Design of the times

zoom

There is something to be said for longevity; both in business relationships and personal interactions, and the heads of LW Design Group are the poster guys for that adage. Lars Waldenstrom, the group's Swedish Chairman (a new title to mark his taking a step back to leave the day-to-day running of the business to the "youngsters", as he refers to them) has been in Dubai, in one way or another, for over 30 years. Morten Hansen, the group's Danish CEO, has clocked up over 20 years in the emirate, and the two have known each other seemingly forever.

"We met when Morten left school," explains Waldenstrom, "and we've been working together ever since. He was working at the Swedish office which I had at the time, before I realised that everything had to come out here, and then he came over to help me work on some of the palaces".

The chemistry between the two is almost familial, with Waldenstrom playing the father-figure to Hansen's high-achiever son, and as Hansen is the first to admit that he owes most of his professional development to Waldenstrom, Waldenstrom is quick to reciprocate, heaping praise on his protégé.

And it is not just the beginning of Hansen's career that Waldenstrom was present at; the story of his career in Dubai runs almost as a mirror to the story of Dubai's growth to its current glittering form.

"I started the company [in its first incarnation as Swedish Design] in 1979," says Waldenstrom, "we were a turnkey operator, we designed and built."

Following work on a group of palaces for the Dubai royal family, Sheikh Mohammed took over the enterprise in 1994, for contacts to work exclusively for the royals, and it became Design Division.

The allocation of the contract to work on the Emirates Towers interiors led Waldenstrom, Hansen and the third founding member, Jesper Godsk, fondly referred to as "the creative whirlwind" by Waldenstrom, to realise that they wanted to concentrate solely on interiors rather than manufacturing, and, with Sheikh Mohammed's blessing, LW Design was born.

"It was much simpler in the early days, there was a lot of camaraderie around," says Waldenstrom, "all of us working around Sheikh Mohammed, we all knew and helped each other. There were no 20 page contracts.

"They were great times actually."

The group has come along in leaps and bounds from its beginnings in a villa on Dubai's Jumeirah Beach road to its swanky new headquarters in a purpose-built complex with views of the Burj Al Arab - decked out in the innovative ‘Swedish minimalist' design style that has become their trademark.

It is now almost impossible to find a top-flight hotel or hospitality centre in the Emirate that LW does not have a presence in; from several golf clubs in Dubai to the Grosvernor House, the Rotana hotels, and upcoming projects such as Raffles and a development on Palm Island.

"We got our first hotel in 2000, after that there hasn't been a period when we haven't had several hotels on the drawing board at any one time," says Hansen.

"It's a three to four year process, so we've designed the interiors of 20 hotels; 10 are completed and already open."

The restaurants alone number over 60.

"In the recent Time Out awards we had a restaurant in each category," boasts Waldenstrom. Hansen is quick to enlarge on this: "Obviously it's about the food and the service but the interior design is integral to the overall feeling and atmosphere. It's about normal people's opinions at the end of the day, and that is what design is really about."

While Grosvernor House cemented LW's reputation, it all comes back to the Emirates Towers.

"Emirates Towers was the pivotal moment - for us, as Design Division, and for Dubai," says Waldenstrom.

"Morten was really put in at the deep end because for the first time in Dubai it was executed using internet and email. You had consultants sitting in places like Melbourne and Toronto."

"It was a massive project," interjects Hansen, "the biggest that Dubai had seen apart from the Burj and Jumeirah Beach Hotel, which was going up at the same time. I was onsite for three years."

Emirates Towers, and the luxury other developments springing up at the same time, sparked multinational developers interest in the Emirate, and heralded a plethora of new projects for LW.

"The big global agencies were flying people in and out for jobs but they underestimated the potential growth," explains Hansen, "so from the beginning we branded ourselves as an international company based in Dubai."

As the business, and the market, has grown, LW's strategy has subtly involved in tandem with it. The current trend is almost the reverse to that in Europe and the US, where the recessions and downturns of the 1980s forced many companies to return to core businesses.

"We've now gone with a multi-disciplinary approach," Hansen continues, "as well as interior design, we've got a team of managing partners running the other divisions; Colin Doyle heading up architecture, Christian Loets runs graphics and Finn Theilgaard in engineering. We're pushing ourselves as a ‘one-stop-shop' for clients."

They are, however, careful to underline that the philosophy of being all things to all men does not mean taking up every project that is presented.

As Waldenstrom says; "you can't take on more than you can chew, it's better to do one thing really well than fail on five."

"In my time here I've seen lots of companies take too much on, and then been unable to live up to what they promised to deliver," adds Hansen.

Innovation is at the core of the group's strategy; the design differs from project to project but the onus is always on standing out from the competition by breaking new ground.

Another constant is the promise of consistent quality.

"You won't get a junior on a project," emphasises Hansen, "the client will get the best person for the particular task."

A company runs on its employees and, as with many companies operating in the region, LW has had to deal with issues ranging from recruitment to retention.

"At first we had problems attracting people from big western firms to Dubai, but now everyone knows about it since the big projects such as Grosvernor House have come online," says Hansen.

"But you have to think long term, many of our staff have been here for five years or more, you have to keep good talent. There are so many CVs flying around of people who've been here four months, there five months, I bin those."

"There are extortionate sums of money being bandied around," adds Waldenstrom, "there have to be limits, it's got to balance or you price yourself out of the market. If you pay one of your design artists more than a designer in London, which is what it's got to, you won't last. "

"You have to be real - offer a fair package for the position," Hansen agrees, "ok, if the money is double then go, but if it's only a little more and you won't get the same exposure... It makes me sad, but sometimes people have to learn for themselves." The open management style helps to enhance the atmosphere of being surrounded by a large family. The directors sit on the top floor in an airy, open plan space surrounding leather sofas and armchairs. Every Thursday staff gather to exchange news and unwind before going home for the weekend. The offices themselves are also geared to allow the designers to stroll over to the architecture division to swap ideas or check up on upcoming developments with the graphics department.

"We try to keep it light and creative," says Hansen, "there have to be parameters, but everything is dealt within departments."

"Actually I've thought this for a while Morten," Waldenstrom interjects, "you work the company with the same rules and economies that you use in your own life, and it works very well."

Turning to check that I have taken that down he adds, much like a proud father speaking of surrogate sons; "Everybody appreciates Morten's handling of these things. Jesper is the whirlwind, one of the most creative designers I've ever met. Morten is a fabulous designer but has also proved to be a brilliant manager and CEO."

With projects on the drawing board including developments in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Islamabad and London, as Waldenstrom steps back Hansen is eager to race forward.

"I'm 66 years old, I still come into the office every morning. I'm their sounding board for ideas," says Waldenstrom.

"In five years I hope to be fishing on my beautiful little boat outside Gothenburg before going home to my painting, but I'll still be flying over for board meetings, as long as they keep sending me tickets!"

"The long term plan is to set up an office in London," counters Hansen, "the fun thing to do is start in Dubai and move to London."

"We learnt from Lars how to work on the company rather than in the company, and that's what's pushed us forward," he adds, "we're now at a point where we can take our holidays and it won't all fall apart."

While Hansen focuses on the next steps ahead, Waldenstrom turns and adds quietly; "I won't be here, but I've left something I'm very proud of. LW will still be here and it stands for me."

"Right, can I go and play golf now?" he smiles.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (0)

Have your say

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM