Dubai Holding Appoints Mohamed Sharaf as Chief Executive Officer of Arab Media Group
Dubai Holding Appoints Mohamed Sharaf as Chief Executive Officer of Arab Media Group
December 5, 2018- Dubai Holding maintains its commitment to Emiratization with more senior appointments to its leadership team across the group
- Five out of seven of Dubai Holding’s group companies are now led by UAE Nationals
Dubai Holding today announced the appointment of Mohamed Sharaf as Chief Executive Officer of Arab Media Group (AMG). AMG is Dubai Holding’s leading entertainment company with operations in radio broadcasting, event management and family entertainment.
In his role as Chief Executive Officer, Sharaf, a UAE National, will oversee the company’s portfolio of prominent businesses including Global Village, the region’s leading family and cultural entertainment destination, Arabian Radio Network (ARN), the largest radio network in the UAE with multi-platforms attracting millions of listeners daily, and Done Events, a multi-facetted and award winning events and live entertainment company.
Sharaf has over a decade of experience, having begun his career at one of Dubai Holding’s companies before moving on to Meraas, where he led the investment team with responsibility for deploying capital as well as establishing and managing joint ventures.
With Sharaf’s appointment, five of Dubai Holding’s seven group companies now have Emiratis as Chief Executive Officers.
His Excellency Abdullah Al Habbai, Chairman of Dubai Holding, said: “At Dubai Holding, Emiratization is a central component of our human capital strategy, and we are proud of the role we play in nurturing our national talent to enable them to take on leadership roles across the group. The commitment and dedication of our Emirati employees has always been a key driver behind our past successes, and they have been instrumental in ensuring that Dubai Holding continues to be a main contributor to Dubai’s economic growth and diversification.”
Al Habbai added: “We are excited for Mohamed Sharaf to rejoin the Dubai Holding family and assume the leadership role of Arab Media Group. He has the right combination of industry experience and business acumen to successfully lead Arab Media Group into the next phase of its growth. His forward-looking strategy will drive the company’s success, and strengthen Dubai’s reputation as a preeminent destination for tourism and entertainment.”
Earlier in the year, Dubai Holding appointed Bader Anwahi, a UAE national, to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Global Village. Anwahi, who began his career with TECOM Group, a Dubai Holding company, joined Global Village in May 2017 as Chief Operating Officer before assuming the CEO role. Prior to that, he was a Senior Director at du, with responsibility for a yearly collection portfolio of AED 6 billion.
For more than 20 seasons, Global Village has provided world class cultural and family entertainment, along with a cosmopolitan and diverse shopping experience, to its millions of visitors. During its 2017-2018 season, it achieved a record-breaking footfall of over 6 million visitors – receiving the ‘No.1 Leisure and Entertainment Destination in the UAE’ in the YouGov Brand Index.
ARN, which launched its first station - AL ARABIYA 99 FM on 1st September 2001, is the leading radio network with more than 50% market share, 4.56 million listeners every week, one million digital listeners each month, and over 2.5 million social media followers. It is the largest radio network in the Middle East with a portfolio of nine unique stations.
AMG’s Done Events operates and manages some of the region’s most successful music festivals and comedy series including RedFestDXB, Blended and TagFest, the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival and DXBLaughs. Done Events also manages an impressive portfolio of conferences, summits, forums and IP’s like VIDXB, Zero Nine and Sole DXB for its clients along with running operations for venues like Hatta Wadi Hub and Madinat Theatre.
His Excellency Abdulla Ahmed Al Habbai, Chairman
At Dubai Holding, Emiratization is a central component of our human capital strategy, and we are proud of the role we play in nurturing our national talent to enable them to take on leadership roles across the group. The commitment and dedication of our Emirati employees has always been a key driver behind our past successes, and they have been instrumental in ensuring that Dubai Holding continues to be a main contributor to Dubai’s economic growth and diversification.