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Azizi Investments chairman Merwiss Azizi talks to Matt Warnock about the credit crunch, Dubai's future and his company's own objectives.

From the large right angle of windows that makes up two sides of Merwiss Azizi's office, the chairman of Azizi Investments is offered a panoramic view of Dubai's World Trade Centre roundabout and taking pride of place in this scene stands an enormous billboard bearing his company's name.

The billboard is a strategic marketing strategy; an aggressive statement of intent all about branding (it promotes the Azizi Investments name alone, rather than any specific project) as well as a subtle assurance of credibility.

It's typical of the aggressive campaign the developer is running and, indeed, has resulted in the company becoming such a household name that it's easy to forget that it has only just celebrated its first birthday.

"I started in business 21 years ago, although we dealt in other industries, such as petroleum, and operated in different countries," explains Azizi.

"Along with my family, I've now been in the UAE for 15 years and, between 2006 and 2007, I decided to move into property development and invest in the UAE."

Self-assured as ever, Azizi Developments threw its cap into the ring in February of this year with the unveiling of more than 30 projects and, as the old saying goes, the company hasn't looked back since.

"If you look at the number of developments we've launched in such a shorpat sce of time, you can't help but classify us as one of the big players in Dubai's development industry. Of course, we're not at the level of Nakheel or Emaar at the moment but, needless to say, we aim to grow and have even more of an impact. Which company doesn't?"

With the bold marketing and grand ambitions, it would be easy to believe that Azizi had bought rather than earned its way on to the market, were it not for its almost startlingly good reputation within the industry.

Commentators, contractors and fellow developers alike are gushing in their praise for the company, with words like ‘professional', ‘achiever' and ‘ambitious' regularly thrown around.

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