Roberto D'Ambrosio, chief executive of Axiory, saves part of his income but also believes life needs to be enjoyed. Antonie Robertson / The National
Roberto D'Ambrosio, chief executive of Axiory, saves part of his income but also believes life needs to be enjoyed. Antonie Robertson / The National
Roberto D'Ambrosio, chief executive of Axiory, saves part of his income but also believes life needs to be enjoyed. Antonie Robertson / The National
Roberto D'Ambrosio, chief executive of Axiory, saves part of his income but also believes life needs to be enjoyed. Antonie Robertson / The National

Money & Me: ‘Getting back on track after a financial setback in my 40s is a milestone’


Deepthi Nair
  • English
  • Arabic

Roberto d’Ambrosio experienced the highs and lows as a novice trader at the beginning of his career and this experience helped him become more aware of risk and to hone his skills in investing and risk management.

Today, the Italian, 55, is the chief executive of Axiory, a global brokerage group, and has evolved from a novice trader to become an expert in governance, risk and compliance, with exposure to multiple jurisdictions worldwide.

His career within the financial services spans more than 25 years.

“I carry a deep understanding of financial markets given my role as a trader, investment manager and adviser within the regulated and alternative investment space,” he says.

Mr d’Ambrosio also serves as an independent non-executive director and investment committee member in licensed entities within the financial sector and runs his consultancy company in Dubai.

After visiting the UAE a few times, he moved to Dubai in 2021 and lives with his wife in Dubai Marina.

His academic credentials include a BA in law, an MBA from the Henley Business School, and a post graduate diploma in governance, risk and compliance with the ICA/Alliance Manchester Business School.

He has also submitted his dissertation for an MSC in compliance and financial fraud in the digital society with the University of Manchester.

Did wealth feature in your childhood? What did you learn from it?

I come from a middle-class family, and wealth in monetary terms did not play a specific role in my childhood at the start and became more important over time as our income increased substantially.

We were never to be considered rich, though, and what really impacted my upbringing was the fact that I was fortunate enough to travel the world since I was a toddler, leaving Italy at the age of 2.5 years to move to Saudi Arabia for four years, then Egypt, Nigeria, Greece, Cameroon, El Salvador and many more countries.

How did you first earn?

I started off as a proprietary trader with my family money, learning the hard way how to approach and respect financial markets. I was able to substantially increase the initial capital and then be hardly hit by market volatility.

Any early financial jolts?

Definitely yes. At the early stage of my engagement with financial markets as a trader, I have earned a lot and lost a lot. I have gone through all the major financial crises and collapses since the 90s, always learning more about how to effectively approach trading and investing and driving me towards being a professional in risk management.

I also had a major setback in my 40s, which took a lot of willpower, grit and effort to overcome, which I consider one of my greatest achievements.

Roberto D'Ambrosio tries to keep a balance between exposure to volatility and more conservative assets in his investment portfolio. Antonie Robertson / The National
Roberto D'Ambrosio tries to keep a balance between exposure to volatility and more conservative assets in his investment portfolio. Antonie Robertson / The National

How do you grow your wealth?

I tend to keep the debt leverage low and have a balanced portfolio for the core part of my wealth.

Leveraging my experience as a trader and investor, I tend to actively manage my portfolio, constantly rebalancing it and keeping a part of it actively traded into more volatile assets. Real estate is also part of the mix but kept to a manageable percentage of the total wealth to avoid liquidity issues.

Are you a spender or a saver?

I do spend, but rarely overspend. I save a relevant part of my income, but I do think that life needs to be lived and enjoyed here and now, still without overdoing it.

Have you been wise with money?

I must admit that I have not always been wise. Especially at the beginning of my career as a trader, I became overconfident and cocky, which is the worst thing that can happen to a relatively novice, and even seasoned, trader.

Based on that experience, I have built a wealth of knowledge that allowed me to become more risk aware, still facing risk as a threat and an opportunity.

I still have a medium to high risk appetite and tolerance, but always trying to keep a balance between exposure to volatility and more conservative assets, and keeping enough liquid assets to both manage unforeseeable life events and take advantage of investment opportunities over time.

What has been your best investment?

My best investment cannot be directly quantified in monetary terms, but surely contributed massively to what I am now, and that is investing in self-growth and constant education.

This is the kind of investment that surely yields the highest returns over time, both in monetary terms and personal and professional fulfilment.

I learnt the hard way how to respect and properly handle money, and that is now something I try to pass on to others
Roberto d’Ambrosio,
chief executive, Axiory

Any cherished purchases?

An apartment in south Italy, where I currently reside during my visit to my home country. It was an excellent investment as I managed to buy the place at a very convenient price, plus accessing a mortgage at a very low fixed rate.

Besides that, I love being there, as it is perfectly positioned to fulfil all my professional and personal needs and passions.

And my cherished Ducati motorbike!

How do you feel about money?

Let me say this straight: money is an essential part of a balanced life. Of course, it cannot be the sole focus in life, not even the main focus, but money needs to be respected and used wisely, so to serve its purpose to support one’s personal and professional projects and what matters to him the most: the health and well-being of his family and loved ones.

I learnt the hard way how to respect and properly handle money, and that is now something I try to pass on to others in my activity as a public speaker, publisher and mentor.

Any financial advice for your younger self?

Do not waste time and talent! Those are the sins I committed and that many young people commit.

Time is a finite commodity, and once wasted there is no way to get it back. Talent is a gift, but it’s nothing without commitment and hard work, and wasting it is a shame.

Any key financial milestones?

I had a major setback in my 40s. Getting back on track, paying off all my dues and getting back to consistently growing my wealth is the financial milestone that I consider to be the most important in my life, a critical, life-changing turning point.

What luxuries are important to you?

Finding the time to nurture my passions and spend time with my loved ones, which is a real luxury given the busy executive life and related time schedule.

Besides that, I am fond of real estate, motorbikes and, notwithstanding how much I travel for my professional engagements, flying everywhere I can to visit new places and meet new people and cultures.

What are your financial goals?

My financial goals are not set in specific monetary terms. I want to be able to create enough wealth not only to provide a comfortable life to my loved ones, but also to contribute to projects to give back to society, to help the less fortunate, both in my home country and in the country that hosts me.

That is what I would like to dedicate myself to as my professional commitments will fade a bit over time.

Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history

4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon

- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.

50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater

1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.  

1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.

1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.

-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.

The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km

Price: Dh133,900

On sale: now 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

Essentials

The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes. 
 

Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes. 


In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes. 
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

What is Reform?

Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.

It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.

Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.

After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.

Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.

The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed

Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas

Three stars

Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

----

Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

UAE%20athletes%20heading%20to%20Paris%202024
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

While you're here
The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

About Seez

Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017  

Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer

Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon 

Sector:  Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing

Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed

Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A 

Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds 

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
If you go

The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Santiago, via Sao Paolo cost from Dh5,295 with Emirates


The trip
A five-day trip (not including two days of flight travel) was split between Santiago and in Puerto Varas, with more time spent in the later where excursions were organised by TurisTour.
 

When to go
The summer months, from December to February are best though there is beauty in each season

Famous left-handers

- Marie Curie

- Jimi Hendrix

- Leonardo Di Vinci

- David Bowie

- Paul McCartney

- Albert Einstein

- Jack the Ripper

- Barack Obama

- Helen Keller

- Joan of Arc

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers

1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

PROFILE OF CURE.FIT

Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

Sector: Health & wellness

Size: 500 employees

Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)

Updated: October 18, 2024, 6:02 PM`