Global Travel & Tourism Summit Printed Programme

Profiles
The Programme
PATRON
36
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports,
and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum is President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority,
Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group.
The Emirates Group includes Emirates Airline and Dnata, the sole ground handling agency at
Dubai International Airport and the biggest travel agency in the Middle East.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority is a governing body which overseas the activities of the Dubai International Airport,
Dubai Cargo Village, Dubai Duty Free, Dubai International Hotel and Dubai Aviation Club. He is also the Chairman
of The Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority, Chairman of the Supreme Committee of the Dubai Shopping Festival and
Dubai Summer Surprises, Director of Dubai Golf and Chairman of Alliance Insurance Co., Dubai International Marine
Club, the British University in Dubai and Dubai Power and Energy Committee.
Sheikh Ahmed belongs to the generation of young and influential Emiratis who are building the bridge between Dubai’s
traditional past and its future in the century ahead.
The younger brother of the late ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Sheikh Ahmed embarked
on his journey in the aviation industry in 1985 when he was appointed as the President of Dubai Civil Aviation and
became Chairman of Emirates Airline on the company’s establishment.
His vision from the outset was to transform Dubai into a major aviation hub. In pursuit of this goal, he has made it his
mission incessantly to promote Dubai worldwide as a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city, and a preferred place for business
and leisure.
TO BE EDITED
In early 2003, Sheikh Ahmed was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council. Headed by HH
General Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Minister of Defence UAE, the
council is responsible for formulating strategies and policies for Dubai.
Sheikh Ahmed’s efforts have been recognized by several organisations. Among recent accolades, he was named one of
the top tourism personalities in 2003, 2004 and 2005 by Focus, a major German business magazine. He was also declared
Middle East Person of the Year in 2001 by Travel Agent magazine, for his outstanding achievements in promoting Dubai
as the gateway to the Middle East; and most recently, he was presented with “Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year 2007”
by Airport Journal.
Under his leadership, Emirates Airline has grown dramatically since its launch in 1985 as a regional carrier with two
leased aircraft and three destinations.
With 115 aircraft in its fleet, flying to 100 destinations in 62 countries on six continents, Emirates in its latest financial
year 2006-07 transported 17.5 million passengers.
The airline has outstanding orders for aircraft worth US $60 billion, which will increase its fleet to a projected 150-plus
within the next decade. Emirates has been profitable every year of its existence except the second, operating without
state subsidies and in competition with more than 100 other airlines serving Dubai under the open-skies policy of its
government.
Sheikh Ahmed was born in a traditional Arab fort in Shindagha, an area of Dubai located between Dubai's Creek and
the sea. After attending school in Dubai, he studied in England and went on to University in the U.S. where he gained a
Bachelors Degree from the University of Denver, Colorado. Under the guidance of the Al-Maktoum family, he spent a
few years in practical training, getting a good grounding before his official appointment as Emirates' Chairman.
Well-known in Dubai and abroad, Sheikh Ahmed is a hands-on executive who encourages innovation. He is regarded as
a team player and a good listener, someone who will give the opinions of others careful consideration. Many who work
with him also tell of his exceptional memory.
Despite his achievements, Sheikh Ahmed also is known for his unassuming and unpretentious persona. Compliments on
the success of the enterprises he leads are always met with attribution to the organisations’ workforces.
"In running any organisation, the most important thing is to choose the right people to do the job. Having done that,
the credit for what they do is theirs not mine," he has said.
His achievements in aviation were honoured at the 1994 Farnborough Air Show in the UK, when the Royal Aeronautical
Society, one of the industry's oldest and most respected professional associations, made him a Fellow.
Sheikh Ahmed also is the recipient of France’s highest award –“Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Legion d’Honneur” – the
Legion of Honour – conferred during the Dubai Air Show in December 2003. Among other achievements and merits,
he received the honour for his role “both in the development of Dubai and in strengthening ties between France and
the UAE, and Dubai in particular.”