Since his appointment in 2007, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem has been one of Dubai’s leading leaders for more than three decades, having started his career in the customs office at Jebel Ali Port after receiving a BS degree in economics from Temple University in Philadelphia.
Also the Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation (PCFC), his career spans a wide range of leadership roles in business and government.
Bin Sulayem served as the first chairman of the Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) when it was founded in 1985 and oversaw its development into the region’s leading hub for logistics, hosting more than 7,500 enterprises including nearly 100 Fortune 500 companies. Bin Sulayem also founded and led Nakheel, a leading real estate and tourism property development firm behind many of the most iconic projects in Dubai including Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made islands.
In 2002, he pioneered the development of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), a leading trading centre for international commodities across a range of goods from gold, diamonds and precious metals to tea, food and industrial materials. In 2003, he also established and led Istithmar World, a premier global investment company with a portfolio of investments in private and public equity, real estate and alternative asset classes across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
During his tenure at the helm of DP World, Bin Sulayem has successfully led its international expansion, including the acquisition of the P&O group for $6.8bn in March 2006, propelling the company to a leadership position as one of the world’s largest port operators and trade enablers. Today, DP World operates 78 marine and inland terminals on six continents and employs more than 45,000 employees in 42 countries.
Bin Sulayem has also been appointed to the boards of a number of leading industry associations and governing bodies, including the Dubai Executive Council, the UAE Federal Tax Authority and Virgin Hyperloop One.
In August this year, he led DP World’s partnership with Zhejiang China Commodity City Group Company (CCC) to develop a ‘Traders Market’ in Jebel Ali Freezone.
The project will span around 800,000 sq m, with phase 1, estimated at $150m, covering about 220,000 sq m. Construction is expected to start in Q4 and take 24 months to complete.
The Traders Market will create the first smart freezone market place in the Middle-East for the retail and wholesale industries and aims to also serve the wider region. The market will allow traders to benefit from lower supply chain costs by using the world-class multi-modal infrastructure available in Jebel Ali and Dubai.
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