Surf & turf

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Having just unveiled new offices in Dubai, Samir Badro, CEO of the Greenline Group, tells Laura Collacott why he decided to turn his design skills from the land to the sea by establishing a yacht interiors division.

I don't like the ocean much," Samir Badro, CEO of the Greenline Group, tells me; "I'm not a seafaring person.

In light of this it is perhaps bizarre then that he chose to establish Greenline Yacht Interiors (one of seven subsidiaries of the Greenline Group) in 1997, the new headquarters of which were inaugurated last month in Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA).

But on this point I am swiftly corrected: "I'm talking about the interior. We are all about the interior." Besides which, his family do not share his aversion to oceanic escapades.

Accompanying him on a trip to a trade show in Germany recently Badro's wife caught sight of a 70m superyacht: "She said, ‘that's the one I want!'" he laughs; "I said, ‘yes. One day!'"

As he reminds me, it is interior design that is something of a passion for Badro.

Graduating from the Lebanese University with a masters degree in architecture and interior design, he worked on prestigious projects in France, Belgium, the USA and Lebanon before being seconded to Dubai for a brief project in 1975.

His return from the four day assignment was interrupted by the outbreak of war in Lebanon, forcing him to settle here. "I am stuck here," he jokes.

Building on the foundation of his architecture and design experience, he established Greenline Interiors in 1976 and began his company's success story. From its humble beginnings, the company has built an enviable portfolio of royal and top-end projects across the world, establishing a global reputation.

Many of the royal palaces in the UAE have been designed by Badro's team; George Bush Snr commissioned the company to fit out his Presidential Library in Texas; the company completed 202 suites at Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab, a project that Badro is rightfully proud of.

It's very luxurious and has been a great boost for Dubai," he says, by way of explanation; "if you go any where in the world [people recognise it]."

Some are of the opinion that the city's flagship hotel could do with refreshing, ten years on. On the subject of a redesign of the Burj Al Arab he refuses to be drawn.

Some people like this colour, others don't. Some people like this taste, others prefer something different. But it's luxury, whether you like the colour or not. It's the service and quality that you have that make it luxurious.

As all but the most inept executives will know, it is not simply a case of a market existing for your product, it's making yourself marketable within it.

On this point, it is arguably Badro and his team's ability to see to the heart of what each client really wants from their project that has been key to their success, cementing Greenline's status.

No longer does it have to resort to the trivial matter of advertising; word of mouth does the work for them. These days the strategy is working so well that Greenline finds itself able to choose which projects to undertake. "Now out of the 10 or so invitations that we receive monthly, we reject nine," he confirms.

The designation ‘invitation' hints at the value that Badro places on each project and the pride that he and his team take in their work. He goes further: "We don't only look for celebrity clients. The best clients, good clients, are the ones that I like to enjoy time with.

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