Photos: Meet The 10 Most Influential People In The UAE

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan

President of UAE

Ranked as the world’s 53rd most powerful man by Forbes, the President of

the UAE and the ruler of its wealthy capital Abu Dhabi controls 8

percent of the world's proven oil reserves and is in command of the Abu

Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the world’s largest sovereign wealth

fund. With $630 billion in estimated assets, ADIA has stakes in several

flagship companies including Citigroup, the Hyatt Hotels, Britain's

Gatwick airport and the New York’s Chrysler Building, which was recently

purchased for $800 million. Sheikh Khalifa holds a net worth of $15

billion and has the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, named after

him.

By:Nazneen Akbari-yourmiddleeast-photo Credit:STEPHANIE

MCGEHEE/Newscom/RTR-Reuters

Rashid Al Maktoum

Ruler of Dubai, Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE

Sheikh Mohammed’s leadership has turned Dubai into the region’s economic

and financial hub in record time. His recently launched ‘Dubai strategic

plan 2015’ aims to achieve a GDP of $108 billion by 2015. In 2007, the

‘UAE Government Strategy’ introduced by the Sheikh refurbished the

government, resulting in a more effective structure. Besides having a

fisted political power in the country and across the region, he has been

one of the few political figures providing constant humanitarian

assistance. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation was initiated

by him with an endowment of $10 billion besides other multiple charity

initiatives such as ‘Dubai Cares’ which has donated over $910 million to

youth education initiatives in impoverished countries.

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Reuters

Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi

Minister of Foreign Trade

The first female minister in the UAE, has not only established her

presence domestically but also internationally by ranking as the 92nd

most powerful woman in the world. She was the former Minister of Economy

and Planning before taking the Minister of Foreign Trade brief. The

Sheikha’s involvement in strengthening exports with international

partners makes her a vital part of the UAE’s diversification strategy. A

member of the ruling family of Sharjah, she won plaudits for developing

a system that slashed cargo turnaround times at Dubai airport. In 2002,

she founded Tejari, the Middle East’s first business-to-business online

marketplace. The minister also sits on the board of directors at the

Dubai Chamber for Commerce and Industry, and is on the board at the

National US Arab Chamber of Commerce.

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Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

President of the Department of Civil Aviation, CEO of The Emirates Group

and Chairman of Dubai World

UAE is lauded by many for executing ambition into reality; a man

credited for this success is Sheikh Ahmed, the President of the

Department of Civil Aviation, CEO and Chairman of The Emirates Group and

Chairman of Dubai World, Dubai’s investment wing. He changed the

landscape of UAE’s aviation industry by transforming Emirates from a

mere regional airline into the world’s largest carrier by international

passenger traffic. He launched the low budget airline Fly Dubai and

spearheaded the creation of airport Terminal 3, the world’s largest air

terminal. The son of the former Ruler of Dubai is also the chairman of

Emirates NBD, the emirate’s Supreme Fiscal Committee, the deputy

chairman of Dubai Executive Council, and the head of Dubai Power and

Energy Committee.

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Mohammed Al Shaibani

Director General of The Ruler’s Court

Ranked as the most influential, non-royal official in the UAE by Wall

Street Journal, Al Shaibani, is the Director General of The Ruler’s

Court, the CEO of the Investment Corporation of Dubai that supervises

the government’s investment portfolio, the president of the Dubai

Office, a private management entity for the ruling family and the

Chairman of Dubai Islamic Bank, UAE’s biggest Islamic bank. Al Shaibani

is regarded as a close aide of the Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin

Rashid Al Maktoum. His influence within the ruling family and his

credentials make him a high-ranking figure within the political and

financial scene. Al Shaibani holds a number of other key positions; he

is the Vice Chairman of The Supreme Fiscal Committee of Dubai, board

Member of Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, The Knowledge Fund and

International Humanitarian City.

