A week in the life of… Khamid Ismatullaev, founder and CEO of Worldwide Distribution Center

Sunday

Today is my key day to plan for the week and arrange my travel plans. I wake up at 7am, have a coffee, and read the local and international newspapers. I travel a lot, so usually schedule my meetings during the first half of the week, in order to be in Dubai for the team meetings on Sunday. Today we prepare and discuss our meeting agenda for the exhibition that I am going to attend and other important matters that have arisen. In the afternoon I head home, throw on my gym shorts and see my trainer. Physical exercise is very important to me, helping me to relax and improve my general health.

Monday

This morning I am flying to Singapore. We distribute hundreds of personal care and beauty products for suppliers in East Asia so it’s an important region for us. As I travel so much, I try to sleep during the flight, so that I land fresh and ready for meetings. The first meeting is with my partners, who help me to keep an eye on the beauty industry innovations. That is followed by a meeting with suppliers, who show me new products they want to launch soon. Being one of the first to see new innovations in the industry is one of my favourite parts of my job.

Tuesday

In the morning I wake up around 7am and have a coffee followed by a quick breakfast. I try and keep to the same time schedule wherever I travel. I have a meeting with our logistics team in Singapore, so we plan and discuss the trade progress and necessary actions for the upcoming months. In the evening I have a dinner with a potential supplier to explore and analyse the business opportunities.

Wednesday

My first meetings of the day are with the current vendors, after which I head out for a networking event. My final appointment for the day is a Skype call with our office in New Delhi to see how trade is progressing in India. Then back to the hotel, to pack and take the night flight back to Dubai.

Thursday

I finish the week in the Dubai office, catching up on the emails and meet with my operations team. I highly appreciate my team and their support, so I celebrate and show my appreciation with a team lunch, enjoying their company. I finish my day around 7pm, go to the gym to relax and look forward to a weekend with my family.

Friday

Friday is my fun-packed activities day, which I spend with my family. It starts with a family breakfast at home, prepared by me. I am an enthusiastic cook and my kids are extremely happy to be together, enjoying a home-made breakfast. The weather now is too hot in Dubai to go to the beach or to do any kind of outdoor activities, so we head for a movie marathon followed by indoor kids’ camps. Making memories with my family is one of my biggest pleasures.

Saturday

Since we are a service provider, today is a working day for us. Today I focus on finding a good balance for the tasks that have been pushed during the week and make some space for creativity with the team. In the evening, I tackle some business matters that need my urgent attention before the new week kicks in.