Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (; born 1 December 1958) is an Emirati businessman, politician and member of

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

's ruling Al Maktoum family, who is the current chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and the Emirates Group, second vice chairman of the Executive Council of Dubai and president of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA). He is also the chairman of Dubai Airports,

Dubai Holding Dubai Holding () is Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum's global investment holding company and personal investment portfolio. Mohamed al-Gergawi built the company's portfolio. Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al-Maktoum was appointed ...

Dubai World Dubai World () is an investment company that manages and supervises a portfolio of businesses and projects for the Government of Dubai across a wide range of industry segments and projects that promote Dubai as a hub for commerce and trading. A ...

and Emirates NBD. Ahmed is the board member of the Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD) and the current chancellor of The British University in Dubai.

Early life and education

Born on 1 December 1958, Ahmed is the youngest son of Dubai's former ruler, Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum bin Hasher Al Maktoum, and the only child of his father's second wife, Sheikha Fatima bint Ahmed bin Suliman. He is the half-brother of the former ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, and is the uncle of Dubai's current ruler, Sheikh

Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (; born 15 July 1949) is an Emirati politician and royal who is the current ruler of Dubai, and serves as the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, vice president and Prime Minister of the United Arab ...

. Ahmed has a degree in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

Career

Al Maktoum's career in the aviation industry began in 1985 when he was appointed president of the Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) (the governing body which oversaw the activities of Dubai International and

Dubai Duty Free Dubai Duty Free (DDF) is the company responsible for duty-free selling operations at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport. Founded in December 1983, DDF recorded first-year sales of US$20 million. In 2023, its 40 ...

). Emirates, the national carrier, was launched at the same time, with Al Maktoum appointed chairman. Maktoum Lula

He is believed to be connected to at least 14 board members in 14 organizations in 14 industries. Al Maktoum has been called "the man who put Dubai on the global aviation map." He has been chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline & Group since 1985. In October 2019 Al Maktoum, as president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA), opened a quartet of sector-specific global food trade platforms at the

Dubai World Trade Centre The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) () is a convention and exhibition centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. History The Dubai World Trade Centre was originally a single tower, constructed in 1979, and has since been expanded into a business d ...

(DWTC). Al Maktoum was chairman of the Dubai Free Zone Council. At its 13th meeting in 2019, chaired by Al Maktoum, the members discussed initiatives and proposals for long-term rental agreements or investors and free zone passports. Al Maktoum is chair of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature.

Personal life

In 2007, he married Egyptian socialite Nivin El-Gamal in 2007 in an Islamic ceremony in a London flat. Al Maktoum denied that this had taken place; a London court accepted that it had, but that it was not a valid marriage under English law. She gave birth to their only child, Saeed bin Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Al Maktoum later married Sheikha Mona, a first cousin twice removed (a regional tradition), a daughter of Sheikh Obaid bin Thani Al Maktoum, in 2008. He married Moza bint Hamdan Al Malik Al Shehi in 2019, and they had a son named Mohammed in November 2020.

Honors and awards

* 2007: Living Legend of Aviation — Aviation Entrepreneur of the Year. * 2011:

Ernst & Young EY, previously known as Ernst & Young, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership, network based in London, United Kingdom. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and PwC, it is one of the Big Four accounting firms, Big F ...

Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the UAE * 2012: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature Personality of the Year Award. * 2013:

Honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

City University London City, University of London was a public university from 1966 to 2024 in London, England. It merged with St George's, University of London to form City St George's, University of London in August 2024. The names "City, University of London" and ...

. * 2013: Honorary Knight Commander of The Most Excellent

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

. * Listed in the Top 100 most powerful Arabs' from 2013 to 2021 by '' Gulf Business''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maktoum, Ahmed Saeed Al 1958 births Businesspeople awarded knighthoods Businesspeople from Dubai Commanders of the Legion of Honour The Emirates Group Emirati airline chief executives Emirati billionaires Emirati corporate directors Emirati investors Emirati politicians Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Living people Ahmed Saeed Ali Sons of monarchs University of Denver alumni