Mahdi Al Tajir
Mohammed Mahdi Al Tajir | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 26, 1931 Bahrain |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, diplomat |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Known for | First UAE ambassador to the United Kingdom; business interests in finance, real estate, Highland Spring bottled water |
Mohammed Mahdi Al Tajir () (born 26 December 1931) is an Emirati entrepreneur residing primarily in the United Kingdom and holds the distinction of being the inaugural United Arab Emirates ambassador to the UK. He splits his residence between his home in London and Keir House, his expansive property located in Stirlingshire. His commercial portfolio encompasses sectors such as finance, real estate, and ownership of the Highland Spring bottled water enterprise.
In the Sunday Times Rich List 2010, Al Tajir was ranked among Scotland's wealthiest individuals, with an estimated net worth of £1.72 billion.
Life
Born in Bahrain in December 1931, Al Tajir received his education at Preston Grammar School in Lancashire. He is married and has five children.
His ownership of a 15,000-acre estate in Blackford, Perthshire, Scotland, is held through Park Tower Holding Establishment, a firm registered in the tax haven of Liechtenstein. Additionally, he possesses London's Sheraton Park Tower Hotel near Hyde Park and acquired Mereworth Castle in Kent in 1976 for $1.2 million.
During the 1980s, Al Tajir collaborated with business associate Hani Salaam in efforts to mediate peace during the Lebanese Civil War.
He is renowned for amassing a significant collection of silver artifacts and carpets. Notably, in 1993 he set a record by purchasing an 18th-century silver chandelier at auction for £2.27 million.
Al Tajir partnered with the auction house Bonhams to open an office in Dubai.
His son, Maher al-Tajir, was convicted of assault in 2009 at Keir House.
Business career
Initially appointed by Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum as head of customs in Dubai, Al Tajir became one of Sheikh Rashid’s most trusted confidants and was designated as the first Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the United Kingdom in 1971. His adept negotiation skills were fictionalized under a pseudonym in Robin Moore’s 1976 novel Dubai.
In 1963, Al Tajir assumed the role of director overseeing Sheikh Rashid’s petroleum interests, effectively becoming Dubai’s second most influential figure. He relinquished or lost this position in 1981 amid Sheikh Rashid’s declining health and the ascendancy of his sons. Al Tajir continued serving as UAE ambassador to the UK until 1987.
During the late 1960s in London, Al Tajir introduced Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed to Dubai’s financial requirements, disclosing a need for a £1 million loan to develop its harbour. Al-Fayed secured £9 million from American attorney Imre Rochlitz; however, tensions arose due to Rochlitz’s Jewish background, leading Al Tajir to later reject a partnership with Al-Fayed. Al-Fayed earned £1.5 million commission by facilitating contracts for British engineering firm Costain related to port enhancements and contributed funding to the Dubai World Trade Centre.
By the mid-1970s, Costain had been awarded contracts exceeding £280 million through collaborations with Al-Fayed and Al Tajir. Nevertheless, by 1977 Al Tajir’s influence waned; Al-Fayed was excluded from commissions on new projects including an aluminium smelter and developments at Jebel Ali, jeopardizing Costain’s prospective earnings. In 1993, Mohammed Alabbar—appointed director of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development by Sheikh Maktoum—aimed to curtail substantial commission payments. Subsequently, British courts examined allegations against Al Tajir for excessive profits linked to the aluminium smelter project while also scrutinizing Al-Fayed’s management of the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The aluminium smelter initiative also sparked disputes between Al Tajir and Sheikh Rashid’s sons. A British court found that Al Tajir colluded with commodities trader Marc Rich to defraud Dubai Aluminium of millions.
Al Tajir owns a glass bottling operation based in Dubai as well as a private bank located within the tax haven Cayman Islands.
External links
- Pages with script errors
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- 1931 births
- Living people
- Emirati entrepreneurs
- Emirati billionaires
- Emirati expatriates in the United Kingdom
- Scottish billionaires
- Emirati philanthropists
- Emirati individuals of Bahraini heritage
- United Arab Emirates ambassadors to the United Kingdom
- United Arab Emirates ambassadors to France
- Emirati collectors of art
- Alumni of Preston Grammar School
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- Baharna