Olivier Auroy is the managing director of Fitch Middle East, a branding and design network of 11 studios around the world. Originally from Paris, he has lived in Dubai with his Italian wife and two daughters for the past six years. He was educated at the Science-Politique, one of the Grandes Écoles in Paris, after which he had a brief spell in the advertising industry before joining a naming company, where he named brands such as the Renault Fluence. After a couple of years he joined a branding company because he wanted to understand more about the identity behind a name. His boss offered him a posting in Hamburg, London or Dubai. He opted for Dubai and has never looked back. Auroy talks with Helena Frith Powell about art, fashion and his life's passions.
Olivier's World
MY PERSONAL STYLE SIGNIFIER IS... black on white. I GET MY INSPIRATION... when running. Running makes your body release endorphins and it fosters creativity. I used to run with a Dictaphone. MY CAREER HIGHLIGHT IS... I started as a "namer", a guy who creates names all day. My first great moment was when a client chose my name for the first time in my career. It was Phébus, the new name of the buses in Versailles. MY LIFE MOTTO IS... what can I learn today? THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN IS... the day I read this quote from the former British prime minister John Major: "If you want gratitude, buy yourself a dog". FIVE WORDS TO DESCRIBE ME ARE... xenophile, creative, Mediterranean, bold ... and bald (almost). IF I WEREN'T MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FITCH I WOULD BE... a novelist.