Establishing the Majid Al Futtaim Group in 1992, the group’s founder is responsible for changing the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure in the Middle East and North Africa and introducing the concept of regional shopping malls and hypermarkets to the region. The company is divided into five businesses: MAF Properties, MAF Trust, MAF Retail, MAF Ventures and MAF Projects.

The man is famous for building some of the Emirates’ largest shopping malls and leisure centres, which have acted as a magnet for both consumers and retail businesses. Majid opened his first shopping mall in 1995, City Centre in Dubai, and is now dotting the region’s map from Oman to Alexandria in Egypt.

The Mall of the Emirates in Dubai opened in September 2005 and is considered the largest shopping resort outside of North America. The 223,000 sq m centre is home to over 400 retailers, 65 restaurants as well as two hotels (one under construction) and a five-star Kempinski, which offer over 900 rooms combined, a host of licensed restaurants, tennis court, swimming pools and spas.

Al Futtaim currently has a number of projects under construction. His development arm, MAF Development is responsible for The Wave in Muscat. The joint project with the Government of the Sultanate of Oman, this multi-use project will occupy a beachfront location of more than 7km in width, covering a total area of more than 200 hectares. Currently under construction is the Bahrain City Centre. The first leisure and shopping destination in the Kingdom of Bahrain is scheduled to open next year and has provisions for more than 300 stores. It will include the largest indoor water park in the region and the largest cinema in the Middle East.