Invested In The Future

Shailesh dash has come a long way since launching wealth management platform al masah in capital in 2010, with some $1.7bn of funds raised, almost $500m worth of private transactions, and the promise of much more to come. The entrepreneur and financier talks exclusively to gulf business about where the region’s investment market is heading, and how young entrepreneurs can succeed in a competitive landscape.

- Neil King

THERE’S A LIGHTNESS to Shailesh Dash as he arrives to the Gulf Business office. A broad smile and a warm handshake sets a relaxed tone as he jokes his way through an entertaining photoshoot, showcasing his sharp and engaging character before we even begin to discuss his multi-billion-dollar investment career.

But don’t let the entrepreneur’s jovial nature fool you. Several snaps and a cup of coffee later – as we sit to discuss the progress of his various investments, his views on the region’s economy and investment landscape, and his key advice to budding business leaders – his ready wit is matched by a steely focus. A seriousness that has clearly served him well since launching his first business, Al Masah Capital, in 2010.

Prior to striking out on his own, Indian national Dash had built a stellar reputation in the region’s financial sector with Kuwaiti firm Global Investment House. As head of strategic investments and research, and later managing partner of the company’s alternative investment arm, Global Capital Management, Dash helped build the fiduciary side of GIH. But when major defaults by the treasury team in late 2008 and 2009 forced the company into a large-scale restructuring process, Dash knew it was time to move on.

“I did lose quite a bit of my stock options at that point in time, and we decided – me and the team – that we are not going to put our career or our hard work on the line only for somebody else to lose it,” he explains.

“We decided that we should put all our strength and skill set experience into creating something that we were responsible for. So we moved from Kuwait to Dubai – the land of opportunity, I must say, particularly for expats – and we started a company known as Al Masah Capital with several reputed investors and benefactors from the GCC and Asia.”