UAE : Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, led tributes following the death of a leading UAE businessman Majed Al Futtaim.
Majid Al Futtaim was one of Dubai’s commercial pioneers and was among those who spearheaded Dubai’s growth as a global city.
Most prominent in his many achievements was the establishment of the Majid Al Futtaim group in 1992.
The group oversaw the development of Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, which is known across the world for its indoor ski slope.
Sheikh Mohammed said he was one of the emirate’s “most important merchants and senior men”.
“May God have mercy on him,” said Sheikh Mohammed on Twitter.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said Al Futtaim had served his country with distinction.
Today we bid farewell to a … man who spent his life serving his country and his family, said Sheikh Hamdan on Twitter.
Al Futtaim founded the Majid Al Futtaim group in 1992 and it is one of the Arabian’s Gulf’s biggest employers with tens of thousands of staff on the books.
It counts the Mall of the Emirates – known around the world across the globe for its striking indoor ski slope – among its most notable projects.
Al Futtaim also had commercial interests encompassing property and retail from Asia to Africa.
He was part of a core group who worked tirelessly to transform what was a small town by the Creek, known for pearl fishing and dhow trading, into the global metropolis it is today.
In essence, he helped make the vision of the late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed, a reality.
Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, tweeted a photograph showing Al Futtaim with Sheikh Rashid.
“Future generations will remember him for the economic and societal achievements he left over these years,” said Sheikh Maktoum.
The company was also known for encouraging more Emiratis into its workforce. In September, Majid Al Futtaim began a drive to recruit 3,000 Emiratis.
NU
