Rashid Abdul Wahab Galadari, chairman, GIO.

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Man on a mission

While the company has gone into partnership with German investment firm ACI, which has developments endorsed by the likes of Boris Becker and Michael Schumacher, Galadari is keen to point out that he does not support the trend of celebrities lending their names to projects, without being directly involved in their creation.

"What we're doing basically is we're taking branding to a different level in the sense that we don't want to use the philosophy of branding a property just for increasing revenues."

The whole idea is that our brand partners have input in every aspect of the project especially when it comes to interior designs.

"It's a pretty much hands-on approach from their side."

While GIO currently focuses on the luxury real estate development business, Galadari is keen to enter new business territories and reveals that he is looking to expand into the hospitality sector, to acquire and develop properties abroad and even to own his own television company.

"When the company first started it was pretty much heavily involved in development as it is today however it has evolved into a proper holding company and we are looking into hospitality and property acquisitions abroad.

"I've always loved the media industry and I'm hoping I can look into that. We'd definitely be looking at media as well," he says adding that he hopes to one day own a television company and a studio.

In terms of international property acquisitions, Galadari reveals the company is looking to enter the European markets, but that it will be targeting emerging markets when it comes to new developments.

"At the moment we are concentrating mainly in the region and Dubai especially. But as a strategy I think that we would be targeting the emerging markets more especially when it comes to development. But when it comes to acquisitions we will probably be looking at the European markets. We feel that our group philosophy, the ideals and the look of the brand itself would work very well in the foreign markets."

Galadari's family back-ground means that for him, money is no object - and if he wants to do it, there isn't anything stopping him from owning a television com-pany, opening a hotel or buying multiple properties in Europe.

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