Founder & Chairman, DAMAC Properties
Hussain Sajwani, a UAE national, is the founder and Chairman of global property development Company, DAMAC Properties.
A self-made billionaire, Sajwani has been recognised as one of the most powerful Arabs, among other accolades.
A graduate from the University of Washington, he started his career as a Contracts Manager in GASCO, a subsidiary of ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company). After a short period, he established his own business and in 1982 founded his own catering venture.
From modest beginnings, the catering division has grown from strength to strength and today is a market leader managing more than 200 projects and serving over 150,000 meals daily in a number of markets, including the Middle East, Africa and the Commonwealth of Independent States. In addition to servicing various industries, the division specialises in providing ancillary services such as camp management, maintenance and manpower supply.
In 2002, he identified the market opportunity and established DAMAC Properties, which has grown to become one of the largest property development companies in the region with projects in key global cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Amman, Beirut, Jeddah, Riyadh, Muscat and London.
As an astute businessman and investor, Sajwani also has a proven track record of successful forays into the global equity and capital markets. He established the DICO Group in the early 1990s as his private investment vehicle. The Group focuses on building a diversified portfolio of new businesses across geographies and industries like luxury fashion, real estate, hospitality, manufacturing and more. Today, DICO Group’s global footprint extends across North America, Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.