proffessional network
HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, FRAeS, FCILT
Chairman & Chief Executive Emirates Airline & 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.
Sheikh Ahmed belongs to the generation of young and influential Emiratis who are building the bridge between Dubai's traditional past and its dynamic future.
The younger brother of the late ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Sheikh Ahmed embarked on his career in the aviation industry in 1985 when he was appointed President of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) – the governing body that oversaw the activities of Dubai International and Dubai Duty Free, among others.
In the same year, Emirates airline – Dubai’s international carrier – was launched with Sheikh Ahmed as its Chairman. He is now the Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, which includes Dnata – the region’s leading travel services and ground handling company – and other aviation-related companies.
The Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE), which is spearheading Dubai’s thrust into the global aerospace industry, was launched under Sheikh Ahmed’s leadership in 2006.
The DCA underwent an organisational restructuring in April 2007, resulting in the creation of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) as the local regulatory body, and Dubai Airports as the owner and operator of Dubai’s airports – Dubai International and the under-construction Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International. Following the restructuring, Sheikh Ahmed became the President of DCAA and Chairman of Dubai Airports.
The remarkable growth of Dubai International – from less than a hundred destinations on its network served by just over 50 airlines, and an annual throughput of 3.8 million passengers in 1985, to a network of over 205 destinations served by 120 airlines, and an estimated 37 million passengers in 2008, is testimony to Sheikh Ahmed’s grand vision and foresight.
Under his leadership, Emirates has grown from being a regional airline with just two leased aircraft and three destinations, to an acclaimed international airline with a fleet of more than 100 aircraft and as many destinations across six continents. Emirates is today the world’s fastest growing intercontinental carrier.
The fact that Dubai is now firmly established as the region’s most desirable leisure destination is due in no small measure to the efforts of Sheikh Ahmed, who also holds several other portfolios with the Government of Dubai. He is Deputy Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, which is responsible for formulating policies and strategies for the Emirate of Dubai.
Holder of a Bachelors Degree from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA, Sheikh Ahmed is well known internationally for his contribution to the development of aviation in the region. The Royal Aeronautical Society, one of the industry’s oldest and most respected professional associations, honoured his achievements in aviation with a fellowship of the Society at the 1994 Farnborough Air Show in the UK.
Sheikh Ahmed is also a recipient of Commandeur de l'Ordre de la Legion d'Honneur (the Legion of Honour) – the highest French civilian award, conferred on him during the Dubai Air Show in December 2003.
Sheikh Ahmed is Member of the Board of the Dubai Council for Economic Affairs; Vice-Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre; Board Member of the Dubai Corporation for Government Investment, Chairman Supreme Committee – Dubai Shopping Festival Committee and Dubai Summer Surprises; and Board Member – General Civil Aviation Authority of UAE.
He is also the Chairman of Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority, Dubai Air Wing, Alliance Insurance Company, Le Meridien Dubai, Dubai International Marine Club, Dubai Golf Club, The British University in Dubai, The Dubai Power & Energy Committee and the UAE National Olympic Committee.
In addition, Sheikh Ahmed is Patron to many charitable organisations, including the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, the Rotary Club of Dubai and the Terry Fox Run and the Emirates Airline Foundation.
The efforts of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Emirates Group, to promote professionalism in the transportation industry, have been recognised with the fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). Cyril Bleasdale, the institute's Director General, this week presented the certificate of fellowship to Sheikh Ahmed in his office at Dubai International Airport.
Sheikh Ahmed is Patron of the UAE section of the CILT which has Maurice Flanagan, Emirates Group Managing Director, as President, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zones, as Chairman, and Captain Jitendra Misra, Managing Director of Oasis Ship Management, as secretary.
The UK-based CILT dates from 1919 and has a worldwide membership of 30,000 transport industry professionals with growing interest in the Middle East. Its role is to spread logistics and transport knowledge and to be a source of authoritative views on those subjects for communication to governments, industry and the community.
Monday, May 05 - 2003