Abdulla Ajmal, CEO of Ajmal Perfumes and part of the family business’s third generation, discusses the brand’s roots and how it grew from Assam to a global name in luxury scent.
You are the third generation of your family to lead Ajmal. Could you share a bit about the brand’s beginnings?
My family is originally from the northeast of India, a region called Assam. Most people know Assam for its tea — some of the best in the world. But what many don’t know is that some of the finest quality oud also grows there.
My grandfather came from a farming background, though his father didn’t approve of business, believing it involved dishonesty. But my grandfather saw farming as too challenging, as it depended heavily on factors like the weather. In that region, rice is the main crop, and everything has to be just right for it to thrive. Unlike today, where technology supports farmers, farming back then was tough.
So, my grandfather explored other options. He tried a few ventures that didn’t work out until someone mentioned a valuable commodity called oud, which actually grew in their backyards. The best way to describe growing oud is like having a diamond business where you get the rough diamond and the specialists know how to carve and polish it so that they can sell it. The oud business is the same. It comes from the tree, although not every tree has oud, just like not every diamond mine has diamonds. It takes a lot of experience to know where to find it. You cut the tree, and then locate the dark, resin-rich oud, which is highly prized as incense in the region.
The people who gave my grandfather the idea would go to the jungle, collect the oud, and sell it in the village. This oud would then travel to Bombay and on to Arab traders, who had longstanding business relationships with India, especially for textiles, spices, and perfumes. Most people who started with my grandfather stayed in the village, but he was different. A true entrepreneur, he always thought ahead. That’s why we named the brand Ajmal after him — for his vision and foresight.
What was it like for your grandfather to take his first major step by moving to Bombay?
While others were content to stay in the village, he thought, “Why don’t I go to Bombay myself?” So, he travelled to the market there and, like something out of an Indian movie, arrived at the train station with 500 rupees, which was stolen from him. But over time, he built relationships with traders in Bombay. This was in the late 1950s and ’60s, and travelling from a remote village in Assam to Bombay was a task in itself. He’d be away from family for months at a time. Eventually, he thought, “If I’m making some money now, I need to think about the future.” So, he moved his family to Bombay for a better life and a good education, especially in English. Gradually, none of my uncles completed their education, except for one who attended college but didn’t finish. They all wanted to join the business, which is typical for the second generation, who often want to expand. My father, being the eldest of the second generation, became known as the ‘king of oud’.
At this point, my grandfather was thinking, “Why should I keep trading with these merchants when I can have my own shop?” So, he started doing both — wholesale trading and running his own shop. Then he took it a step further and decided to visit his customers directly. He travelled to the GCC, met many of his clients, and built a rapport with them. He didn’t realise it at the time, but what he was doing was creating a brand — his name became trusted. Back then, he just thought of it as building a reputation.
Funnily enough, one of the first times he came to the UAE, he landed in Sharjah because Dubai didn’t have an airport at the time — which is hard to imagine because Dubai Airport now resembles a city. When my grandfather came to the UAE, he began building relationships with the royal families. He would have meetings with the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and they would sit together for hours. Back then, the royal family was much more approachable. There were no large palaces or heavy security like today. They would sit by the creek, the Abra, and engage in discussions. Many Indian and Iranian traders would also gather, and Sheikh Rashid would share his thoughts with them. At that time, Aden in Yemen was the largest port in the region. Sheikh Rashid used to say, “I want a port here in Dubai, one that will be bigger than Aden”. Today, we have Jebel Ali Free Zone, one of the largest ports in the world. He also envisioned tall buildings and skyscrapers that would attract international businesses, and he followed through on that vision by establishing the Dubai World Trade Centre.
My grandfather was so enamoured by Sheikh Rashid’s vision that, when the time came for my uncle, the second son, to join, he was told by my grandfather to open Ajmal’s first shop in Dubai. My uncle, the social butterfly of the family, took on the task. So, in 1976, we opened our first retail store in one of Dubai’s markets, in an area that has since been completely modernised. Today, we have over 350 stores in eight countries and export to around 60 countries.
