Amit Marwah is the chief investment officer of a major investment company in the Middle East.

 

He is also popular for his passion for body building, writing & astrology.

MW: Tell us about yourself and your journey to heading a major investment company in the Gulf. How big is the portfolio that you handle?

Amit Marwah: I am the chief Investment officer and the head of corporate strategy at a renowned firm in the Middle East, and have been at the forefront in the establishment of several major businesses in the Gulf region across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, & Qatar. At the start of my career, I wanted to become an ad maker. I was so passionate about it that I barged into the Ogilvy & Mather office to secure an internship. It was a very big thing at that time, which all my marketing peers in Business School were aspiring for. However, it was only a matter of time before I realised my real penchant for numbers, analytics, private equity transactions & business strategy. I had several stints with Investments & strategy consulting roles with the likes of Kotak Mahindra, Mckinsey, and Cushman & Wakefield, before finally finding my calling in the Middle East.

MW: How would you define success? Can you list three most important ingredients for success from your personal experience?

AM: Success, to me, is the ability to make a reasonable effort to go after each of your goals and dreams, and the satisfaction of doing it to the best of yout abilities, irrespective of the quantum of results. The three important ingredients for me are the 3Cs: Courage, Creativity, and Control. Courage to try things which others won’t, creativity to think out of the box to solve problems, control over one’s mind, actions, and thoughts. The first two come naturally to me and the third one, I am trying to develop.

MW: How do you keep yourself motivated on a daily basis? Do you have a role model, and what have you learnt from his or her life?

AM: The desire to not end up mediocre keeps me motivated. As the saying goes, mediocrity is always invisible until passion shows up and exposes it. My role models in life are Elon Musk and Virat Kohli. Elon Musk for being a visionary, and Virat Kohli for busting the myth that one needs to be born special, to do extraordinary things in life.

MW: You are into fitness in a big way. What is your fitness routine?

AM: I believe fitness is one of the most important tools that allows an individual to maximise his/her potential. We all know the benefits of physical fitness, but I would like to emphasise on the mental and physiological aspect of fitness, and the repercussions it can have on our day to day life, especially for corporate professionals. As far as my fitness routine goes, I wake up at about 5.30 every morning. I work out for an hour-and-a-half every day, which includes an hour of strength training, and 30 minutes of cardio.

MW: We have not seen many senior corporate professionals taking their fitness obsession to these levels. What is your goal?

AM: There is no point in doing something and not aspiring to be the best, or as close to the best. There have been times when people said I am never going to look the way I eventually did in a recent photoshoot. Many told me that being such a senior corporate professional in with family and kids, just a healthy lifestyle is enough. Yes, maybe for them, but not for me. I wanted to go the distance at least once, and now one more goal of mine has ticked the check box. As far as brand endorsements are concerned, I have been fortunate to be associated with some of the best nutrition brands in the country, like “Absolute Nutrition”, India’s answer to foreign food supplement brands, Eggon, which brings a never-seen-before flavoured egg white drink, “Herbchick” with its protein chicken bars, and Earthnut Peanut butter, which has a great range of peanut butter-based products.

MW: Private Equity and building businesses is a stressful job. How do you destress?

AM: I am extremely passionate about two things at the moment. I am a fitness freak, and secondly, I spend time studying and practicing Vedic astrology. People know about my passion for fitness. However, my interest and knowledge of astrology is a closely guarded secret and only very close friends are aware of the same.

MW: You are an established international, famed C suite executive, a popular columnist, fitness influencer, you are into astrology. Quite a mix?

AM: I am a man on the go. I have passions to harbour, goals to achieve, and a clear plan on how to go about it. Isn’t that what your brand, MW, celebrates? A “quintessential world of a man on-the-go”, who is coming of age and knows how to go after what sets his soul on fire