Nemanja is 15+ years experienced Architect (Master Degree in Architecture) with a strong background and a long line of successful project deliveries. Professional with excellent organizational and communicational skills and a true team player. Always motivated by new challenges and able to perform best under pressure. Responsibility, persistence, and determination together with the ability to oversee the ‘big picture’ and think outside of the box allow him to manage problems efficiently and successfully. He has worked on many different positions so far and he is always open to cooperation with people from various cultural backgrounds. Nemanja is adaptable to various working conditions and in addition to that, very flexible and ambitious – as someone who is always open for further learning and progressing. He has both, Consultancy and Contracting experience. His portfolio includes hospitality, residential, commercial and mix-use projects. He is experienced in design from Concept design through detail design to IFC and has extensive technical knowledge and a strong understanding of international design standards, excellent communication, and team management skills. He provides effective leadership to the team, professionalism to develop the work.

The key projects:

Hotel Revier, Business Bay, Dubai, 3+star Swiss Hotel Brand With 230 Keys, G+18, Gfa: 12,500 Sqm / Bua: 20,000 Sqm
Dubai Creek Harbour-emaar – Two Luxury Residential Towers – Gfa: 45,000 Sqm / Bua: 70,000 Sqm
Holiday Inn Hotel & Residences, 4 Star Hotel With 280 Keys, Residences: 120 Units, 2b+g+30, Gfa: 30,000 Sqm / Bua: 50,000 Sqm
Hilton Garden Inn, 4 Star Hotel With 234 Keys & Embassy Suites: 5 Star Hotel With 104 Keys, 2b+g+30, Gfa: 30,000 Sqm / Bua: 46,000 Sqm
Dubai Eye, The Ain Dubai Plaza Enhancement (Bluewaters Development) – Meraas/north 25 – Plaza Enhancement For The Bluewaters Island – Gfa: 20,000 Sqm
Private Villa, Dubai Hills Estate, Dubai, Uae – B+gf+1, Gfa: 3,000 Sqm / Bua: 4,000 Sqm
Holiday Inn Hotel, Kuwait, Salmiyah – Two 4* Hotel Towers, 120/450 Keys That Rise To 17 And 30 Stories. Gfa: 40,000 Sqm
Dubai South – S.s.lootah – Masterplan For 3/4 Star Hotels & Residential: G+10 Gfa: 100,000 Sqm
University Olympics Command Center, Belgrade, Serbia – Tendering, Fit-out Design (10,000 Sqm)
The Usce Mall, Belgrade, Serbia – Design Review (130,000 Sqm)

Murtaza Ali Miya

Murtaza is a finance professional with experience spanning over 4 years in Financial Accounting and Analysis of business processes. A young Chartered Accountant along with a Masters degree in Commerce, he is also an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (Central Region and Dubai Chapter).

Murtaza is currently posted in Jeddah and associated with the Jabal Omar Development in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, working as a Financial Analyst on the hotels Financial Performance and Asset Management portfolio. He reviews KPI’s and consolidates financial data from the trading assets viz. Hyatt Regency, Hilton Suites, Conrad, Marriott, Hilton Convention, in Jabal Omar for monthly reporting to JODC and the BOD. Murtaza also actively participates with the Business Review Sessions conducted with the Hotels.

Murtaza has vast experience in Statutory and Operational Audits of various entities along with filing of Income Tax and VAT returns. Audit of entities mostly include Public & Private Companies, Manufacturing, Trading, Partnership and Proprietorship Concerns & AOP exposure in finalization of Balance Sheets and related legal compliances. Murtaza has finalized Accounts of Companies, Partnership Firms, Trusts, Society, Proprietorship and Individuals. He has exposure and understanding of various Laws and regulations in India and UAE. He is also involved in preparing Financial Models for projects like Arjan (Dubai project), Studio City (Dubai Internet City), AmericInn Project (Middle East and Indian Subcontinent), JODC project (The Address, Four Seasons), etc.

