Dynamic leadership in public and private sectors

Abu Dhabi benefits from dynamic leaders in both its public and private sectors. In the following article we will discuss a few of Abu Dhabi’s success stories

Ahmed Al Sayegh

Ahmed Al Sayegh is Chairman of Aldar Properties and CEO of Dolphin Energy. He is also a Board Member of several private and public organizations, including Mubadala, the UAE Offsets Group, Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), Etihad Airways and First Gulf Bank. In his role as Chairman of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (MASDAR), Al Sayegh is playing a primary role in Abu Dhabi’s drive to become a global leader in alternative energy initiatives. He is also Managing Director of the Emirates Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization. Educated in the United States, Mr. Al Sayegh formerly worked with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and has held other senior positions, including with the Abu Dhabi Investment Company (ADIC).

Mohammed Al Bowardi

Mohammed Al Bowardi, Vice Chairman of Mubadala, also serves as the Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, and recently led the Abu Dhabi Government Restructuring Committee. Al Bowardi is also Chairman of the Western Region Development Committee and Managing Director of the board of Abu Dhabi’s Environment Agency, among other key positions. He also played a major role in the local implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and helped develop the Abu Dhabi Environment Strategy and other key environmental initiatives. Educated in the United States, he is a Board Member of the UAE Offsets Group, Dolphin Energy, Union National Bank, and ADWEA.

H.E. Khadem Al Qubaisi

H.E. Khadem Al Qubaisi is globally recognized for his investment acumen in the oil and gas industry. In his role as Managing Director of the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), which has an estimated portfolio of USD 14 billion, Al Qubaisi helps oversee Abu Dhabi’s worldwide investments in hydrocarbons and related sectors. He is Chairman of the Board of Aabar Investments and serves on the boards of many leading organizations, including Borealis, Hyundai Oilbank Co. and Pak Arab Refinery.

Fatima Obaid Al Jaber

Fatima Obaid Al Jaber, Chief Operating Officer of Al Jaber Group and Executive Director of the company’s board, is one of many exceptionally talented female leaders in Abu Dhabi. Last year she was named “Businesswoman of the Year” at the Arabian Business Achievement Awards 2008, and MEED Magazine singled her out as one of the most influential businesswomen in the region. In 2007, she was voted the seventh most influential woman in the Arab world by Forbes Arabia. She is the first female representative on the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) and is Deputy Chairperson of the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen’s Council as well as Chairman of Al Bashayer Investment. She also serves as the General Manager of Qaryat Al Beri Resort Development Company, and holds other prominent leadership positions.

H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Members of Abu Dhabi’s royal family are also serving as prominent leaders in the public and private sectors. As Chairman of the Royal Group, H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan oversees some of the most ambitious real estate projects in the world as well as a number of major investment initiatives. Now one of the UAE’s largest business and investment holding houses, Royal Group has developed a broad spectrum of investments and partners throughout the Middle East, Asia, the United States and South America. Royal Group companies include Hydra Properties and Tamouh, two of the region’s leading property developers, as well as Reem Finance.

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, has made major investments worldwide, including in Barclays Bank and the Manchester United soccer team. H.H. Sheikh Mansour is also the chairman of the Emirates Racing Authority. A brother of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa, H.H. Sheikh Mansour is Chairman of First Gulf Bank, a member of the Higher Council for Petroleum, and Deputy Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation.

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan

H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, another brother of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa, serves as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the United Arab Emirates and as Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development. He previously served as Minister of Information and Culture. H.H. Sheikh Abdullah, who spoke at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2008, is well known for his humanitarian activities, and supports a number of community-service projects.

Leaders like these are helping Abu Dhabi achieve its ambitious development goals.

Bin Hamoodah Group

“We make commitments rather than promises.”

Bin Hamoodah Group, established in Abu Dhabi in 1967, has grown rapidly over the years and is now involved in a range of activities that include trading, industrial services, information and communications technologies, food processing, construction, real estate management, manufacturing, and local and international investments. Bin Hamoodah Group includes a number of dynamic subsidiaries in various sectors that have positioned themselves as reliable partners for international companies.

