A week in the life of: Fadi Nwilati, CEO of KAIZEN Asset Management Services

Sunday

I start my day with a few minutes of yoga, breakfast, and coffee, while listening to my music collection. I am big on music and have a rich collection of vinyl recordings and playlists. As I reach the office, I meet with the senior management team to discuss the action plan for the week. At lunchtime I meet with a client to discuss the status of the commercial property we are managing, and at 4pm I meet with Kaizen’s chief operating officer and chief marketing officer to discuss an event in Q4 for which we are a silver sponsor. I finish the day with a swim, reading a chapter in a book, and making calls to friends and family.

Monday

Today I wake up early and hit the gym before attending a morning workshop. In the afternoon, I spend time alone at the office reviewing our 25-year company plan and looking at how we are progressing towards our 10-25 year goals. I prepare my personal Q4 targets, which focus on setting up agile teams to convert weaknesses into strengths within 2019-2022. As the day ends, I catch up with friends for dinner and a nightcap at our favourite restaurant in Dubai Marina.

Tuesday

After a yoga session, I head to the office to interview a candidate for a director position. Later, I have a meeting with the COO and our managers and discuss how our energy saving initiative was able to reduce the annual energy consumption charge by 2.5 per cent in one of our managed buildings. We also review the strategies that increased annual revenue of the building. After a busy day, I enjoy dinner with friends – some of whom have been my closest friends since kindergarten.

Wednesday

Today is a less hectic one as some of my meetings were moved to another date. Reaching the office around 9am I have a meeting with my executive assistant who updates me with my weekly schedule and pending tasks. Later in the day I meet with the interior designer for my villa that is currently under construction. I then join two of our existing clients for an early dinner at Zuma for a general catch up.

Thursday

After yoga I have a breakfast meeting with a private real estate fund that is expanding and possibly going public. Later in the morning I have back-to-back meetings with Kaizen’s human resources department. I spend a good two hours discussing personal development plans for team members and debating over training programmes. We discuss whether to have those programmes on-line or off-line at our head office. After lunch, I have a meeting with the new director on our team. I end the day with a client dinner meeting to further discuss possible business ventures and investments. I then research summer camps for my son to build his horse riding skills and allow him to enjoy his love of nature.

Friday

My Friday ritual is mostly spending the day bonding with my son. Shadi and I enjoy taking our yacht out fishing and exploring the sea with friends. He loves the thrill of going out at sea with his classmates, who we often invite on our boat. Back home from fishing, we enjoy a game of chess. After putting my son to sleep, I research the book I am publishing. I am a little behind, as I keep expanding my research further. I am planning a five-day solo trip outside the country to work on finishing the book.

Saturday

On Saturdays, I catch up with reading. I follow five topics on average and read at least one or two books per month, depending on the book size. I continuously take courses to expand my knowledge of a few topics. I recently signed up on a diploma with MIT University in artificial intelligence – a topic that sparks my interest. In the afternoon, I take a few hours to check the progress of my villa that is under construction, choosing tiles and paint colours. In the evening, I have dinner with my family and prepare for Sunday’s meetings and activities for the week.