Hailing from the city of Dubai, Khalid Al-Mulla is an Emirate private banker, entrepreneur and influencer who was able to take his love for super-cars and turn into an exclusive global membership club for AMG sport car owners called Group63. Present in 25 countries, Group63 has over 241,000 members and is considered to be one of the largest car clubs in the region. He also founded NXY Watches and is an ambassador for Iconic watch maker Hublot. We sit down with Khalid to discuss how he started, how he built a global super-car club and much more.
-What made you want to get into Private banking, and how did you get into that line of work?
I am working as a director relationship manager in SCB’s Private banking division ,Private banking means managing wealth and in most cases the UNHW tier , if you lock at a clock you see time moving perfectly , that’s because behind it there is an engine moved by a team the teams comes in many shapes in all different sizes but all work together for the success of the machine if one failed the entire machine will stop , in the life of the wealthy banking is that machine and private banking is the scope on all of the pieces in the back , and the knowledge is pure wealth
I started working very young and it took me 12 careers to reach were I am today , I work in all sectors in the UAE from Government to semi-government to the private sector
-Tell u about your childhood and upbringing, did you always have an entrepreneurial spirit, how did you develop it?
Yes of course , since I was 15 I had admiration for sport and super cars , but all changed at 2009 , this is the year were I founded Group63 , to me it was only a group of AMG owners having fun but the potential was unexpected, I started organising drives and saw people coming from all GCC countries , so I went and branched it to all GCC countries , fast tracking it to today I have started Group63 in 25 countries with over 241,000 members its currently considered as the world largest car club
-Tell us about SuperSprint UAE and what it offers to members.
As group63 developed over the years my addiction for achievements kept on growing in the year of 2011 I already had 47 Gunnies world record made under Group63 , so why not something far more exclusive and beyond reach , hyper cares were the rarest productions u can see in the super car world or the automotive society in a whole , I created supersprint to be the worlds most exclusive and secretive event that ever happened , if you own a hyper ar can only participate in it once and by invitation only , you also get the date and city of the event 2 days prior to the event , and location and time of the event 4 hours prior to event start , no media , no coverage , you and your hyper cars with no boundaries in a blocked road supported by the police to just fly, at 2011 I had 56 participant with their hypercars , the cost of the cars 90 million aed , in 2015 I broke my record with 98 hyper cars with cost of 450 million aed and in 2017 , 197 hypercars worth 691,000,000 USD
-Tell us about “15 Keys”.
This was my gift to the automotive society , along the path of organising events , many small parties were starting up replicating clubs that have been in action for years , 15 keys is the golden recipe to create you club in 15 main steps , should you follow them you will end up starting a club without spending a dollar , completing sponsored and supported by the government , should you fail to meet all 15 steps your clubs will fail one way or another , this was the thin red line for all those who thought what I did was easy , it’s a wide invitation with a shared secret , if you can do it , here are the steps ,
15 keys is one of 2 books I wrote , in my time , 15 keys was available in 633 copies all sold out and ‘’ PUSH TO START’’ my biography is made into 63 limited edition copies
Btw only 1 person managed to succeed in the 15 keys in the duration of 10 years
-Tell us about your Group63 watch Editions, the story behind it and it’s bold, unique designs.
On 2009 I met the owner and founder of seven Friday watch brand , we discussed collaboration on p3-01 series they made which was very famous at that time being inspired from automotive lifestyle , we created a group63 edition limited to 63 pcs with our logo on the back , I didn’t expect that piece to be sold out in 3 months time , hence I created a plan to officially establish our Group63 DNA criteria’s which is ( colors black and red , our logo , limited to 63pcs , usage of carbon fiber or forged carbon ) there were my official standards , if any watch maker would approve creating an edition he must follow and include our DNA , fast tracking it to 2021 , today we have 13 different edition all from different brands starting form 500 USD per watch up to 298,000 USD per watch all sold out
1. seven friday
2. zinvo
3. Roger Debuies
4. Halda - Zenith
5. BRM
6. Devon
7. HW & Co
8. Phenomen
9. Bomberg
10. Movas
11. Dietrich
12. Quinting
13. NXY watch
-What were some challenges that came with starting Group63?
Of course many , to begin with my family were against it , they saw the young and only child wasting his time and money and efforts into a hobby with any returns , the de-motivation of my friends on me organising useless events for nothing , and the dis-believe of members I tried recruiting in the beginning to become members , at 2009 clubs didn’t exist in dubai so it was hard to convince a person to join a car club
-What was your favorite event you ever organized with Group63?
Super sprint uae, in 6 months preparation all on my own I called and pitched day by day members of mine and car collectors all around the world , in a list of 3000+ contact I managed to convince 179 to show up those 179 cars worth was 691,000,000 USD , and this event was recoded as the world most expensive hyper drive
-What would you say are the most important factors that enabled your project to be in 25 countries and have 241,000 members?
My travels to each of the countries and understanding the demands and needs of the members / owners their , each country is different in many ways , different roads , landscapes , regulations , tracks , permissions , gov support or not , and all , it takes me 4-5 months to create a plan for a specific area , then finding a president to handle it there is the main key , its very hard but I was lucky enough to have found 25 entrepreneurs to support
-Looking at your profile and Group63’s profile, it is evident that you are very good at branding. What are some practical tips you can give readers on building a brand, whether it is for a personal brand or a company?
· Always create logo
· Record historical moments and achievements
· Also think 20 steps ahead and 2 years long
· Create a plan table and keep updating it
· Challenge your self
· Show case the line of development of your brand/ company to world
· Adapt , evolve , and forget about anyone / anything that would pull us backwords
-From the beginning of your journey, until this point, what are the 3 most important lessons you've learned?
I have 2 bachelors , and worked in 12 different careers , still today the most successful thing I am doing is my passion in both ways financially and mentally so I say the 3 most important are
1. Follow your passion no matter what
2. Cut relationships with those who pull you back in any way
3. Always plan ahead and act on the plan , you will fail but that will lead to a win
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