LADDER TO THE SKIES

It’s not just the view at the top that Bal Krishen, the CEO and chairman of UAE-based Century Financial enjoys, but also the journey of reaching there. In this exclusive interview, the enterprising executive reveals his stellar professional rise, where the investment market is headed, and what the future holds

- AARTI NAGRAJ

It is not often you meet people who have started from extremely humble beginnings to reach dizzying heights. And yet as we walked into Bal Krishen’s elegant office, what was immediately clear was that the CEO and chairman of UAE-based financial services and investment firm Century Financial remains firmly grounded, despite his lofty achievements.

Greeting us personally, Krishen was exceptionally hospitable and warm, and quick to start a friendly – and erudite – conversation. “I have always believed that ‘It is not about what life has offered you, but what have you done with that offering’,” he explains.

Krishen exemplifies that narrative. Born in India as one of nine siblings in a modest family, he completed his basic education in a local school where his father was a teacher. “But I was more interested in acquiring practical knowledge. I started working at an early age by doing several odd jobs, which helped support my family and provided early learning experiences. My entrepreneurial instincts were shaped when I took a risk and started a small business venture in my native town. It paid off and encouraged me to explore better opportunities outside my hometown. When my father retired early, I decided to go to Dubai aspiring to find a good job that would provide a better livelihood for my family back home,” he says.

Arriving in the UAE in 1996, Krishen was determined not go back empty-handed and took the first job he could find – at a local hotel in Dubai. “I learned the fundamentals of people management and the importance of customer service. I started as a bell boy and quickly worked my way up into an admin job at the hotel,” he elaborates.