Olivier Auroy, the managing Director of Fitch Middle East. Satish Kumar / The National

Shantaram by David Gregory Roberts is one of the best books I have ever read. Roberts managed to describe the vibrancy and the beauty of Mumbai. Satish Kumar / The National

My favorite era of fashion is the 70s. No one dares anymore. The era of political correctness seems to last forever. Yawn! Getty Images / Gallo Images

My favourite scent is Terre d'Hermes for its blend of earthy and marine notes. Just by smelling it, I imagine myself somewhere in Hanoi or Bangkok. Courtesy Hermes

Rome is unique in the world. Walking in the streets, you travel though thousands of years of history. Getty Images / Gallo Images

The most stylish celebrity I most admire is Queen Elizabeth. Coherent, consistent, different, something that no one can imitate. Getty Images / Gallo Images

I feel most creative on Clifton beach in Karachi, talking to people and taking pictures of them. Reuters

Panna Cotta con frutti di bosco is my guiltiest pleasure. Getty Images / Gallo Images

I admire Jean-Paul Gaultier the "enfant terrible" of French fashion. I love the way he turns ethnic fabrics into haute couture. AP Photo

The treatment I can't live without is a body massage at 1847 at Grosvenor House. Courtesy 1847

Style file: Olivier Auroy

The National staff

Olivier Auroy is the managing director of Fitch Middle East, a branding and design network of 11 studios around the world. Originally from Paris, he has lived in Dubai with his Italian wife and two daughters for the past six years. He was educated at the Science-Politique, one of the Grandes Écoles in Paris, after which he had a brief spell in the advertising industry before joining a naming company, where he named brands such as the Renault Fluence. After a couple of years he joined a branding company because he wanted to understand more about the identity behind a name. His boss offered him a posting in Hamburg, London or Dubai. He opted for Dubai and has never looked back. Auroy talks with Helena Frith Powell about art, fashion and his life's passions.

Olivier's World

MY PERSONAL STYLE SIGNIFIER IS... black on white. I GET MY INSPIRATION... when running. Running makes your body release endorphins and it fosters creativity. I used to run with a Dictaphone. MY CAREER HIGHLIGHT IS... I started as a "namer", a guy who creates names all day. My first great moment was when a client chose my name for the first time in my career. It was Phébus, the new name of the buses in Versailles. MY LIFE MOTTO IS... what can I learn today? THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE I HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN IS... the day I read this quote from the former British prime minister John Major: "If you want gratitude, buy yourself a dog". FIVE WORDS TO DESCRIBE ME ARE... xenophile, creative, Mediterranean, bold ... and bald (almost). IF I WEREN'T MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FITCH I WOULD BE... a novelist.