Meet Dubai’s 18-year-old Amrita Hothi: CEO-in-training, leading a 40-person team at a billion-dollar company

Walk the walk, talk the talk, and suddenly age doesn’t matter.

What does? Conviction, knowledge, confidence, and the willingness to prove yourself.

It’s this mindset that led Amrita Hothi to the position of a CEO-in-training at the Knowledge Academy, Dubai. Calm, collected with measured tones, she narrates her journey clearly from Windsor, United Kingdom to Dubai and how she now manages a team of around 40 people, most of whom are far older than her. But, as she reiterates, if you know what you’re talking about, then what’s the fuss?

So, how did it all begin?

Falling out of love with school and planning ahead

Born in Windsor, United Kingdom, she completed most of her schooling before moving to Dubai. At Jumeirah College, she cleared her GCSEs, but then COVID hit, shifting everything to online learning. “It was difficult being away from that environment,” she recalls. Struggling to stay engaged with virtual classes, she started questioning the traditional college route. The professional world, with its real-world challenges, seemed far more intriguing. Driven by curiosity, she decided to test the waters with a course in chartered accounting.

But it wasn’t as straightforward as she had hoped. “I had no prior work experience in the accountancy field,” she admits. Realising it wasn’t the right fit, she decided to explore a different path. Turning to her parents, founders of the Knowledge Academy, a global training provider offering professional certification courses in project management, IT, business, and leadership, she took her first real step into the corporate world.

Managing a team of around 50 people

At just 16, Hothi stepped into a role that would intimidate most teenagers—managing around 50 people as an operations instructor. While many her age might have found the job overwhelming, Hothi saw it differently. Business had been a constant in her life. “My parents had started the Knowledge Academy in 2009. So, I’ve just been around mature conversations surrounding business and the professional world,” she explains.

Her daily responsibilities? Organising schedules and guiding individuals on the exams they needed to take to progress in their careers.

Fast forward two years, and now, as a CEO-in-training and now leading a team of 40, a lingering doubt still creeps in—will people take her seriously because of her age? It’s not just about managing her team; she also worries whether clients will see her as credible.

But Hothi has learned to navigate these concerns. In the fast-paced world of sales, where she regularly interacts with HR managers, crafts solutions, and curates training programs, she reminds herself that perception is key. She steps back and reassesses—if you have the experience, knowledge, and a clear understanding of your role, age becomes irrelevant. “I know that I have knowledge and can pass it to them,” she states with conviction. The fear will always be there, but as she puts it, success comes down to walking the walk and talking the talk. “I know the product that I’m trying to sell.”

So, what keeps her motivated? “I keep myself motivated with a good support system around me. If I have questions, I ask others.”

And while one might assume her parents play a major role in guiding her, Hothi clarifies, “My parents don’t really have a predominant role in what I do. We don’t work directly with each other, and my parents are more into mergers and acquisitions.”

In the end, it all comes down to learning on the job.

No regrets, just growth

Does she ever feel like she missed out on the traditional university experience? Hothi pauses for a moment before answering. “I do hear a lot from my friends, but I also look at what I’m doing—something unheard of at this age. So, I’m proud,” she says with a smile.

There’s no trace of regret, only a deep sense of fulfillment. She sees her journey not as a sacrifice, but as a path of continuous learning. “My goals are to do with work and giving opportunities to people. I’m not missing out,” she asserts.

For Hothi, the joy lies in the process, managing people, honing her sales skills, and witnessing the thrill of closing a deal. One of her most cherished memories? A high-stakes project for a private company in Saudi Arabia. After six to eight months of intense work, she and her team flew out, delivered their pitch, and sealed the deal. “It was hard work, but we got there in the end,” she says, a note of satisfaction in her voice.

For her, this journey is more than just a career, it’s an adventure in real-world learning.

The Gen Z discourse

Hothi embodies what Gen Z has brought into sharp focus—firm boundaries between work and personal life. For her, life isn’t just about the hustle; weekends are for unwinding with friends, hitting the gym, or lounging by the pool.

 Despite the criticism often thrown at Gen Z, Hothi believes her generation has mastered the art of prioritisng themselves. “I feel like the earlier generation had the pressure of staying in a job that they didn’t like. Gen Z is looking for what’s more fulfilling and experiencing life in general. It’s why job shifts are normalized,” she explains.

She also sees a shift in how young people approach careers. “There’s a huge difference between the older generation who went from university straight into work. Now, people are exploring gap years, working before studying, or taking on part-time jobs. That’s why I think work experience is so important.”

For Gen Z, success isn’t just about climbing the corporate ladder—it’s about making work fit into a life well-lived.