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INDIAN ACES POWERED BY:
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Ashish PNC
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Mehta Menon
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Founder and Managing Partner Founder and Chairman
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ASHISH MEHTA & ASSOCIATES SOBHA GROUP
Law Construction and real estate
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ORIGINALLY HAILING FROM THE INDIAN
state of Kerala, Menon has built up a
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formidable reputation since starting his
career working as an interior designer.
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That was in Oman in the 1970s, on
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projects that included the sultanate’s
famed Qaboos Grand Mosque. After
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moving to Dubai, he founded Sobha
Yogesh
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Group, which is currently hard at work
on two of the emirate’s most significant
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projects: the $10bn Mohammed Bin
Mehta
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Rashid District One development –
CEO
O which he’s described as the “most
PETROCHEM MIDDLE EAST exciting” project in his life – as well
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Energy as the $4bn Sobha Hartland. Today,
Menon’s son Ravi has taken the helm,
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AN INTERNATIONAL ATTORNEY, YOGESH (YOGI) MEHTA IS A allowing Menon to focus on expanding
currently practicing from offices in driven man who has come a long the group’s Middle East operations.
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Dubai, India and Singapore, Ashish way but constantly has his eye on
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Mehta is licensed to practice law in the what comes next. He established
UAE, including before the Courts of Petrochem Middle East in 1995
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Dubai International Financial Centre, with friend and business partner Firoz
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the UK, India and Singapore. David Lubbock. The company
His law practice includes some of has since gone from strength-to-
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the largest ongoing projects in the strength to become one of the Merchant
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Middle East, India, Pakistan and largest independent petrochemical
other Asian countries. He has worked distributors in the region, with a state- Chairman
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with international and commercial of-the-art storage terminal for bulk PURE GOLD GROUP
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legal procedures providing analysis and drum chemicals in Jebel Ali. Retail
Z and counselling on complex legal A Harvard Business School
documents and policies. Clients have alumnus, he believes that his KNOWN AS THE “MERCHANT WITH
come from across the world, giving organisation’s success has been based a heart of gold”, Pure Gold chairman
him a great working relationship on anticipating market and customer Firoz Merchant has become famous
with all cultures and ensuring he needs. He constantly asserts that his throughout the UAE and India for his
has obtained a vast knowledge of employees are the business’s greatest philanthropy, specifically for helping
international transactions. assets, and once told Arabian Business secure the release of thousands of
Mehta has written columns on how he will sit with everyone from the people held in UAE jails due to unpaid
politics and current affairs. He is cleaning staff to board members in debts. “My philosophy is simple…
a Fellow at the Indian Council of his company canteen so that he can How can I pay back the [host] country?
Arbitrators, New Delhi, and an gauge their views. Saying thanks is not enough. How good
accredited Arbitrator on the panel a human are you? You have to prove
of the Indian Council of Arbitrators. it,” he told Arabian Business in 2015.
As part of its corporate social His philanthropy has cost him well
responsibility programme, his firm $500bn over $4m. In January 2017 alone, he
renders pro bono legal services to paid over $40,000 worth of prisoners
Indians residing in the UAE through The planned investment in charges, bringing the total number of
the offices of the Indian Workers energy projects by oil and gas prisoners he has helped since 2011
Resource Centre (IWRC) in Dubai. producers in the Gulf by 2025 to over 4,000.
40 Vol. 19/04, January – February 2018
