Dharam Kapoor, CEO and Founder, Advisors 360
Dharam Kapoor has a BCom and a Master’s in Management Studies (MMS) from Bombay University. He cultivated a passion for advertising and set out to work at the best agency in the industry, and got his first job at Lintas Bombay in 1989, where he worked on Hindustan Lever brands; Rin, Lifebuoy and Wheel under the mentorship of industry stalwarts including Alyque Padamsee, Meenakshi Menon and Prem Mehta.
In 1993, the desire to buy an apartment for his family led Dharam to consider options outside India to earn some fast cash. He efforts paid off when his CV eventually made it to the office of BBDO Saudi Arabia. The decision to relocate was not easy given that neither he or anyone in his extended family had travelled outside of India and his friends were skeptical of life in Saudi Arabia. However, he decided to embrace the challenge and has not looked back since February 1994.
The initial years in Saudi Arabia were very tough – familiarizing to the country, culture and language was a steep learning curve. Added to this was a perception in the Gulf that Indians were good for lower positions or unskilled jobs. Hard work and resilience led Dharam to become the General Manager of BBDO Saudi. As a bonus to this growth within the BBDO Middle East and North Africa group, the top management opened their eyes to Indian talent, which allowed him to place many Indians across varied departments who as well succeeded to higher ranks. Dharam was the first Indian to be recruited as Manager at BBDO Saudi and set a leading example of Indian talent and experience within his company and industry. While at BBDO he worked in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Lebanon.
In 2002, Dharam gave in to his entrepreneurial spirit and quit his high paying job. He created an agency and has achieved enormous success since. He is currently the Founder and CEO of Advisors 360 with offices in Jeddah, Riyadh, Dubai and Beirut. 10 years ago, the advertising industry was facing a change and Advisors 360 decided to venture into corporate events, conferences and exhibitions, which proved to be a turning point for his fortunes. What worked, was translating the creativity and execution from his experience in advertising to events.
In the 25 years Dharam has lived and worked in Saudi Arabia he has created a reputable name for himself. He is often invited by the industry to speak about best practices and trends. Working in marketing communications has offered him exposure to over 100 sectors, solving a plethora of problems and creating opportunities. In particular, Dharam has a wealth of knowledge about bakery products, packaged foods, restaurants business, telecom/data, arabian perfumes and the SME and Startup ecosystem. In his organization, Dharam makes it a point to hire fresh graduates. He believes in investing in local Saudi’s and trains them in the art of marketing and communications as a way of paying back to the country that has been his second home.
On the personal front, Dharam has travelled to more than 30 countries and likes to do adventure sports like sky diving, bungee, scuba diving, and desert off roading when he gets a chance. His dream adventure is to travel across India in his car. Dharam misses India a lot, especially the street food, the alcohol, the buzz of Mumbai, his family and friends. He currently resides in Jeddah and Riyadh with his wife and has two grown up children who live and work in Canada.
His corporate achievements are many, however there are 3 that he is very proud of.
- Being part of the management team handing the marketing communications and NPD for a bakery brand named Switz. The company has grown from INR 60 Cr in 2002 to INR 1000 Cr in 2019, and has moved from a local brand to a regional brand.
- Curating and executing the largest exhibition/ conference and knowledge-sharing event in the Gulf for SME’s and startups, as part of the Saudi Government’s Vision 2030. The event, named ‘Biban’ that brings together the entire eco systems with public and private sector participation.
- In 2005 ‘Mobily’ became the 2nd telecom operator in Saudi Arabia. Dharam’s agency has been handling their marketing and DM since 2005. Mobily has been the catalyst of the telecom revolution in Saudi and Dharam has witnessed this sector grow from just GSM calls to 5G, affecting B2C & B2B.
Throughout his career, Dharam has been experimental. He is a risk taker by nature and supports the spirit of entrepreneurship, which makes him a promising angel investor.
No Details