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 Zayed Al Nahyan (, 1969 – 26 March 2010) was an Emirati businessman and the managing director of the

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) is a sovereign wealth fund owned by the Emirate of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, founded to invest funds on behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi. It manages the emirate's excess oil reserves a ...

Early life and education

Ahmed was born in 1969. He was one of Sheikh

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan (; 6 May 1918 – 2 November 2004) was an Emirati royal, politician, philanthropist and the founder of the United Arab Emirates. Zayed served as the governor of Eastern Region from 1946 until he became ...

's 19 sons. His mother was Sheika Mouza. He had four full brothers, including Sheikh Saif and Sheikh Hamed. Sheikh Ahmed was a graduate of the United Arab Emirates University.

Career

Sheikh Ahmed joined the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in 1994 and worked there as a European equities analyst. He became its managing director and board member in November 1997. His full-brother Hamed bin Zayed replaced him as ADIA managing director in April 2010. He served as Interior Minister of the United Arab Emirates in 2004. In 2007, Ahmed was appointed the Undersecretary of Ministry of Finance and Industry. Sheikh Ahmed also served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Zayed Foundation for Charitable and Humanitarian Works. In addition, he was a member of the Supreme Petroleum Council.

Alliances and influence

Sheikh Ahmed had been a close ally of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed since the latter was crown prince. In 2009, Sheikh Ahmed was regarded as the 27th most powerful person in the world by ''Forbes''.

Death and funeral

Ahmed was reported missing on 26 March 2010 after the

ultralight aircraft Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and Aircraft flight control system, conventional three-a ...

in which he was learning to fly disappeared while flying in

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. Soon after, the plane was found to have crashed into the lake Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, near the Moroccan capital,

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...

. Sheikh Ahmed's family, the Al Nahyan, have a residence on the shore of that lake, where Ahmed used to come often. The craft's Spanish pilot, his flight instructor Julio López, survived the accident and was quickly rescued. Ahmed's body was only recovered from the crash site four days later on 30 March, despite an intensive search by helicopters and divers from several countries. He was 41. His body was returned to Abu Dhabi and funeral prayers for him were performed on 31 March at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. His body was buried in the Al Bateen cemetery.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nahyan, Ahmed Zayed Sultan 1968 births 2010 deaths United Arab Emirates University alumni Industry ministers of the United Arab Emirates Interior ministers of the United Arab Emirates Ahmed Zayed Sultan Place of birth missing Emirati billionaires Children of presidents of the United Arab Emirates Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Morocco Sons of monarchs Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 2010