Does fortune still favour the brave in real estate?

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Mohamed Moghrabi, founder of KAIZEN tells CEO Middle East it takes guts to survive today.

"They say that one should buy when others are selling, enter when they are exiting, and they say that swimming against the flow is often an intelligent strategy. This is where distinction is often achieved." And this is what Mohamed Moghrabi, founder of Kaizen MC, believes in and what motivated him not to follow the masses and to make his own business in a comparatively tough time.

With BSc and MSc degrees in Engineering from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and research thesis at the University of Texas at Austin, Mohamed Moghrabi has achieved success in a relatively short period of time, attaining distinguished managerial and executive positions in the various organisations he worked, ending up with establishing his own company - KAIZEN Management Consultants.

Throughout his career, Mohamed has worked at various managerial levels on large-scale real estate and engineering projects, such as the renowned Palm Jumeirah, the world's longest Qatar-Bahrain Causeway, Dubai International Airport, Doha Education City, European Investment Bank-funded highways in Lebanon, and numerous developments at the executive management level during his tenure with a mega real estate developer based in Dubai, from super high-rise structures, to community and city developments.

As a testament to his achievements, the AUB has recently awarded Mohamed the "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award".

What is KAIZEN?

I have great respect for all cultures that exist, but I have a special affinity for the Japanese culture, both social and corporate. It's based on respect, hierarchy, discipline, laws, systems and the pursuit of perfection - ideals with which I strongly identify.

KAIZEN is a fascinating Japanese philosophy that focuses on continuous improvement throughout all aspects of life. It's a daily activity that delivers small improvements, yielding large results.

Hence KAIZEN Management Consultants or KAIZEN MC for short.

What services does KAIZEN MC provide?

We have clearly identified our niche business as a distinguished service offering. We like to describe ourselves as a "boutique".

What we do is development management of real estate projects. This is not to be confused with project management, which is more focused on the engineering aspect.

We manage the entire project on behalf of the client (be it a developer or investor), form all aspects: strategic consultancy, site selection brainstorming, idea creation, feasibility, project branding and positioning, engineering, project management, financial, marketing, sales, legal... the whole nine yards!

We manage the process, acting as client representative for every aspect of the Development. At the end of the day, the client gets a headache-free, properly managed and seamlessly delivered project, tailor-made highly specialised services, at a fraction of the cost being incurred on the client, compared to what it would cost for the client to totally manage the development themselves via an in-house team.

In short: we provide highly specialised, customised development management solutions, reducing the operating and running costs of the client and avoiding a ‘fat internal organisation', while offering a quality service that matches or exceeds what would be offered through the in-house client team.

How are you distinguished from the competition's services?

In fact we look at other consultancies that have a similar offering to ours as potential collaborative partners, not competitors. In fact, we have already started collaborating with two of them, and look forward to joining hands with the others as well in the future.

You see, instead of competing against each other, by consolidating our efforts we can achieve much more. I strongly believe this and the pie is large enough!

The team of experts and advisors we work with in KAIZEN MC are a select, high calibre, proven track record force, each one having a number of renowned achievements in his/her pocket.

In terms of our business proposition, we always look at the four main entities that define the success of the project: the client, the project, the investor, the end user... proper development management will ensure all these stakeholders are rewarded with results that exceed their expectations.

In this context, I wish to mention that ‘sustainable developments', ‘green' and ‘environment' are terms that are intrinsic in our business and projects. We always recommend to our client (if it's not already a regulation) to design the project taking into account the sustainability principles. To this end, our LEED certified professionals have managed projects from the basic to the most complex, achieving LEED certification with great success.

Where will KAIZEN MC be operating?

Our operation is not geographically bound. Because KAIZEN MC does not offer a physical product, but rather expertise, experience and high-calibre advisory services, we are able to be highly versatile and dynamic in the location of our operations.

We normally initiate the interaction with our clients by engaging our top team members at the strategic and planning level; I will always be heading that "initial strike force".

Once the project business plan has been created and agreed and the consortium of specialised firms is in place, we hand it over to our management team leader, who will be based in the same location as the client or project.

Presently, our operations are focused in the following countries: UAE, Bahrain, KSA, Qatar, Lebanon and Libya. We have recently identified two new geographies with a specific project in each.

What motivated KAIZEN MC to start in the region, during the crisis which is affecting mainly thereal estate sector?

Most of the people around me thought that I wasn't very wise in launching the company in the region and at this specific time, leaving a senior managerial position in one of the region's largest developers to establish a new firm! Let me just say that success is the only option I consider, and second place to me is the first loser.

Why I established the firm? Looking carefully at the real estate development supply chain, one could notice the obvious gap or missing piece... the single entity that would ‘hold' all the strings of the development process under one managerial umbrella, and advise the client, acting on his behalf with respect to the numerous other entities, firms, individuals, etc.

Why in the region? Even though I acknowledge the challenges and hard current times, I am very optimistic about the future of this region. I consider myself lucky to have ended up here, in a region with great prospects and opportunities. This region is becoming increasingly attractive for regional and international investments. In my opinion, real estate prices are reaching tantalising low levels, making the investment opportunity close to irresistible. Additionally, education and healthcare may also present reasonable investment sectors.

Why during the crisis? This is the hard one! It takes guts! It took a lot of courage to actually make this leap. They say that one should buy when others are selling, enter when they are exiting, that swimming against the flow is often an intelligent strategy. One should not always follow the masses. This is where distinction is often achieved. I hope to succeed in achieving it too. And what better time to offer a service that will allow the client to cut down on both costs and headaches than in the midst of an economic crisis?

What's your dream for KAIZEN MC?

I wake up every day, and think about how to improve the business, not just grow it. I look at our current projects and clients, and at the world around us and I start imagining how I can introduce more creativity and innovation in the solutions we offer (engineering, financial, HR, administrative, etc.). It always goes back to gradual, continuous improvement ... Kaizen philosophy!

I am passionate about the relationship between the practical world, and the academic/research environment. I believe that the two complement and strengthen each other. If you don't keep up with the latest academic and scientific practices, as well as the applied ones, you risk becoming outdated in due course. I aim to further strengthen our strategic relationships with academic institutions around the world, in the various fields of specialisation, within the real estate development and engineering world.

As an advisor and consultant, my dream is for KAIZEN MC to become the first thing that comes to the mind of any investor or developer as soon as the idea or intention to develop a project crosses their mind.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Dealing with Challenges.
Posted by Suhaib Shaikh, Dubai, UAE on Monday 13 April 2009 at 23:41 UAE time


I really agree with Kaizen CEO with most of his thouhts. I am very confiedent that there are always opportunities existing at different Economy cycle.

Comments on KAIZEN
Posted by dr. Muneer Azzam, Dubai, UAE on Monday 13 April 2009 at 01:04 UAE time


Very interesting business approach. I highly appreciate the great efforts behind this important concept.

Really?
Posted by John on Friday 10 April 2009 at 19:12 UAE time


Does KAIZEN chief really see light at the end of the tunnel? Weird, none of us see it!

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