In a ceremony held on 3rd May at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, the chairman of Dubai World, Sultan bin Sulayem, was presented the fifth AHIC Leadership Award by Sol Kerzener, chairman of Kerzner International, co-developer and operator of Atlantis, The Palm. Kerzner saluted Sulayem for his 'fantastic entrepreneurship' and role in the creation of the Palm Jumeirah.
"He is a true leader who works with enthusiasm and vigour to get things done," said Kerzner. "It has been a privilege to work with him and to present this award today."
Sulayem was nominated by the AHIC advisory panel of key industry leaders. He now joins Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding Company, Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and prime minister, and ruler of Dubai, Maurice Flanagan, vice chairman and group president of Emirates, and Mohammed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties as an AHIC Leadership award winner.
In an interview following the presentation of the award, Sulayem explained how Dubai’s tourism development has become a model for the region, and that any such development taking place within the Gulf could only be good for Dubai.
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“There are so many attractive places here in this region, with investment inspired by what is going on in Dubai,” he said. “The more attractions there are in the Gulf, the better it will be for Dubai as a whole.”
Sulayem stressed the importance of developing across the region. “If we’re the only attraction, this won’t be a good proposition for tourists. But we are very optimistic. There are some great projects in Doha, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi,” he said. “Take the developments in Abu Dhabi, for example. If you are visiting those, why wouldn’t you also spend a couple of days in Dubai?”
Sulayem also remained optimistic about the current economic situation and provided reassurances for the future. “No-one can deny there’s a crisis. The whole world is suffering. But the GCC has suffered the least, and our banks are strong,” he said. “Anything that cannot be financed will be delayed, but nothing [by Dubai World] is cancelled. No-one has ever faced something like this before and we’re going to learn so much. If you already had a growing business, it’s crazy to say it can’t still grow. If you slow down you’re making the crisis worse.”
The Dubai World chairman remains positive. “Every day is an exciting day,” he said.
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