Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Mamad Kashani Akhavan, CEO, Powerhouse Real Estate

Supplied
Mamad Kashani Akhavan

What does your company do? 

We’re aiming to reinvent real estate by educating brokers and expanding their knowledge in the field. We’ve implemented a simple training programme for each new joiner to ensure their quality of performance in the market. Once they’re released into what we call “the sales floor”, they’re ready to enter the game. 

What do you look for when hiring talent?

Self-motivation and a positive attitude. The rest can be taken care of by Powerhouse’s agent support initiative. I believe in a work environment this competitive if you manage to keep a good attitude you are more alert, have less stress, and, therefore, can build up better relationships with clients and your colleagues. Networking is key in real estate, and you need a good attitude to build up and maintain a network. 

What counts for more, luck or hard work?

Unless you work hard you won’t become lucky. Opportunity comes to those who work hard, understand the game, and have the capacity to stay in the game. So, for me, it’s more about endurance and consistency.

What was your biggest lucky moment?

In 1984 I did a deal for £1 million back in the UK, which was a record for that time. I was only 21 years old!

What is one thing you wish you’d done differently?

Hold Apple shares!

If you could rule the world for a day, what three things would you change? 

  1. I would make people think more about how precious time is. Once time is gone you can’t get it back and that is very important to remember. If people live by that, they would make different decisions every day. 
  2. Teamwork. If you don’t pass the ball, you will lose the ball. It’s a game we all should play together as a team. 
  3. Be more understanding of each other’s needs. 

What three factors do entrepreneurs misjudge about the Gulf market? 

  1. They don’t realise the majority of the properties in Dubai are owned by locals – the entire property stock is not freehold. They should believe in the market more and stop panicking. We’ve got a lot here in Dubai’s real estate market to look forward to.
  2. Misjudging the fast pace of Dubai’s market in general. I believe Dubai is growing fast and everybody should keep up and upgrade accordingly. 
  3. There are a lot of business owners who think what worked yesterday works today. 

Dream Mentor?

The British billionaire Sir Richard Branson. His desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age and his persuasiveness in different fields motivate me. As an entrepreneur, serial developer, and a real estate business owner, I would like to educate other people in this particular field and influence them positively so they can reach their full potential. Sir Richard Branson is also an adventurer and that is admirable in my opinion. 

Latest articles

Jacksonville Port in Florida. A new container service connecting the port to Jeddha could improve Saudi exports

Florida port service could increase Saudi non-oil exports

Saudi Arabia’s exports are set to improve following the introduction of a new container service that will link Jeddah with Florida. Non-oil exports rose 4.4 percent year on year in February while production cuts led oil exports to slip to 77 percent of the total, the government said. Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) in Florida said […]

An Emirates Boeing 777-300R. The Morocco facility will convert passenger planes to cargo

Boeing plane conversion facility to be built in Casablanca

A production facility is to be set up in Morocco to convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger jets into freighters. Stratos Industries will build three wide-body aircraft hangars at the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca as part of a deal between US-based companies Kansas Modification Center (KMC) and Integrated Aerospace Alliance (IAA). KMC will convert up […]

Art NFTs Video length: 04:13

Dubai art dealer uses NFTs for fractional art ownership

A Dubai tech startup is introducing tokenisation to the art world, after the NFT bubble burst spectacularly. 10101.art aims to make investing in art accessible to all by selling digitised fragments of works by artists including Andy Warhol, Banksy and Picasso, allowing for collective ownership of a masterpiece for as little as $100 a fragment. […]

Rain falling on paved surfaces such as roads has nowhere to go, but retrofitting roads to allow rainwater harvesting could help, some experts say

Rain harvesting could help Dubai offset a stormy future

If last week’s floods made improving drainage a necessity for Dubai, the reward might come in the form of more natural water resources, provided the emirate can boost rain harvesting efforts, industry observers tell AGBI. “The main idea for countries, especially in drier areas, is to try to reuse water as much as possible,” says […]