Dani Richa: This is my story…
This is my Story
Nobody really needs an introduction to Dani Richa. Affable, charming, committed, loyal, he is one of advertising’s most popular figures. A loveable character in a theatre of rogues. “I like the way you’re formulating this question,” he interrupts with a laugh. “Keep going.” We both smile. Richa is a rarity in the world of advertising. A creative who has moved into the world of management without breaking stride. A member of the BBDO Worldwide board and chairman of the board of Omnicom Media Group MENA who feels as at home on a creative brief as he does in a sea of suits and profit margins. For him, both involve people.
“I really believe in culture,” he says. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast. If you have the right people and if you look after them you’ll have great work, you’ll have a great company, you’ll have a great reputation, and business will flourish. It’s in that order.”
It’s all far removed from his days as a student in Paris. He had originally intended to follow in his father’s footsteps and study architecture, which he initially did, although jointly with creative advertising. All that changed, however, when he attended an Adeaters event in 1984.
“I remember staying all night and I was completely taken,” recalls Richa. “I said ‘this is it. This is what I want to do’. The fact that you can just create without being bound to building material. You can create from anything. The emotions, the humour, the drama, the storytelling. The whole thing fascinated me. I didn’t sleep that night. I went home and my parents were in Lebanon so I called my dad and I said ‘would you mind if I don’t follow your path and change careers? Maybe stay in a creative industry but advertising instead of architecture’.
“You’re talking 1984 and in the region advertising was not a prestigious thing to do. Most parents wanted their children to be architects, engineers, doctors. So I was a bit wary of my dad not being supportive and to my surprise he immediately said ‘if that’s what you feel like you need to do, just make the change and do it’.”
Born in Beirut, Richa is the youngest of three children. As an architect, his father spent much of his professional career in Saudi Arabia, with the family moving between Lebanon, Saudi and eventually Paris, although Richa describes himself as “as Lebanese as they come”. He has a deep attachment to the country.