Firoz Moti

Firoz is a senior Hospitality professional with extensive experience spanning over three decades in Hotel operations, Finance, Development, R&D and Analysis of business processes. A certified hotel administrator from AHLA along with a Bachelor degree in finance he has been associated with the hospitality industry since 1978 working with chain hotels in the Indian sub continent and the Middle East. His long exposure to the ME region has resulted in good understanding of the region’s Culture, Tradition, Business Practices and local regulations. He has worked with International chain hotels like Hilton International, Starwood, Fairmont, and Oberoi hotels..

Firoz has been passionate and fully involved in opening hotels and hospitality focused mixed-use projects. The overall goals has been to enhance, elevate and solidify a hotel asset’s ability to drive value for the owner via maximized profits

Firoz has also been associated since 2009, with the Jabal Omar Development in Makkah Saudi Arabia. The project value exceeding 8 billion dollars is considered to be one of the largest development globally comprising of 37 hotel towers spanning over 230K sqm. which have been fully branded with a selection of 24 premium brands managed by a team of nine International Operators. The scope of services included providing Hospitality related consultancy and advisory services which includes Hotel classification and categorization advisory, Operators Selection, Management Agreement negotiations, Preopening assistance, and Financial Performance advisory, and Asset Management.

He is an Associate member of the Hotel & Catering International Management Association (HCIMA) UK.

Azmatullah Khan

Azmatullah has been in hotel industry for over 22 years with the experience of administration, operation together with the hotel accounting key areas, and ,is specialized in implementation, designing and monitoring of Income Audit, Accounts Payable, Cost Control, Taxation management & Auditing, Fixed Asset Accounting and Financial Accounting with the time efficiency and systematic working methodology.

His experience has led him to specialize increasingly in the management of complex multi-cultural tasks and their staffs at international levels. He has experience in professional accounting within the tight financial disciplines imposed by ambitious budgets which he has helped to control in all the best ways as per every company policy and procedures, methodical administration to deadlines and the application of modern leadership methods (through staff motivation and involvement in both decision-making and target-setting, clarity in communication, and easy personal inter-relations). Familiarized with the commercial world, the culture of government, and Arab regulations.

His own cosmopolitan background and analytical interests in other cultures, together with a command not only on English language but also on Arabic language too, have also left him confident in handling negotiations that require the reconciliation of different national approaches to otherwise common problems. Azmatullah has served with international leading hotels of the world which includes, TAJ group of Hotels India, THE OBEROI group of hotels Saudi Arabia, JUMEIRAH group of hotels United Arab Emirates and SHANGRI-LA and SIX SENSES group of hotels Oman.

Anirudha Damkey

Anirudha has over 20 year of work experience in senior management role with large real estate developers in Dubai and with Big 4 firms. He was working as the “Chief Finance and Investment Officer” of SmartCity, Dubai. Under his guidance SmartCity developed fully integrated business township in Kochi, India and Malta.

Prior to his appointment at SmartCity, he worked as the Chief Investment Officer of TECOM. TECOM is the largest free zone developer in the ME and has developed 11 free zones including iconic projects such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai International Academic City, Knowledge Village, Dubai Studio City, DuBiotech, Dubai Industrial City and D3 Fashion District. He was a senior member of TECOM Management team for over 7 ½ years and has played a critical role in development of free zones, buy and sell side mandates, managing investments, corporate finance, major expenditure proposals and fund raising.

He is an established leader in investments, corporate finance and transaction analysis in the ME region. He has also worked as the Head of “Transaction Analysis” practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Qatar and Oman and as a Senior Consultant with A.F. Ferguson Management Consultancy in India. During his tenure with PwC and AFF, he has led and carried over 100 assignments in business valuations, business plan, transaction assignments and entry strategy in ME, India & Europe.

Some of the past positions held by Anirudha are Advisory Board Member- Emirates REIT, Dubai, Board Member, Smart City, Kochi, India, Board Member, NexGen Consulting, Dubai, Chairman- Land Lease and Tender Committee, Smart City, Kochi, India; Member- Executive Committee, Smart City, Kochi, India and SmartCity Malta; Management Committee and Investment Committee Member, TECOM Investment.