Off hours: heaven scent pastimes for Dubai perfume expert

Think perfume, and you probably imagine subtle fragrances wafting through the Parisian boulevards. Chris Pickthall, an expert in the aroma business and the fourth generation of a perfume family, has chosen the rather grittier air of the Jebel Ali Free Zone. As the chief executive of UK-based CPL Aromas and managing director of the firm’s Dubai operations, he has run the global business from Dubai for the past 10 years. CPL operates at the industrial end of the fragrance business, manufacturing and supplying essences to manufacturers of shampoos, deodorants, air fresheners and any other product that needs to smell good. When he’s off duty, the Briton, 46, likes to give his nose a rest.

What are your favourite things to do on the weekend?

I like to play tennis and train for marathons. I like to do one a year, in London or Dubai, where I’ve completed a couple. My daughter, who’s 15, is in training for the London marathon with me next year. And I like watching my sons, 17 and eight, play football. All the children are at school in the UK so it gives me a thrill to catch up with their sporting development. I’m trying to persuade my daughter to go into the perfume business, which I think is the best job in the world, but she wants to be a lawyer.

What do you consider to be your favourite hobbies?

Apart from actually playing sport, I’m a great fan of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. If I’m in the UK you can catch me regularly at White Hart Lane, “the world famous home of the Spurs”. If I’m in Dubai, I watch the game with my fellow fans at the official UAE supporters’ club in the Icon bar at the Radisson Blu in Media City. Great bunch of fans and a great venue. Apart from that, I love music.

What can’t you live without?

Music. I can’t imagine my CDs being taken away from me, especially my collection of Paul Weller music, whether it’s from his days in Jam or Style Council or any other era. I’ve got it all on Apple music too, of course, but the CDs are special.

What do you consider the secret to your success?

A really strong family upbringing, and being fortunate to work with some of the greatest perfume professionals in the business. To be successful in this industry, you have to be truly passionate about the product. The Pickthall family have a long history in the fragrance industry and we all love what we do and the product that we create.

What advice would you offer others starting out in your business?

Before you can embark on a career in the fragrance industry, you have to have a passion for it. You need to listen to industry experts and ask as many questions you can. In addition to this, there is no substitute for hard work. And the actual perfumers have to have passion. They are the Michelin-starred chefs of the fragrance business.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

I find spending time at the weekend exercising helps me to switch off from work and refreshes my thought process. I try very hard not to check emails when not in the office. We have a rule in the company: I won’t email you out of hours and you aren’t expected to check work emails then either. If something is really important, it’s worth a phone call. And I like to devote as much time I can to my three children.

How do you relax after the working day?

Watching a Spurs victory is always the best way to wind down. But on the rare occasion they cannot manage that for me, a good meal at one of Dubai’s many restaurants with friends.

If you weren’t running your business what else would you be doing?

I would like to be involved in more charities. CPL is involved with two main charitable organisations. I’m a Catholic and attend St Francis of Assisi church in Jebel Ali, so Catholic Action for Overseas Development is a charity very close to my heart. Across the world they bring hope and compassion to poor communities and try to end poverty and injustice. I’m also working through an organisation called Cofvi – the College of Fragrance for the Visually Impaired – for people with vision problems. I’m convinced they have a huge role to play in the fragrance industry. We did some work in Mumbai putting blind people through fragrance courses, and they did extremely well. We’re also working with the Al Noor Centre for children with special needs to see how fragrances can stimulate their learning. It has great potential.

fkane@thenational.ae

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

MATCH INFO

Liverpool 0

Stoke City 0

Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)

Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

COMPANY%20PROFILE

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EEjari%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYazeed%20Al%20Shamsi%2C%20Fahad%20Albedah%2C%20Mohammed%20Alkhelewy%20and%20Khalid%20Almunif%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%241%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESanabil%20500%20Mena%2C%20Hambro%20Perks'%20Oryx%20Fund%20and%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Specs

Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)

Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)

Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh132,000 (Countryman)

Company%20Profile

%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20EduPloyment%3Cbr%3EDate%20started%3A%20March%202020%3Cbr%3ECo-Founders%3A%20Mazen%20Omair%20and%20Rana%20Batterjee%3Cbr%3EBase%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Recruitment%3Cbr%3ESize%3A%2030%20employees%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20Pre-Seed%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Angel%20investors%20(investment%20amount%20undisclosed)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

THE SPECS

Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 626bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh1,050,000

On sale: now

The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index

Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.

The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.

“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.

“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”

Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.

Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.

“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.