Kingston University London

Catching up with... Alnur Dhanani

This month we're meeting Alnur Dhanani, MBA graduate and chairman of Carebase Ltd, which offers residential, nursing and dementia care homes for the elderly. Meet this powerhouse businessman whose favourite movie is Sleepless in Seattle...

When were you at Kingston?

1996–1998

What degree did you do?

MBA

Why did you choose Kingston?

At the time it was the only university that had a small business element as opposed to insurance, banking etc at other schools, which I didn't feel were as relevant to running my own business.

What do you remember about your time at Kingston? In three words.

It was fabulous!

Whilst at Kingston who was your favourite lecturer and why?

Wendy Lomax. She taught marketing – I didn't know much about the subject so it was always new and exciting. Wendy supervised my dissertation on word of mouth, and was very patient and always kept to the timetable.

Are you still in touch with anyone from your Kingston days? And have you been back here?

I occasionally get in touch with David Stokes but last year gave a talk on my experience in business at Kingtson Business School (KBS).

How has your time at Kingston shaped your career?

When I left KBS I had a business with about 40 employees. As a direct result of my studies, I had 1,000 employees in three separate businesses by 2007.

What are you doing now?

Running a care home company and a domiciliary eye care company.

You were already a successful businessman when you did a Kingston MBA. What made you decide to return to study?

I was a business person then. I felt I needed it for further development, and I still believe I was right. I have also recently been prompted to do a three-year, three-weeks-a-year exec course OPM (owner presidents management programme) at Harvard University.

What advice would you give anyone considering combining part-time study with work?

Your studies will take longer than you think and what the University tells you! Plan in advance how and when you are going to spend time at work, and with friends and family; there is no point being the most qualified lonely person in the world if you don't manage your relationships. Particularly, make sure that your loved ones feel loved.

Did your time at Kingston change you or your business? How?

Yes, the MBA, particularly modules like Strategic Management and Human Resource Management, changed my business dramatically. I could see the bigger picture and how everything depended on everything else; I could see the context within which I operated.

What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Relax about the money and career, be passionate about what you do, and only do what you are passionate about. The great companies and products like Apple and Ben & Jerry's didn't just cobble up a product and say "this will do". They were deeply passionate about what they were doing and then success came to them. Profit is a thank you from the customer for having given them a great product and experience. So chasing after success is like chasing after a ruler when what you really want is height. I was once told "do something you love and you will never have to work again". So if you don't love it, lump it; life is too short and 'success' will elude you.

What last made you laugh?

The problem is that I am always laughing so it's hard to identify a particular thing. I have been trying to learn to play a steel drum and I laugh each time I think of how rubbish I am at it, and how despite that I want to play at the Notting Hill carnival one day!

What's your ideal weekend?

I am a hobby pilot, so it would be to fly in the single engine plane to France on a sunny day and spend the weekend by a beach, enjoy the French food, and stay in an owner-run bed and breakfast.

Tell us something we would never guess about you?

Two things:

• I can't colour coordinate my clothes so I used to always wear white shirts and grey or navy suits so that there was no coordination to do. Eventually, a friend of mine (who owns a clothing store) put together a DVD of all the clothes I owned and how they go together. So I pick the tie want to wear on the DVD and it gives me all the options that I could have with it. When I have a new item, I ring him, he updates the colour coordination on the DVD, and sends it to me. Sometimes I pack my clothes for trip and forget the DVD and then I look like a complete moron!
• I can't stand to see poverty and pain. One of the key reasons I love my work is the sense of contribution the company makes to its communities. But even apart from the profits, it my personal aim to be able to donate at least £1 million per year from 2015 onwards. There is concept called ‘venture philanthropy' that I really like; it's where one applies business principles to charities and the donor acts almost as a venture capitalist driving the business forward until he can leave it alone to grow on its own.

You are to live out your final days on a desert island …

Who would you take with you any why? Muhammad Yunus, Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and author of Banker to the Poor.
What book would you take and why? A Course in Miracles. It makes me think each time I read a bit of it and I could easily spend the rest of my days reflecting on this book.
What movie would you take and why? Sleepless in Seattle – because it makes me smile.
What food item would you take and why? No hesitation here – lamb chops from Saloos restaurant. Why? Because one hasn't lived until one has eaten these, and I can't think of a better way to spend my days than with the above three items!