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Who is Who in Dubai

A primer on the UAE's movers and......

Initial listing July 2008

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, 59, is the ruler of Dubai. He controls most of Dubai’s investment houses, which have assets exceeding $300 billion. His son, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al-Maktoum, 25, is the newly anointed Crown Prince and designated successor.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, 60, is the president of the United Arab Emirates, the ruler of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which has assets estimated at $900 billion, thanks to Abu Dhabi’s vast oil wealth. The emirate has 9% of the world’s proven hydrocarbon reserves. Sheikh Khalifa leaves much of the day-to-day running of the state-backed business interests to his half-brother, the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, 47.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum, 50, is chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and chairman of Dubai Airports. Emirates is one of the world’s 10 largest airlines and, if it carries on growing at present rates, could overtake British Airways by 2012.

Khaldoon Khalifa al-Mubarak, 32, is CEO and MD of the Mubadala Development Company, a fast-growing Abu Dhabi-backed investment and development company. It owns, among many other things, a 7.5% stake in global private equity firm Carlyle Group and a 5% stake in Ferrari.

Mohammed Al Gergawi, 45, is executive chairman and CEO of Dubai Holding, one of two conglomerates that are building Dubai’s commercial, real estate and financial operations. Its best-known operations are the sovereign wealth fund Dubai International Capital, and the Jumeirah hotels brand.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, 53, chairs Dubai World, the government-owned conglomerate that controls companies in over 100 cities in the world. Dubai World’s businesses include Nakheel, the property developer best known for building the Palm Jumeirah; and DP World, which bought P&O ports for $6.9 billion.

Mohammed bin Ali Alabbar, 50, is the founder and chairman of Emaar, Dubai’s largest property company. Emaar is listed on the Dubai stock exchange but still majority-owned by the Dubai government. The firm entered the record books last year when its $20 billion Burj Dubai development became the tallest building in the world.

Omar bin Sulaiman, 48, is governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre that aims to become the Wall Street of Arabia.

Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid al-Qasimi, 50, is the first woman to become economy minister and now trade minister of an oil-rich state: the UAE. After the controversy over the sale of the US ports controlled by P&O to Dubai’s DP World Lubna toured America putting the UAE’s case. Since then, Gulf states have invested more than $100 billion in US banks, retail and property.

Other names of note:

CEO Istithmar            David Jackson

Chairman and CEO Dubai International Capital    Sameer Al Ansari