By:Nazneen Akbari-yourmiddleeast-photo Credit:dubaiworld

Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim

Commander of Dubai Police

Lieutenant Tamim’s achievements and influence within the public sector

and political scene is remarkable. He has been an instrumental force

behind modernizing and creating a stable police force within the country

through launching more than 22 different establishments such as the

Dubai Police Academy, the Dubai Forensic Laboratory, the use of DNA in

investigations, forming rescue teams and creating rehabilitation centre

for drug addicts. Tamim, also largely credited for creating fully

operational e-government departments has written several books on police

work and public issues and is the beneficiary of eight prestigious

awards. In 2004, he received an award for the best regional and

executive personal and in 2002 he won the United Nations Award for the

top Arabic figure in the fight against drugs. He was also lauded for the

investigation into the assassination of a Hamas operative who was killed

by a hit squad in 2010 in Dubai.

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 Mohamed Alabbar

Chairman of Emaar properties

Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records. Mohamed

Alabbar, the chairman of Emaar properties, broke the record by erecting

the world’s tallest building ‘Burj Khalifa’ in 2010, at a time when the

regions real estate market was in turmoil. Alabbar has been a pivotal

figure in shaping and positioning Dubai as the commercial and lifestyle

hub of the region. He set up ‘The Dubai Mall’, which became the world’s

most visited shopping and leisure destination with 54 million visitors

in 2011, and launched the iconic retail trade event, Dubai Shopping

Festival. Named as the Middle East Personality of the Year in 2006 by

Foreign Direct Investment magazine, Alabbar is a senior aide to Dubai’s

ruler. His power expands into Africa, where he owns a mining empire,

Africa Middle East Resources, that operates in eight African countries.

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Khaldoun Al Mubarak

CEO of Mubadala Development Company

He is the CEO of the prestigious Mubadala Development Company, a

government entity that oversees one of the emirate's largest investment

funds. Since its launch in 2002, Mubadala has evolved its operations,

holding over $48 billion in assets in 2011. Khaldoon, is a member of the

Abu Dhabi Executive Council where he is responsible for overseeing

policy advice to the Chairman, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. His

authority reigns beyond the business world into the sports arena as the

chairman of Manchester City Football Club. He was also instrumental in

bringing Formula One Grand Prix racing to Abu Dhabi. Khaldoon holds a

number of other prominent positions, he is the Chairman of the Emirates

Nuclear Energy Corporation, the Abu Dhabi Media Zone Authority and Abu

Dhabi Motorsports Management, and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Urban

Planning Council.

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Yousef Al Omair Yousef

Chief Executive of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company

The CEO of the world's fourth largest oil company, Abu Dhabi National

Oil Company (ADNOC) is also the head of UAE's Supreme Petroleum Council,

a powerful body that is responsible for the country’s vast oil reserves.

He is the longest-serving head of a state-owned oil company in the Gulf

and a close aide to the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi. Al Omair belongs to

one of the wealthiest families in the UAE whose businesses include

diverse licenses awarded to them to import choice goods into the country

besides owning large stakes in real estate, construction, petroleum and

military equipment supply. The Al Omair conglomerate owns the biggest

travel agency in Abu Dhabi, Al Omair Travels and Omair Automobiles,

which is the sole importer of Peugeot cars into the UAE.

Abdulaziz Al Ghurair

Al Ghurair family patriarch and chief executive of Mashreq Bank

Abdulaziz

Al Ghurair is regarded as one of the founders of the UAE's banking

industry, and is the 401st richest person in the world, holding a net

worth of 2.9 billion. The CEO of Mashreq Bank, the country’s fourth

largest bank by asset, he was a pioneer in launching ATMs, credit cards,

travelers cheques, consumer loans, mortgages and the widely popular

Millionaire rewards-based savings program in the country. The business

mogul is also on the Board of Directors of the Dubai International

Financial Centre, Dubai Economic Council, Council of the UAE Higher

Colleges of Technology besides holding the post of a Chairman of Masafi,

RAK Petroleum and the Endowment Fund. The Al Ghurair conglomerate

controls diverse holdings in real estate, cement, contracting,

publishing, residential care and petrochemicals and is currently

venturing into investing in Libya, where it already owns a majority

share of the country's largest oil refinery.

By:Nazneen Akbari-yourmiddleeast-photo Credit:wikipedia-Flicker