Insight
There is no understating the importance of diversification as a sound growth strategy.
However, for Dubai-based AIX Investment Group, it is not only a viable economic pursuit, but a means to keep the brand in the reckoning.
It is this centrifugal approach, coupled with a strong focus to support aspiring talent, that has propelled the advisory firm’s journey beyond the traditional world of finance and helped it forge its first global motorsport collaboration in 2022.
The face of this partnership is the 21-year-old American-Spanish single-seat car racer, Brad Benavides of PHM Racing by Charouz, whom AIX has pledged to sponsor for the FIA Formula 2 championship this year.
Racing since the age of 12 and no stranger to speed, Benavides has competed in the Formula Renault Eurocup, the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and the Euroformula Open. Having competed in FIA Formula 3 last year, Benavides finished eighth during a Sprint Race at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps.
This year, Benavides plans to debut and compete in the FIA Formula 2 season, which will kick off in Sakhir, Bahrain on March 3. It will then move in the direction of Saudi Arabia and proceed onto Melbourne in Australia.
The campaign, which will comprise 14 rounds, will make its penultimate stop at Monza in Italy, with the season wrapping up at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit in November.
Meanwhile, AIX’s ambitions for cross-industry collaborations haven’t halted at the racetrack – in fact, they’ve transcended beyond street circuits towards stadium midfields. The group is also the main sponsor of Fursan Hispania FC, a football club led by Michel Salgado, an erstwhile Real Madrid football player.
“Via its multiple partnerships, the company is proud to be a part of an initiative that improves access to training activities, raises awareness about the significance of sports, as well as supports regional talent,” explains Fadi Dabbagh – board president at AIX Investment Group.
Read more in the February 2023 issue of Gulf Business: