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Mohamed Alabbar
Mohamed Alabbar
Mohamed Alabbar, Founder of Emaar Properties
Born (1956-11-08) November 8, 1956 (age 67)
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
NationalityEmirati
Other namesMohamed Ali Rashed Alabbar
EducationSeattle University (1981)[1][2]
OccupationBusinessman
Known forEmaar Properties
Eagle Hills Properties
Children7 (Rashed Alabbar, Salama Al Abbar, Shamsa Al Abbar, Mouza Al Abbar, Ali Alabbar, Noor Alabbar, Haya Alabbar)

Mohamed Ali Alabbar (Arabic: محمد علي العبار, born November 8, 1956) is an Emirati businessman, best known as the founder of Emaar Properties, the developer of assets such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, as well as the founder and chairman of Eagl[3]e Hills, an Abu Dhabi-based private investment and real estate development company. Mohamed Alabbar is also the visionary behind Dubai Creek Tower. In a major update, he has said that Dubai Creek Tower, which was supposed to be the world’s tallest tower, is now being redesigned as ‘Female Burj Khalifa.’

Alabbar is also the founder[4] of Noon.com, an e-commerce company and the chairman of Americana Group.

Early life

Mohamed Alabbar was born on November 8, 1956, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and is the eldest of 12 children.[1] His father was the captain of a traditional trading vessel known as a dhow and raised his children in the Rashidiya area of Dubai.[1] In the 1970s, Alabbar received a government scholarship to study finance and business administration from The Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University.[1] Alabbar graduated from Seattle University in 1981 with a degree in Business Administration.[2] He also received an honorary doctoral degree in humanities from his alma mater in 2007 and served on its Board of Trustees until 2016.[5][6]

Career

After college, Alabbar started off his career with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates as a banking manager.[1] In 1992, Alabbar returned to Dubai and began working for the government as the founding director general of the Department of Economic Development (DED).[1][7] Alabbar's career led him to establish a close relationship with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai, where he later became one of Sheikh Mohammed's chief economic advisers.[8][9] Alabbar worked with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to improve the development and growth of both Dubai's tourism industry and global reputation.[7][10]

Since 1997, he has led real estate companies like Emaar Properties, known for creating the world's tallest building, and Eagle Hills, which specializes in emerging markets. He has overseen the expansion of Emaar Properties into various sectors including residential, retail, and hospitality. He established RSH, a Singapore-based company specializing in marketing, distributing, and retailing international fashion brands, where he continues to be a significant shareholder.[11] Through his company, Alabbar Enterprises, he acquired stakes in luxury fashion retailer YOOX Net-A-Porter.[12] Additionally, he is the founder and chairman of Africa Middle East Resources (AMER) and serves as the chairman of Tradewinds Corporation, a Malaysian company focused on leisure and hospitality.[13]

He is the Chairman of Zand, Dubai's first digital bank that aims to cater to retail and corporate clients.[14]

Board memberships

Alabbar chairs Eagle Hills, a UAE-based real estate development company. He served on the board of Emaar Malls until 2021 when the company merged with Emaar Properties.[15][16] Alabbar also sits on the board of Noor Investment Group, an affiliate of Dubai Group.[17] He is on the board of trustees of the American University of Sharjah (AUS)[18] and the FII Institute is the KSA.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Stanley Reed (1 July 2007). "The Master Builder Of The Middle East". Business Week. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  2. ^ a b Sonia Tita Puopolo (2 August 2007). "Mohamed Ali Alabbar: The Mover and Shaper of Dubai". Haute Living. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  3. ^ Awan, Tanvir (21 September 2023). "Dubai Creek Tower being redesigned: Mohamed Alabbar". Dubai Newsweek. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  4. ^ Nagraj, Aarti (2019-12-19). "Noon founder Alabbar says Amazon 'should go back to Seattle'". Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  5. ^ "Seattle University Albers School of Business and Economics" (PDF). Seattle University. 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  6. ^ K.T. ABDURABB (13 June 2007). "Seattle University Honors Alabbar". Arab News. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  7. ^ a b Dhanusha Gokulan (26 January 2014). "A look back into future of the Dubai Shopping Festival". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  8. ^ Matthew Boyle (2007). "5 in Power Positions" Mohamed Bin Ali Alabbar". Forbes. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  9. ^ Rick Reilly (1995). "Going For The Green Huge Appearance Fees Lured Six Of The Globe's Top Golfers To A Tournament In Dubai". Sports Illustrated.
  10. ^ "The 500 most powerful Arabs in the World". Arabian Business. 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  11. ^ "Mohamed Alabbar | BoF 500 | The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  12. ^ Nagraj, Aarti (2016-11-28). "Dubai's Alabbar in $138.5m JV deal with luxury e-retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter". Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  13. ^ "Emaar founder eyes Africa's commodity riches | Financial Times". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  14. ^ Sharma, Alkesh (2022-07-05). "Dubai digital bank Zand receives UAE Central Bank licence". The National. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  15. ^ "Emaar Malls AGM approves cash dividend of Dh1.3 billion" – via Emirates 24|7.
  16. ^ "Emaar Properties completes merger of Emaar Malls in Dubai's second big re-merger move in 2022". gulfnews.com. 2021-11-22. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  17. ^ "Board of Directors: Mohamed Ali Rashid Alabbar". Al Salam Bank Bahrain. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  18. ^ "Sharjah Ruler appoints Bodour Al Qasimi AUS's BoT chair". wam. 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  19. ^ "Our Story - FII Institute Site". fii-institute.org. 2022-05-23. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
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