Emaar Properties - Chairman

Chairman

Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the Director General of the Dubai Department of Economic Development and Chairman, Emaar Properties, is a member of the Dubai Executive Council, the supreme government body with the mandate to synergise all growth initiatives in Dubai.

Alabbar is a founder member of the Arab Business Council, established by the World Economic Forum. Euromoney Magazine named him one of five prominent Arabs in only 50 global economy leaders, while Advertising Age selected him as one of the International Marketing Superstars of the Year (1996). Arabian Business magazine, in 2006, ranked Alabbar sixth among top 50 most influential Arabs.

A graduate in finance and business administration from Seattle University, USA (1981), Alabbar initially worked with the UAE Central Bank, before establishing his presence internationally with a five-year stint as Director and General Manager of the Dubai Government-owned Al Khaleej Investments in Singapore.

In 1982 Alabbar set up the Department of Economic Development to create public policies to strengthen the trade and business segments of Dubai and encourage a culture of transparency. He also formulated the Dubai Quality Award and the Dubai Shopping Festival and Dubai Summer Surprises. Alabbar has served as Vice Chairman of Dubai Aluminium Company Ltd (DUBAL) and Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Alabbar spearheads Emaar’s international expansion into the emerging markets of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Tunisia, India and Pakistan. A recent high-profile venture was the launch of the AED 97.7 billion (US$26.6 billion) King Abdullah Economic City, the single largest private sector investment in Saudi Arabia. Emaar is fast-tracking a plan to diversify into sectors such as education, healthcare, finance, hospitality and retail. Alabbar also joined with Giorgio Armani to set up a chain of around 30 luxury hotels and resorts under the Armani brand name in key international cities – starting with Milan and Dubai.

Alabbar is the Chairman of RSH Ltd., a Pan-Asian marketer, distributor and retailer for branded sports, golf, active lifestyle and fashion products with a turnover of AED 1.281 billion (US$348.86 million). He is also a joint venture partner with Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary in the Gulf International Investment Group (GIIG) for a range of projects in Asia and the Middle East.

Alabbar is the Chairman of the UAE Golf Association, and has been instrumental in putting Dubai on the global sports map through his involvement with the annual PGA-level Dubai Desert Classic golf tournament. He was named among the top ten golfing personalities in the world by Golf World. He is also Chairman of the Rashid Paediatric Centre, a charity organisation for children with special needs, and works closely with Arab NGOs to creating employment and develop small businesses.

The Dubai based newspaper 7days has recently been banned from Emaar properties after criticizing the Emaar board of directors.