RizkGroup's CEO André Rizk, who has been elected ArabAd’s Man of the Year 2016, reveals the lighter side to his own being, allowing through this casual Q&A his imagination to roam free.
What music have you been listening to lately?
Fayrouz at 5am while in the campus of the Lebanese University.
What are the gadgets you cannot live without?
My pack of Winston cigarettes.
What is your greatest extravagance?
An around the world cruise from the 8th of January till the 22nd of March, 2018.
What do you always forget?
My weekly insulin injection each Thursday.
What’s your motto?
أبداع أن باع (It's only creative if it sells)
What keeps you going?
My family.
What keeps you up at night?
Nothing.
What would be your worst nightmare?
To re-pitch for an existing client.
What inspires great thinking?
Watching people buying at supermarkets.
What is the single characteristic that makes and adman an adman?
Know your target consumer.
What quality do you most look up to in a woman?
Distinction.
What quality do you most look up to in a friend?
Frankness.
Who would you like to sit next to on a seven-hour flight?
An empty seat.
If you could live for one day the life of another person, who would it be?
Napoleon.
If you could have dinner with someone, living or dead, who would it be and what question would you ask?
My father: is he proud of what I have achieved?
If you were to be reincarnated, what would you like to come back as?
An ad man in the United States.
If you could add an 8th wonder to the world, what would it be?
The Cedar tree.
If you were to change profession, what would you choose to do?
Interior design.
If you could choose any product to create an ad for, what would it be?
Any consumer good .
What do you consider the greatest headline of all time to be?
Just Do It.
What business tip would you give the newbies?
Advertising is not just a profession, it is an addiction and passion.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
To live far from any neighbour.
What or who do you have hope in?
Lebanon.
Who Are You?
I am… what I always wanted to be
I want… my children to always be happy
I have… yet a lot to learn and a lot to give
I wish… to die behind my desk
I hate… neckties
I fear… my conscience
I hear… the silence
I search… to continue being a leader in my profession
I wonder… what the after-life is
I regret… nothing
I love… challenges
I always… want perfection
I dance… I hate dancing
I sing… while listening to the radio in my car
I am… not always cool
I write… an ad script
I win… when I see a consumer buying my client’s products
I lose… when playing cards with my wife
I need… to stay away from any social activities
If I ruled the world… I’d triple the number of free universities
My Favourite…
Dream Destination: Peru
Restaurant: Tallet Nasr, Bikfaya
Meal: Lebanese cuisine
Book: SAS series
Flower: Belle de nuit
Bird: singing at dawn
Poet: Al Moutanabbi
Composer/musician: Claude Nougaro
Painter: Bernard Buffet
Real life heroes: Napoleon