How and when did you become involved in the business?
I learnt the business at the dining table. I didn’t exactly have an option, as the eldest of the third generation. When I finished my education in the UK, I wanted to stay back and work. I had an amazing experience working at United Colors of Benetton at the time — in the warehouse and in the store. I wanted to continue working there, but, as is typical in Indian families, my family convinced me to return home, saying they could use my help in the business, so I came back in 1996.
I often say I’m part of the ‘two and a half’ generation because I had the unique opportunity to learn from my grandfather, my father, and my youngest uncle, who sadly passed away in 2012 and who was my mentor. He was the one who trained me in the art of perfumery. In the beginning, I would learn about smelling during the day and I would sit in our shops, learning about the consumer, in the evenings. In a family business, you’re expected to know everything, from sales to supply chain, from product development to perfumery. I had the chance to work in pretty much every department in the company, which shaped me as a leader, and in November 2022, I was appointed CEO.
When people ask what I do, I describe myself as a perfumeist. It’s a relatively new term, but within our industry, it means a jack of all trades and a master of none. I know how fragrances are made, and I can do evaluations, costings, supply chains, and product development. I still have to see it in a big way, but I’ve pretty much done the entire gamut. That’s the reason I emphasise how being the second and a half generation gave me a unique opportunity since my cousins and my brother, who are involved in the business today have specialised in their own things instead. For example, my brother heads our supply chain, and while he’s an expert in that, he isn’t as involved in sales. My experience gave me a very, very strong foundation and close relationships with all the key people, who I call the pillars of our company.
You were mentored by renowned perfumer Jacques Chabert. What key lessons did he impart to you about perfumery?
He is my mentor even today. He’s in the South of France, and I go visit him almost every year because he’s in the thick of things, supplying to many luxury brands. For example, he created one of Chanel’s fragrances and has crafted nearly all of Molton Brown’s scents. The most valuable lesson he taught me came from a question I asked him early on: “When does a perfumer truly become a perfumer?” In perfumery, it’s essential to work as an apprentice and continue building your skill over time. Back then, I was young and impatient, so I asked, “When does someone become a perfumer?” He replied, “When your creation sells, then you’re a perfumer.” That was one of the most impactful lessons he ever shared with me.
I also owe a great deal to my uncle, Nazir, who I give all the credit for creating this fusion of Eastern and Western perfumery. He had a mentor himself and had already learned some elements of Western perfumery, but he also had a strong foundation in Arabic perfumery, having grown up with it. He developed the idea of blending the two styles. He would tell me, “Rather than recreating the wheel and learning what we’ve already mastered, focus on Western, or Occidental, perfumery.” So that’s what I did, immersing myself in that tradition. Today, our business is about 50 per cent Western perfumery and 50 per cent traditional perfumery.
With the rising global demand for oud, how has Ajmal balanced scaling production with your commitment to sustainability?
As you’ve seen, there’s an “oud mania” happening around the world. Everyone wants oud, but few use the real thing due to its expense. This demand has expanded our reach globally, and we now proudly offer oud fragrances to a wide range of major brands. Although I can’t name the specific fragrances, some are highly successful in the market. Our clients used to call us the ‘King of Oud’, so I thought, “Why not embrace the title?” Now we refer to ourselves as the King of Oud, as we’re the largest consumers, buyers, and suppliers of oud worldwide.
In the same way, my grandfather never had an idea of what a brand would be or is, but he always thought, “Hang on. Everybody is cutting these trees; nobody seems to be growing them.” So he said, “You know what, let me start the process so that my grandchildren can benefit.” In those days, it took — and still takes — 30 years for the tree to grow. He started the first reforestation programme in 1979. So, what we talk about as sustainability today, he had already begun in 1979. Because of his work, we now have multiple plantations with over 10 million trees of our own. We also have a very large, substantial, and modern R&D division, where scientists have perfected the partitioning and inoculation of oud. This allows us to speed up the process so we can get oud in six years instead of the usual 15 years. Not only that, but we also hold patents in seven countries where oud grows for this process.