H.E. Faraj Bin Hamoodah, the Chairman, explains, “We are committed to preserving the strong reputation of our Group’s name and to delivering what we promise. We also believe in Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification and we have been able to successfully diversify. Bin Hamoodah Group is a family-owned conglomerate, but is managed like an international corporation.” Explaining the group’s competitive edge, he adds, “We know the market. We have developed expertise over many years, and we have an excellent reputation, strong financial backing, superior after-sales support, and a history of productive partnerships.”

Bin Hamoodah Group welcomes partnerships with American companies. H.E. Faraj Bin Hamoodah says, “There are many opportunities in the general-contracting and development fields, downstream services, building materials and other sectors. American expertise is especially welcomed. We have extensive experience of partnerships, for example with Cisco concerning information-technology projects through our subsidiary Alpha Data, which handled all the information technology requirements at Dubai international airport.”

Each subsidiary in the Group has its own management and all are committed to performing efficiently and to the highest international standards. One of the Group’s successful subsidiaries is Gulf Automation Services and Oilfield Supplies (GASOS), which represents several American companies, including Halliburton and Weatherford. Engineer Samir Al Gharbi, the GASOS General Manager, explains, “We supply added value and value engineering as well as services. In order to compete today, a company needs to respond spontaneously to change and supply what clients are looking for. GASOS has proved it can do this.” GASOS is certified for ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001.

Bin Hamoodah Group is committed to safety, environmental protection, rapid adaptation to market changes, and implementing the latest technologies. As for the future, H.E. Faraj Bin Hamoodah says, “We want to work with organizations who have integrity and transparency. We will continue to focus on investing funds in existing businesses to improve product quality and increase productivity. We will support long-term growth in selected activities and markets where we see ourselves as being able to play a leading role.”

SNC-Lavalin Gulf Contractors

“In the last 4 years we have grown to be one of the largest district cooling contractors in the world.”

SNC-LAVALIN Gulf Contractors (SLGC) is a joint venture between Tabreed National Central Cooling Company, a pioneer in district cooling, and SNC-LAVALIN, a world leader in engineering and construction. SLGC specializes in the engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and project management of district cooling plants, with offices in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ajman and Manama, Bahrain and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Paul Beaudry, Managing Director, explains that SLGC’s competitive edge is its strong reputation for quality and reliability and that the company “has an unrivaled and unparalleled extensive experience in the field of District Energy in the region.” He adds, “Quality and punctual delivery of projects is a challenging objective in this country, owing to the rising cost of material and the rapid pace of development. Developers thus have to be very careful in choosing a reliable company that can be able to deliver on schedule the anticipated end product. This setting has always rendered SLGC a key player in this country, being able to deliver the required quality of works in the proper time. Moreover, our goal is to always be a center for excellence and to extend our exceptional engineering and construction services to all countries in the region.”

The district cooling industry is relatively new in the region; however, the market is growing rapidly, driven by the real estate development and the tempting cutback in power requirements and space exploitation offered by district cooling systems versus the traditional systems. SLGC has well established itself in a leading position matching with this growth trend.

SLGC currently works with major developers in the UAE, including top property developers Mubadala, ALDAR and Sorouh in addition to its participation in the construction of the district cooling scheme that will serve the national landmark project of Dubai Metro. Beaudry is very positive about SLGC’s experience in the local market. He says, “Our experience in the local market is very successful, we have managed to recognize the requirements of the local market, we realize the ambitions of the developers, their transparency and their efficiency in decision-making. These people have placed their confidence in us and we have never let them down.”

Beaudry is also proud of his local workers and staff, who “can easily compete with SNC-LAVALIN’s similar expertise in North America in terms of their technical background in addition to the quality of their work,” he says. Moreover, Beaudry reveals that, “SLGC launched its operations in Abu Dhabi in 2004 and now has a staff of 280 employees; however, I am expecting that this number will continue to grow during the coming years so as we expand our operations throughout the GCC and look to accommodate the ongoing and potential operations.”