Demand for EU Residency Has Never Been Stronger: 10 on The Weekend – Alexey Nosovsky
Ten On The Weekend is a weekly (-ish) feature in IMI, the concept of which is simple: Each time, we ask the same ten questions of a different industry figure, letting readers get to know the interviewee on a more personal and informal level than they might in an ordinary business setting.
Our guest this week is Alexey Nosovsky of iWorld.
How do you spend your weekends?
Well, having a good time, I use weekends as a kind of “reboot”. Due to my responsibility, I cannot fully get away from the business, so I often meet with my colleagues to discuss the latest news in the professional field, talk about short-term plans, or work out joint decisions on important work issues. We play business games, visit different events together from time to time, which anyway relate to professional interests, such as an exhibition in Paris or a conference in Boston. As a rule, during such trips, I try to find something for pleasure as well by going to the opera, a museum, or an art gallery.
I enjoy reading a lot, mostly non-fiction for personal and professional growth. Besides, I am interested in history, ancient China in particular. Back in my university days, I became interested in The Han dynasty, the time of the greatest prosperity of the Celestial Empire and classical Confucianism.
To keep myself in good physical health, I go swimming regularly. I love spending time with my six-year-old son – most of the time we play chess and educational games, practice English, and solve logic tasks.
What are your top three business goals this year?
This year and all the following, I decided to fully dedicate myself to the iWorld project, which I consider an important stage of my professional activity. All my future plans relate to iWorld, so I keep my current business goals linked to it as well.
First of all, together with the project team, I plan to open a number of new migration directions for clients, because one of the main purposes of the marketplace is to satisfy all possible target demands. It is important to us that a person who uses iWorld marketplace is able to fulfill any migration goal with our help.
The second goal is that the total number of iWorld partners reaches and exceeds 1,000. I look forward to the day when we will be able to cover the entire planet with our service.
And another goal is to get as close as possible to the time when the 100,000th customer will order a migration service on the iWorld marketplace. We have been working hard to make the marketplace convenient and efficient. Our team keeps working hard on this, and I know for sure that very soon our efforts will be rewarded.
What’s your biggest business concern right now?
Nowadays, society is in serious turmoil because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we need to mobilize any and all resources to respond properly to the emerging challenges. Countries are frequently changing entry and immigration conditions, and we have to update information as quickly as possible, so we are actively working on a system of automatic retrieval of information on key official websites of the EU, USA, Canada, and other states. Despite the difficulties, I am happy that I was able to see the strength and professionalism of our team. Our experience shows that we can efficiently solve the problems of migrants under any circumstances.
Which book is on your nightstand right now?
I am reading the book What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz. Very interesting reflections on corporate culture, its history, and its importance. The concept of corporate culture has been known since ancient Rome, Genghis Khan’s army, and feudal Japan. It is important to understand that it is not just a code of conduct but, first of all, values, worldview, priorities, and goals.
The more I read, the more I am convinced that we have made the right choice by making corporate culture one of the main focuses of iWorld. In order to develop, the company has to offer its partners, clients, and employees a unique and, most importantly, the right system of values. It helps each of us understand where we are going and why, so the brand never fails to remain genuine.
How and when did you first get into the investment migration industry?
In 2011, I started working for a European law firm. Over time, I became more and more interested in business and investment immigration – this area of expertise seemed the most promising to me. In 2016, I came to the Emirates and was invited to a company that dealt with immigration business programs in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. It was similar to what I was interested in, but I wanted a more in-depth and thorough approach.
In Dubai, I met like-minded professionals, well versed in the intricacies of migration law and with strong ambitions. We had repeatedly discussed the global migration market and came to the conclusion that we were ready to create our own project and take the responsibility for its promotion. By 2018, the business idea had fully developed and a team capable of implementing it had been assembled – this is how the first international migration marketplace iWorld was created. As you can see, everything worked out, and I believe that this is just the beginning of a great and interesting journey.
What was your proudest moment as a service provider?
I am a professional with a long-standing experience in the business and, by now, I already have quite a few things to be proud of. And yet, one of the most significant moments in my work remains the day when I received the first delighted feedback from the users of iworld.com. I have probably never felt stronger emotions, although, later on, I had a lot of much more impressive achievements. It was just then that I realized for the first time that our customers really need us and we are on the right track. And that is the most important thing.
Which investment migration market development has surprised you the most in the last year?
First of all, I am extremely surprised by the tremendous surge of interest in European residence programs for the purchase of real estate. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, people continue to invest and plan to move to other countries. This is not only surprising but also admirable, as this behavior demonstrates the unwavering desire of people to make their lives better.
To a certain extent, news, such as the change of government in Malta and the changes to the Maltese programs were unexpected. But, in business, there is no time for being astonished, as you have to react quickly to any events and make the best decisions if you want to be successful.
If you could go 10 years back in time, what business decision would you change?
From the perspective of today’s experience, I see no reason to change anything. If I could go back in time, I would have started the iWorld project much earlier. Some of today’s technology and capabilities existed 10 years ago – it was worth using them to launch a migration marketplace back then.
What investment migration industry personality do you most admire?
In global politics, business, and the migration industry, there are many people who deserve respect. I live in the Emirates, so I am mostly interested in local government members, whose decisions directly affect my life and professional field. The president of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is one of them.
Zayed Al Nahyan as well as the prime minister and Emir of Dubai Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the man to whom the Emirates owes much of its reputation as a world center for business and tourism. A forward-thinking politician who has managed to implement many important reforms in his country, he is undoubtedly an outstanding personality. I equally admire Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, whose decisions have greatly contributed to the inflow of foreign investment and the prosperity of the Emirates. As a migration specialist and resident of the country, I cannot fail to note the transparency and simplicity of migration procedures, which I truly admire.
If all goes according to plan, what will you be doing five years from now?
If all goes according to plan, I expect that the turnover of iWorld will be in the nine digits. The marketplace will take a strong leadership position in the migration market, which will allow us to allocate some of our resources to humanitarian purposes. A thriving business will provide opportunities to help those who, due to political or geographical reasons, cannot realize their dreams of a better life.
I plan to create a global migration academy, the main purpose of which would be to provide educational and practical opportunities for talented young people from disadvantaged regions of the world.
After receiving a prestigious education and skills, graduates of the academy could return to their home countries and put their talents into improving the local legal and regulatory systems. A favorable legal climate will help attract foreign investors and businessmen to underdeveloped jurisdictions, thus contributing to an increased standard of living.
Funding will be completely taken care of by iWorld. In order to provide for the students, we will create a scholarship fund, which will invite patrons from different areas of business to participate. I expect that we will be able to fully cover the cost of tuition, living expenses, and internships.