Zubair Timol is the Partner and Area Director of India, Middle East & Africa at Meltwater. He joined the company during its startup phase, being trained in Oslo, Norway, under the tutelage of the CEO.
Before moving, as part of a team, to start the company's operations in London. He has since then remained a valuable member of Meltwater's growing international team and is largely responsible for its growth across Asia, Middle East and Africa. With his focus on global strategy and expansion, Zubair has a pedigree for developing leadership talent across markets...
He moved to Dubai in 2010 and has devotedly built up the company's regional team. Having worked extensively across Europe, China, Japan and South East Asia, his passion is emerging markets and their interplay with technology. He is also a serial entrepreneur which aligns with Meltwater's entrepreneurial culture. Over the years, Zubair along with his brothers or friends have been involved in setting up various businesses with interests as diversified as design, event management and fashion . His most recent stint was setting up Velsvoir, a luxury brand menswear brand with his two brothers in Dubai.
Apart from building up Meltwater's presence in the region, Zubair is passionate about developing and retaining the company's talent pool, with a strong success rate in developing female leaders from within the organization. His business mantra is to personally handpick the right talent, create a positive environment and develop them through positive and constructive feedback. As a result, the company has an enviable retention rate. In business, Zubair's inspiration is Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud, the Saudi business magnate and investor whose entrepreneurship skills across a broad range of sectors and cultures, provide ample inspiration.
Zubair has a degree in European Law / Masters in Medical Law from the University of Amsterdam. Given his thirst for education, he has recently completed a Post Grad in Global Business at the University of Oxford.
Zubair continues to be an active commentator for style, design and culture, given his exposure to travel. In his leisure time, he enjoys spending time with his family, sampling food across the region designing and taking part in sports activities including boxing, bikram yoga and running. He is also an avid reader and contributor to trend driven journals.
