Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair
Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1954 United Arab Emirates |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Known for | Chairman of Mashreq, Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council (2007–2011) |
Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair (; born 1 July 1954) is a prominent Emirati billionaire entrepreneur and political figure, serving as chairman of Mashreq and a director at the Abdullah Al Ghurair Group. He held the position of speaker for the UAE's Federal National Council between 2007 and 2011. In 2022, Forbes valued his net worth at approximately US$2.6 billion.
Education
Al Ghurair obtained a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from California Polytechnic State University. Beginning his career at Mashreq in 1977, he progressed to oversee the bank’s international expansion, launching branches across New York, London, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, India, and Pakistan. He was promoted to executive director in 1989 and assumed the role of CEO in 1990.
Career
As chairman of Mashreq, a financial institution established by his uncle during the Gulf's oil boom of the 1960s, Al Ghurair leads one of the UAE’s key banking entities. His family’s business interests extend into sectors such as real estate, cement manufacturing, contracting, and food production—operating the region’s second-largest flour mill alongside Masafi mineral water. Additionally, he is chairman of the Arab Business Angels Network.
Between 2007 and 2011, Al Ghurair served as speaker of the UAE Federal National Council. Since becoming CEO of Mashreq in 1990, he has driven innovation by introducing ATMs, debit and credit cards, travellers' cheques, consumer lending products, and POS terminals to the Middle East market.
He also chairs Al Ghurair Investment LLC, a diversified enterprise with investments spanning food, commodities, construction, and real estate. His previous board memberships include Emaar Properties, Visa International, MasterCard, Dubai International Financial Centre; he also co-chaired the Arab Business Council. Currently, he presides over the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.
Philanthropy
Al Ghurair actively contributes to various charitable organizations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and the UAE Disabled Sports Federation.
In 2008, he was part of the UAE’s official delegation visiting the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
Demonstrating a strong dedication to education and philanthropy in the region, in 2015 he committed one-third of his group’s assets to establish the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education.