CPL Aromas Middle East

This cosmopolitan city, which blends old heritage and luxury extravaganza, is the host of the headquarters of CPL Aromas in the Middle East, together with its regional manufacturing centre.

CPL Aromas Middle East started its journey in 2005, when the decision was taken to fully explore the region’s growing potential. A local team was set up, initially sharing an office at GFF (Gulf Flavors & Fragrances) in Jebel Ali Free Zone. The company’s progress and success grew in parallel with that of its host city and soon it set up on its own. Its visionary ambition continued with the establishment of its fragrance manufacturing facility in the Middle East under the leadership of the late Francis Pickthall in 2014. This factory was the first and still is the only fragrance manufacturing facility in Dubai. Its operation has not only improved year-on-year, but has become more sustainable – the latest example of which is the incorporation of solar panels to reduce its energy footprint. 

Today the division comprises of a vibrant team of more than 100 employees and 16 nationalities. CPL Aromas Middle East now reaches far and wide, including very diverse markets such as the GCC (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain), the Levant (Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iran and Iraq), Northeast Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania and Sudan) while also assisting the India division, together with Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  

The Middle East division is a centre of excellence for CPL: it hosts one of its main creative offices which drives our partnership with our customers by offering them inspiring and quality fragrances.

The Perfumery team in Dubai is led by the company’s Global Perfumery Director, Christian Provenzano. In his decades in the company and years in Dubai, Christian has acquired a thorough understanding of the local markets, specialising in aromatic and oriental fragrances and developing exquisite and unique creations and carving his place in the industry.  

The Middle East market is very different and unique compared to other regions. In this region there is a lot of freedom and scope to innovate and as a perfumer I love this!
 - Christian Provenzano, Global Perfumery Director

At the heart of the whole team is the drive to always be on top of the latest fragrance trends, to be expert leaders and to meet customer requirements with first-class fragrance creations, while utilising sustainable ingredients and caring for the environment.

From an operations perspective, in 2019 we welcomed Octavian Glavan to the company, with a wealth of experience managing production operations. After demonstrating his expertise, he was promoted to Global Operations Director earlier this year.

At CPL Middle East we are not only committed to grow our business and to apply the best manufacturing practices, but also to grow our centre of expertise in Dubai to support other divisions globally, helping their growth
- Octavian Glavan, Global Operation Director

The company’s continued growth was of course affected by the tragic loss of Francis Pickthall in March 2019. The team was determined to celebrate Francis by continuing to drive his unique vision – and despite unforeseen challenges in 2020, CPL Middle East remains fully committed to provide winning solutions and exceptional service to its customers and to keep delivering its vision of infusing happiness through scents.