How has your family’s vision evolved through the generations?
Our family’s always been visionary, constantly asking, “What’s next?” If my grandfather focused on plantations and customer relationships, my father and uncles took on the task of modernisation, making the brand relevant. In our generation, we’re thinking about globalisation and positioning Ajmal in places like Selfridges, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason in London, Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, and other cities worldwide.
Each generation has its focus: the first prioritised sustainability, the second was cautious but focused on growth, and our generation has the luxury of not having seen bad times, so we can be a bit maverick. Luckily, we have our elders who keep us grounded, allowing us to take risks but within reason. My grandfather never imagined Ajmal would become a recognised brand. Just last week, I saw our brand in a high-end Beverly Hills store — the only GCC brand they carry.
For the perfumery side, my vision is to make Ajmal a global brand, aiming to be in at least 120 countries within the next five years, with at least 500 stores worldwide in key metropolitan cities. For the group, I hope to be in seven to ten different categories. I won’t name them as we’re still studying them, but some will be adjacent categories, while others will be completely new. That’s another luxury we have — the chance to explore new opportunities. Some of these my father didn’t pursue because he felt he didn’t understand them, but today I can see the potential and feel confident in backing them, even if it takes time. That’s the difference in our generational approach.
Why is the UK market important for Ajmal, and what inspired the launch of the Prive Collection in World Duty-Free, Heathrow Terminal 4 earlier this year?
Travel retail provided us with a wonderful starting point to connect with consumers who may have seen the Ajmal brand during their travels.
And we’re in very near-completion talks with some other big names to carry our brand. They’re high-end and extremely niche. Initially, I don’t anticipate our fragrances being available in more than 15 stores in the country. Then we’ll see how we want to expand around Europe — again, very niche. Our goal with the Prive collection was to create something that cements us as the big brother of Oriental scents and very high-end artisans in perfumery. For example, the packaging is crystal, with 24-karat gold plating on the metals. The fragrances are developed with master perfumers, and many contain a good amount of our own expensive oud.
The character of these fragrances is also quite niche; to really appreciate them, you need to understand the raw materials. It’s like fine wine or single malt whisky; the rare materials used are expensive and limited in quantity, adding to the fragrance’s unique composition. So, while some may smell it and think, “No, this is not for me”, someone who knows fragrances will put it on their skin, and still notice it eight hours later, appreciating the quality of rose, jasmine, or oud.
To my knowledge, we’re also the only perfumery company in the world that’s absolutely vertically integrated. Many handle manufacturing, retail, and wholesale, but we’re unique in that we also produce our own raw materials. We trade in the raw materials as well. We currently have an entire division called ‘Aromatics’, which focuses on naturals. We don’t do aroma chemicals. For example, Rose de Mai is a very special rose that blooms only in May in the south of France, and I don’t think many, if any, of our competitors can get their hands on it. But we do. So, we use these rare raw materials in limited quantities.
Thanks to my uncle and everyone else, I also work with many master perfumers, and I started an initiative called the ‘Oud Tour’. For the last six or seven years, I’ve been taking top-end master perfumers to Assam for a two-day workshop where we discuss the future and usage of oud. On the day of leaving, I give them a brief about a fragrance we need to create together. What I’ve learned from my elders is that knowledge-sharing doesn’t happen by itself; you need to keep researching, keep learning, and keep teaching.
Coming back to why we chose the UK for the launch: honestly, we’ve always had a soft spot for the UK. I’ve lived there a long time, and the UK is a very important perfumery market. Arabs are particularly enthusiastic about fragrances in the UK. Are these going to be exclusive to the UK alone? No, we’ll gradually spread them around Europe, but we won’t go to the U.S. before Europe is fully established. Very slowly, cautiously, because it’s not just about money in this case. Here, I’m trying to cement our name as the brand that brings true artistry to perfumery. There will be a lot of education about the raw materials, the process, and the inspiration behind each fragrance, because today, people don’t buy products — they buy the emotion behind them.
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