The 100 NRIs – 2026: Dr. Ali Asgar Fakhruddin, Chairman, Sterling Perfumes

This article forms part of The 100 NRIs, a special edition by Entrepreneur Middle East spotlighting the most influential non-resident Indians shaping business, innovation, and investment across the region.

Ambition needs to be personal to be made into reality. And Dr. Ali Asgar Fakhruddin has never believed that scale alone defines success. His ambition has been personal, clear from the start and lived in his head rent free long before Sterling became the global entity it is today: every household, anywhere in the world, should have at least one product from the House of Sterling.

He built not for display, but for daily life.

At the very early age of seventeen when his contemporaries were learning business from textbooks, he was learning it in Dubai’s Murshid Bazaar, selling products, counting stock, managing cash, following up with suppliers, and making daily bank visits. Learning hard work from his late father who ran a small trading store built on trust and reliability, it was instilled in him that if people trust you enough to invite your product into their homes, it is a big win.

And that value still stays. He still knows the people he worked with in the initial days before Sterling became what it is today. And holds close the personal connection with his salesmen and distributors-the closest connection with his customers. It won’t be surprising if he is on many of their speed dials.

When Dr. Ali established Sterling Perfumes in 1998, he wasn’t chasing prestige, he was building a sense of belonging. At a time when fragrance manufacturing was dominated by Europe, producing perfumes in the UAE was unconventional. Sterling began with just 250 bottles a day with no automation or inherited infrastructure. But Dr. Ali’s idea was clear: if he controlled quality, pricing, and consistency-excellence will follow.

And it did.

For Dr. Ali, beauty was never exclusive. It was meant to be universal. That is why Sterling focused first on credibility. Under his leadership, the company invested in FDA approvals, ISO and GMP certifications, Halal compliance, and advanced inhouse research and development. He oversaw the creation of the UAE’s only UV metalizing plant, ensuring that packaging quality matched the product inside. When Sterling presented at Cosmoprof Bologna, Dr. Ali made a deliberate choice: to not imitate Europe. He wanted to introduce the Middle East, the actual place of perfume etymology as the golden standard to the world. Gradually, “Made in UAE” evolved from a question mark into a mark of distinction.

Each brand from the house of Sterling reflected Dr. Ali’s belief that growth should be deliberate, disciplined, and human. That philosophy was most evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. When fragrance production halted overnight, Ali redirected Sterling’s resources toward manufacturing hand sanitizers. Under his leadership, the company became one of the only FDA-certified sanitizer exporters in the GCC, supplying markets including the United States. Rising raw material costs were absorbed to keep products affordable. Sterling even developed the world’s firsthand-sanitizing spray guided by Dr. Ali’s belief that impact matters more than ownership. If a Sterling product could protect a home, the mission would be fulfilled.

The milestones are significant. What began with just 20 employees in 1998 has grown into a global group of over 2,000 people across nationalities and disciplines exporting to over 140 countries. In 2023, Sterling marked 25 years of growth by unveiling the World’s Largest Perfume Wall, showcasing 2,739 unique fragrances. In 2024, Ali earned a Professional Doctorate in International Business from European International University – Paris and was honoured as Global Indian of the Year 2023–24 by AsiaOne Magazine. In 2025, he was named Disruptive Leader of the Year by Gulf Business and featured in their Top Indian Leaders listing. This year, 2026, he was recognised by Gulf News as one of the Top Business Leaders & Professionals from India in the Middle East – Legends50, placing him among the 50 most influential Indian leaders in the region. Each of these accolades reflect Dr. Ali’s vision of creating brands that belong in every household worldwide, and his ability to turn ambition into global impact.

From a nook in Murshid bazaar to households across continents, Ali’s journey reflects grit, consistency and leadership. When brands create to solve, expansion follows. And at Sterling Parfums, we are just getting started.

Related: Entrepreneur Middle East Reveals “The 100 NRIs” List