Mohamed Alabbar, developer of Burj Khalifa, creator of Burj Al Khor Tower, and founder of Noon

Mohamed Ali Alabbar (born 8 November 1956) is a prominent Emirati businessman, best known for his role as founder of Emaar Properties, which has gained global fame as the developer of famous Dubai landmarks such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall.

Mohamed Alabbar is the founder and chairman of Eagle Hills, a leading real estate investment and development company in Abu Dhabi. He is also the architect of the Dubai Creek Tower, which was originally planned to be the tallest building in the world. He is also the founder of Noon, an e-commerce company, and chairman of the Americana Group.

Mohammed Alabbar's childhood and education Mohamed Alabbar was born on November 8, 1956, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the eldest of 12 children. His father was a captain of a traditional trading ship known as a dhow and raised his children in the Rashidiya area of Dubai. In the 1970s, Alabbar received a government scholarship to study finance and business administration at the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. Alabbar graduated from Seattle University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He also received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from his alma mater in 2007 and served on its Board of Trustees until 2016.

Mohamed Alabbar's career After graduating from university, he began his career at the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates as a banking manager. In 1992, he returned to Dubai and began working for the government as the founding Director General of the Department of Economic Development. His career led him to establish a close relationship with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, where he later became one of Sheikh Mohammed's senior economic advisors. Alabbar worked with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to enhance the development and growth of Dubai's tourism industry and global reputation.

Since 1997, he has led real estate companies such as Emaar Properties, known for creating the world's tallest building, and Eagle Hills, a developer specializing in emerging markets. He has also overseen Emaar's expansion into various sectors, including residential, retail, and hospitality. Alabbar founded RSH, a Singapore-based company specializing in the marketing, distribution, and retailing of global fashion brands, in which he remains a major shareholder.

Through his company, Alabbar Enterprises, he has acquired stakes in luxury fashion retailer YOOX Net-A-Porter. He is also the founder and chairman of Africa and Middle East Resources (AMER) and serves as chairman of Tradewinds Corporation, a Malaysian company focused on leisure and hospitality. He is also chairman of Zand, Dubai's first digital bank that aims to meet the needs of individual and corporate clients.

Alabbar is chairman of Eagle Hills, a UAE-based real estate development company. He served on the board of Emaar Malls until 2021, when the company merged with Emaar Properties. Alabbar is also a board member of Noor Investment Group, a subsidiary of Dubai Group. He is a member of the board of trustees of the American University of Sharjah and the Institute of Fisheries Industries in Saudi Arabia.

Some Israeli media outlets have also revealed that Mohamed Alabbar made "generous" donations to an Israeli project in the Palestinian territories, providing aid to thousands of Israeli families suffering from hunger and poverty. The economic website Calcalist explained that the National Food Security Initiative conference in Tel Aviv revealed for the first time the names of the five donors who funded aid to thousands of hungry families, amounting to 550 million shekels (more than $170 million). The website added that the aid had been provided to the project over the past 18 years, noting that the aid was secretly provided to Israeli families.

Al-Abbar sparked controversy in a speech he gave at the UAE-Israel Economic Conference, held on the sidelines of GITEX, when he said he was seeking family ties before economic relations with Israel.

Al-Abbar added at the conference, "Business with Israel will inevitably come, but I'm talking about you visiting my mother and me visiting your Israeli mother, and our children communicating with each other."