Amit Puri: Building Dubai for Long-Term Living

Amit Puri is the Chief Executive Officer of BCD Global, the international arm of BCD Group — a 74-year-old construction and infrastructure firm with more than 300 completed projects across India, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Nepal, and Mauritius.

Now headquartered in Dubai, BCD Global marks the company’s entry into direct real estate development in the UAE, with plans to scale regionally and internationally from its Middle East base.

“Dubai has become a true end-user market — people are moving here to live. We want to build communities and cities that people can truly call home,” he says.

Wearing Every Hat in the Room

In the early 2000s, as India’s luxury property market was just beginning to take shape, Puri was already negotiating high-value residential deals with elite clients — from celebrities and politicians to global investors — often through private roadshows across the US and UK.

From there, his career expanded across the full real estate spectrum: commercial leasing, development, retail brokerage, and institutional capital. Over nearly three decades, he has worked as a consultant, developer, and investor — eventually relocating to Dubai, where he took on senior leadership roles and helped transform a brokerage into a full-scale development platform.

“If I’m sitting in a room full of consultants, developers, and investors,” he says, “I know which hat to wear. Ultimately, it’s all about deal-making.”

From Construction Legacy to Global Platform

Founded in 1952 as Bandari Construction & Development, BCD Group built its reputation over seven decades delivering landmark projects across infrastructure, hospitality, industrial, and institutional sectors. It has remained privately held and debt-free throughout its history — a rare distinction in a capital-intensive industry.

For decades, the firm operated primarily as a contractor. Its move into direct development — township-scale projects and distressed asset strategies — marked a strategic shift.

Under Puri’s leadership, that evolution is now accelerating.

Headquartered in Dubai, BCD Global represents the next phase: an integrated platform combining development, in-house construction, design capabilities, and a planned DIFC-based investment fund.

In the UAE, however, the approach begins differently. Rather than distressed acquisitions, the focus is on boutique greenfield projects — 60 to 70 units delivered in 18 to 24 months.

“We want to build from scratch,” Puri says. “We want to know the foundations.”

Puri says the long-term goal is to build BCD Global into an international platform, with Dubai serving as its regional headquarters. From there, the company plans to expand into Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, and the United States.

Why Dubai — and Why Now

For Puri, Dubai is no longer a speculative market. He believes the city has evolved into a genuine residential destination, with more people relocating long-term rather than investing short-term.

BCD Global is therefore focusing on premium residential assets in the AED 1–2 million ($300,000–$500,000) range — homes designed for living, not flipping.

Having spent over a decade in both India and the UAE, Puri points to transparency as the critical differentiator.

“In India, you never really know the price of land,” he says. “It’s a non-transparent market.”

In the UAE, by contrast, escrow protections, broker regulation, and stricter compliance standards have strengthened investor confidence.

“The last decade has seen a major shift toward transparency and regulatory control,” he says. “That has built confidence for both investors and end users.”

A Regulatory Market — and a Technological One

Puri also credits the UAE’s technological ambition as a defining factor in its real estate evolution.

“This was the first country to have a ministry for AI,” he says. “People here are very forward-thinking and progressive.”

Smart buildings, digital compliance, and AI integration are becoming central to development strategy. For BCD Global, technology will not be optional.

“While in Rome, we do as the Romans do,” he says. “This is a place that requires you to stay technologically advanced.”

Correcting Global Misconceptions

International investors, he argues, often misunderstand the Middle East.

Some perceive it as oil-dependent or politically opaque. Others assume governance structures are rigid or discriminatory.

“In over a decade here, I have seen the opposite,” he says. “It is fair, safe, progressive, and about offering a win-win for everyone.”

Dubai, he notes, has diversified far beyond oil. Its growth trajectory over the past decade reflects global capital migration and economic diversification rather than resource dependency.

The Next Decade

Over the next five to ten years, Puri envisions BCD Global delivering large-scale township concepts — potentially entire “BCD Cities” — designed not just for investors, but for residents and long-term living.

He wants to shift the perception of Dubai from a transient earning hub to a place people can truly call home.

“We want people to think they can retire in Dubai,” he says. “We want to build communities with wellness, with intergenerational living, with balance.”

For Puri, this phase of his career carries a different weight — closer, he says, to starting his own firm. After decades across consulting, development, and investment, BCD Global represents both a startup and a legacy continuation.

“It’s exciting to build something from scratch,” he says. “But with the responsibility of a 74-year history behind you.”

In that balance between legacy and ambition lies his objective: building assets that endure.