Ray Akhtar’s story is a masterclass in resilience. Once a promising footballer, an injury abruptly ended his athletic dreams just weeks before trials with elite clubs in Spain and the UK. But instead of giving up, he pivoted from football to boxing, then to corporate sales, and eventually to building a business empire from scratch.
Today, Ray is the Founder and President of MG (formerly METCO Global), a pioneering B2B sales and marketing consultancy working with FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 giants. His rise is anything but linear, and it’s that very unpredictability that makes his story stand out.
“Rejection and failure have always been fuel for me,” says Ray. “They light the fire, but discipline and consistency keep it burning.”
From Football Pitch to the Boxing Ring to Boardrooms
At 17, Ray was preparing to trial with elite football clubs. But a devastating injury broke more than just his leg and ankle; it shattered a lifelong dream.
“I was finished. No degree. No backup plan. Just pain.”
With no formal education to fall back on, he turned to boxing. Despite having a successful amateur career, his first pro debut ended via knockout. He came back stronger, defeating the same opponent in a rematch and going undefeated for the rest of his professional career.
Yet boxing didn’t offer financial stability, so Ray made an unlikely transition: corporate sales. It was unfamiliar terrain, and in the early days, he was constantly written off.
“I had no idea how to sell. I didn’t even speak the corporate language,” he admits. “But I was always the first in, last out. Eventually, it clicked, and it clicked big.”
Six months later, he cracked the code. Ray shot to the top of the leaderboard. Within a few years, he was Sales Director, managing $20M revenue across the Middle East and Latin America. Later, to be headhunted for a startup, he scaled the business from $500K to multi-millions in just 18 months. Still, the idea of building something of his own kept calling.
The Birth of MG: A Market Gap Turned Industry Blueprint with Controlled Scale. Ruthless Discipline. No Weak Links.
MG was launched in 2011 from his parents’ garage in the UK. The concept? A bold reimagination of how B2B companies execute go-to-market strategies. Instead of the traditional, expensive third-party summits, MG designed custom roundtables and targeted executive events that were laser-focused, cost-effective, and competition-free.
“Why pay to share a stage with your competition,” Ray argues, “when you can own the room and meet exactly who you want to?”
The concept caught on quickly, and MG’s reputation exploded through word of mouth, with early clients like RedHat and Symantec validating its model. Though competitors have since emerged, Ray says the secret sauce, the execution, relationships, and agility are what keep MG ahead.
MG wasn’t about hypergrowth at all costs. Ray set a hard limit: big numbers, but only six new clients per year. The focus wasn’t just on numbers. It was on quality. On impact. On building a brand with authority.
The result? Triple-digit growth for six straight years.
MG saw triple-digit revenue and profit growth for six consecutive years. But scaling brought its own challenges. Hiring, service consistency, and process optimization took priority over chasing more revenue.
Then came COVID. MG needed to adapt overnight.
The COVID-19 pandemic tested our model. With events frozen, MG quickly pivoted to digital. While the industry was in retreat, MG held its ground and emerged even stronger.
“We built a digital platform in weeks. Everyone else waited. That’s why we’re still here.”
Now post-pandemic and now in a disruptive world, MG is back to explosive growth, running global campaigns, managing accounts billing $500K+, and executing for some of the biggest tech players on the planet and is preparing for its most ambitious leap yet.
Built Different and Balance?
Ray’s not a figurehead. He doesn’t delegate the mission. He leads it.
Despite MG’s success, Ray remains deeply hands-on, overseeing all major accounts and staying closely involved in project execution.
He still manages key accounts, signs off on every major project, and personally handles client fires when they happen. He is accessible 24/7 if needed.
“We’re in the business of solving pain points. And I’m still in the trenches with my team. That’s a big part of our edge.”
However, “I’m not looking for balance; I am looking to bridge the gap between sales and marketing and make a difference to our client’s bottom line daily.”
IPO Vision and the $100M Target
Ray’s sights are now set on the big leagues. MG is preparing for an IPO by 2030 and aiming to become one of the only B2B sales and marketing consultancies listed on NASDAQ.
To take MG public, the fundamentals are already in place: global operations, blue-chip clients, recurring revenue, and international presence.
MG has the client base. The revenue. The global footprint. The systems. The brand power.
“We’re not just aiming for $100 million. We’re making it inevitable.”
Ray wants out by 45-50, not to disappear, but to elevate. He’ll let his brother, SVP Imran Akhtar, potentially take the reins, who’s played a pivotal role in MG’s growth. Either way, the legacy will be locked and live forever.
“Our goal is to be a pivotal part of our clients’ successes in gaining net new logos, obtaining market share and bridging the gap between sales and marketing,” he says.
Staying Humble
Ray’s greatest personal achievement? His daughter, who turns seven in August. “She’s my world. The only time I disconnect from work is when I’m with her.”
She is the most precious thing in the world to me. “She is amazing and a daddy’s girl,” he says. “I am very proud of her.”
Ray values his family and loves spending time with them, but having them has made his work and pursuit of success even more important to him.
Making peace with the past: “That one thing that you wish had happened, often times it’s the best thing that didn’t happen.”
Advice to Future Entrepreneurs
“You can’t grow without failing,” Ray says. “You should always remember, nothing worth having ever comes easy; otherwise everyone would have it, and you wouldn’t want it.”
Ray is not just building a company. He’s building a movement. Because when others fold, he doubles down. When markets shrink, he expands. When people say it’s impossible, he adds it to the to-do list.
For Ray, success is a benchmark of results and creating a legacy. According to him, to achieve it, one has to go through trial and error that involves stops and starts and lots of early mornings and late finishes. “You have to do the things you do not feel like doing, and sometimes things that are outside of your comfort zone—that’s where growth happens,” he adds.
Ray’s advice is rooted in lived experience:
- Have a crystal-clear goal. And work backward from it daily.
- Embrace failure. “It’s not just part of the journey; it is the journey.”
- Discomfort is growth. “You grow in the things you don’t want to do, not the things you love.”
- Consistency beats motivation. Every time.
“The universe is generous. If you fully commit, show up every day, and outwork everyone, it’s very hard to come in second place.”
Legacy in the Making
Ray Akhtar’s journey from the football field to the boardroom is proof that success is rarely linear but always intentional. Through every fall, he’s risen stronger, and now, the 5-year countdown is on for building one of the first global marketing consultancies to go public.
MG is one to watch in 2025.
