His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem
In 2008, the inaugural Honorary Doctorate was awarded to His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
HE Sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Dubai World, was bestowed with the accolade of Honorary Doctor of the University in recognition of his dedication, commitment and excellence towards the economic development of the UAE and the Arab World, and his inspiring community leadership.
The Sulayem family has been one of Dubai’s most prominent business and political families since at least the early 20th century. Ahmed bin Sulayem’s father was a key advisor to Dubai’s ruling Maktoum family.
His Excellency has a distinguished business career having been instrumental in the development of the Jebel Ali Fee Zone; he was the founding Chairman in 1985. He oversaw the rapid development of the Free Zone into an unrivalled business park of more than 7300 companies. He also helped establish Nakheel, a property development company, which is a Dubai World subsidiary.
HE Sultan Bin Sulayem thanked MDX Dubai for the honour and attributed his achievements to the encouragement, support and trust of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai:
“Sheikh Mohammed’s vision for the glory of Dubai is the driving force behind all achievements in the emirate. This honour inspires me to work harder for a bigger, better future for our nation.
“It is recognition of Dubai World’s role as an engine of growth. Dubai World’s success is a result of the teamwork of our excellent, deeply committed experts at all levels. Their success has contributed to my own achievements.”
Since receiving his honorary graduate from MDX Dubai, HE Sultan Bin Sulayem has gone on to lead Nakheel in the creation of many iconic Dubai projects including The Palm, one of the world’s largest man-made islands.
He has established and leads Istithmar World, a major investment house focusing on private equity with a portfolio of investments in diverse sectors across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East including retail, financial services, industry, tourism and hospitality, and healthcare
He pioneered the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), a market for gold and precious metals, diamonds and coloured stones, energy and other commodities.
In 2022, he was named as the MENA region’s first HeForShe Champion by UN Women.