Wealth & Finance July 2017

Wealth & Finance International 34 Improving Healthcare in Pakistan ince its inception, Dodhys Agencies has been trading mainly in healthcare and safety products in Pakistan. They represent several well-known companies that are working extensively in healthcare and invest heavily in R&D. They have a very profound internal system of evaluating products, starting off from their production methods and down to how it affects the patient in various aspects. This way, they ensure that the products they introduce in Pakistan have a positive impact on the patient’s health. Dodhys Agencies has also become the parent company of several other companies, who are active in various fields. These include companies working in energy, chemicals, textiles and retail healthcare. These companies, including Dodhys Agencies, are now part of what is known as ‘Dodhys Group’. The current CEO, Abdullah Dodhy is eager to begin the interview by sharing his thoughts on how it feel to have won the CEO of the Year 2017 award? “Well, as a teenager I always wanted to get into business and I worked from young age to gain experience. I have always been inspired by busi- ness people who have achieved significantly in the field. Winning this award obviously, means a lot to me. The feeling is overwhelming. “At Dodhys Agencies, we believe that team work is essential for the growth of the business. This award has been awarded to me no doubt, but in spirit I believe that this is deserved equally by the people working in our company. Their relentless commitment to the work we do, and their mutual agreeing to the principals we have at Dodhys Agencies, is the reason of this award. I sincerely thank every member in my team. “I would also like to thank some other special people who have helped this company, indirectly through me. I would like to mention a very special friend, Semul who has been there along the way, at every step of the way. I thank you for that.” Abdullah then reveals how he keeps himself motivated and positive as a successful CEO plus, the challenges he has had to overcome to be a successful in this senior position. “Running a group of companies does get stressful at times, and I do believe that keeping yourself motivated always is something essential as CEO. Corporate culture, from the top level of management, tends to flow throughout the company. The ‘tone’ of the company is set by the higher management. Therefore, keeping yourself motivating is not just important for yourself, but also important for the team as well. “Personally, I renew my motivation by reading up on some of my inspirations, such as the late Steve Jobs. I also, enjoy spending a good amount of quality time with friends, which I think is important to relieve stress every now and then.” “Obviously, when running a company this is certainly not void of chal- lenges. The biggest problems I had to overcome throughout this time is that when I started, I realised that the rotation of money within the company is very important. I think that this is a direct effect on the busi- ness and on the growth of the business. We believe that money which leaves the company, evaporates. Therefore, we are always interested in re-investing our profits. “This is obviously easier said than done. Early on, I realised the impor- tance of this aspect of the business. I had to rewire myself to do this and to do this properly. This was one of the biggest challenges I had to overcome. Other than this, our business has could grow at a substantial rate, to fuel this growth we have needed investment. So, finding, suit- able investors at these points in time where we knew their investment would lead to more growth has been essential.” “I believe my greatest strengths are a good utilisation of time and the directive action needed to be taken for the company. Steve Jobs once said, very wisely that you should always ask yourself - are you doing the most important thing you could be doing at any point, as CEO. I believe in this concept very firmly. The fact that I can do this all the time and I align a day’s work based on this same philosophy, is one of the main attributes I think, which are the contributors to our success. Abdullah then outlines something of his work as CEO and the types of clients with whom he works with, including the business and your ongoing strategy and key principles he adheres to. “As CEO, my job is just ensuring that the systems of the company are followed. Ensuring all departments are working effectively and efficiently is one of my main duties as CEO. Apart from that, I believe that another key role I do play as CEO, is to analyse what is the next step for the company and how can we grow, plus considering other avenues we should be considering to further improve our services and products. Dodhys Agencies was established in 1960, by Abdullah Dodhy’s late grandfather. It was then passed on to his dad, and now to Abdullah Dodhy who is the firm’s current CEO. Following his remarkable achievement in attaining the CEO of the Year 2017 – Pakistan award, we interviewed the man himself to find out more about his company and his insights into being a CEO. S 1705WF05