As the Chairman and CEO of Century Financial, Mr. Krishen has been entrusted with the task of taking crucial decisions for ensuring the company’s continued success, maintaining its impressive track record, and developing strategies for its rapid progress. He ensures that all his strategies are aligned with the organization’s vision. He oversees every business aspect of the firm and is actively involved in its day-to-day functioning.
CARVING HIS OWN TRAJECTORY TO SUCCESS
Mr. Krishen belongs to the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir and has had a humble upbringing as one of the nine siblings in a modest family. His rise to the top was anything but easy. But he did not give up in the face of adversity. On the other hand, he turned every adversity which came his way into an opportunity. He started working at an early age to support his family by doing several odd jobs. Ultimately, he created an opportunity to hone his entrepreneurial skills when he started a small business venture in his native town. The real turning point in his life was when his father retired early, and he decided to travel to Dubai with an aspiration of finding a good job, which would provide a better livelihood for his family back in India.
When he first landed in the UAE in 1996, he took on whatever job he could find, and joined a local hotel in Dubai. During his career in the hospitality industry, he learnt the basics of people management and the importance of customer service. At the hotel, he worked his way up to become an accountant. Right from his childhood, Mr. Krishen has had a way with numbers. He was always good at Math and Finance, despite his lack of higher education, and his passion for numbers-crunching showed in his current role. Impressed with his speed and accuracy with numbers, one of his regular clients, a senior banker, advised him to move to investments and finance sector. This gave him the push that he needed to consider a career in the financial investment industry seriously.
In the year 1999, while working within the hospitality industry, he met Mr. Sulaiman Baqer Mohebi, an Emirati entrepreneur and the then Chairman of Century Financial. Mr. Sulaiman was immediately impressed with his positive attitude, tenacity and uncompromising ambitions. No wonder he offered Mr. Krishen a role at his company. Mr. Krishen started as a dealer, wherein he assisted in the supervision of transactions across major global exchanges. Later on, he rose to the position of Trader and Financial Analyst and eventually went on to become the Head of Investment, Associate Director, Director and ultimately, the Chairman and CEO of the company. As a result of his dedicated efforts, what started out as a junior role 20 years ago in Century Financial, was gradually transformed into the pinnacle position of the Chairman of the firm.
STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME
Mr. Krishen is a successful entrepreneur and a seasoned investor himself who understands mature businesses and startups alike. He has developed astute skills and business acumen fostered over years of experience. He knows how to grow businesses, build timeless relationships and empower people around him.
His quest for perfection in every aspect of the company’s business and operations is the cornerstone of the progress made at Century.
STRIKING THE PERFECT WORK-LIFE BALANCE
A devout family man, he regards his wife, two sons and a daughter as the pillars of his strength and support. His mantra for success is to eat healthy and maintain a regular exercise regime that helps in physical and mental wellbeing. His typical day starts with 30-minutes early morning yoga in his villa that helps him manage the day taking in stride the business-related matters and managing his day-to-day affairs to run the company in a highly competitive market scenario efficiently.
VALUING, NURTURING AND MOTIVATING TALENT
Mr. Krishen shares a great rapport with his 100+ staff who always look up to him for inspiration and guidance. He vehemently believes that employees should be continually motivated so that they turn out to be innovative and stay focused on delivering excellence.
He is of the view that employee satisfaction goes hand in hand with the company’s ongoing and future success. Under his guidance, every staff undergoes an intensive training scheme designed to give them all the skills and knowledge required to serve clients using any of the platforms and products the firm provides. No wonder the organization takes pride in possessing one of the highest percentages of CISI certified professionals for any UAE-based financial investment firm.
CONTRIBUTING TOWARDS MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE
Besides being an accomplished entrepreneur, Mr. Krishen is also actively devoted to philanthropic causes highlighted by his support to various NGOs, which promote human welfare in the UAE and India. Under his quintessential leadership, Century Financial has been giving back to society by way of caring and sharing through its annual charity drive and imparting industry education programs to future generations of leading educational institutions in the UAE.
He played a significant role in launching a unique CSR initiative called “Health, Wealth & Happiness” (HWH) to align with the ‘Year of Giving’ in the UAE in 2017. Under the ‘Health, Wealth & Happiness’ banner each year Century has been creating a unique charity experience that reaches out to the less privileged sections of the society. A typical HWH kit consists of a) Health (Health/ hygiene related items), b) Wealth (Discount vouchers for money transfer charges, to send across their money to their families) c) Happiness (calling cards to call their loved ones back home).
With regard to the current situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic; this year its HWH kit was modified to contain hygiene and protection items like face mask, gloves and sanitizers for the Frontline workers comprising Careem food delivery captains.
