Guest Speaker
H.E. Sulaiman Abdul Kareem Mohammad Al-Fahim
Ambassador At Large to Middle-East, GCC & Asia of IIMSAM
Sulaiman Abdul Kareem Mohammad Al-Fahim (or more widely known as Sulaiman Al-Fahim) is a successful international real estate entrepreneur, philanthropist and sports enthusiast. He currently serves as Chairman and President of the Arab Union for Real Estate Development (AURD), CEO of the Falcon Group, and sits on the boards of Hydra Properties and is Chairman and part owner of the English Premier League Portsmouth Football Club.
As Ambassador At Large to IIMSAM, Al-Fahim actively supports efforts to assist the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by working to raise awareness and availability of spirulina to combat malnutrition and hunger around the globe.
Early Life
Al-Fahim was born in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 1977. From the age of eleven he worked in his father's Orient Pharmacy after school. At the age eighteen, he founded the "Sulaiman Al Fahim Group" which financed education and sports in the UAE.
In 1998, when he was 21, Al-Fahim was left orphaned after his parents and younger brother were killed in a traffic accident near Dubai Airport. Following this tragic loss, he moved to the United States to pursue a western business education. There Al-Fahim received his MBA in Finance and Real Estate from Kogod School of Business of the American University in Washington DC.
Professional Career
After completing his post-graduate education in the United States, Al-Fahim returned to the UAE, where in 2005, he founded Hydra Properties, and served as the CEO of the Abu Dhabi-based real estate development company. He currently sits on the Board of Directors.
From his leadership of Hydra Properties, Al-Fahim created and hosts a real estate business-themed reality TV show entitled Hydra Executives which airs in the UK, Ireland and across the Arab region.
In the Spring of 2009, Al-Fahim was named Chairman and President of the Arab Union for Real Estate Development (AURD). AURD is the premier real estate trade association in the GCC and is affiliated with the Arab League. Under Al-Fahim's leadership, AURD has demonstrated its commitment to building environmentally-sustainable housing for low and middle income families through his current projects in Puerto Rico and New York City. In addition to environmentally conscious construction, Al-Fahim is planning to grow spirulina on site to use as a biofuel for electricity.
In 2007, Sulaiman Al-Fahim was named to Arabian Business Magazine's "Power 100: The World's Most Influential Arabs" as No. 77. In 2008, he was the second highest riser in the history of the list, jumping 61 spots to 16th. He currently is listed as No. 4 on the 2009 list.
International Humanitarian Initiatives with IIMSAM
In November 2008, Al-Fahim was appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador of IIMSAM, to help the organization realize a world free of malnutrition and hunger, and in support of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by mainstreaming the use of Spirulina to eradicate malnutrition, achieve food security, and bridge the health divide with a special priority for the Developing and the Least Developed Countries.
Al-Fahim's priority area has been to help the anti-malnutrition initiatives of IIMSAM in the Republic of Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Republic of Sudan. Ambassador Al Fahim has also been instrumental in branding the IIMSAM name and mandate in the GCC and throughout the Middle East and Asia.
In 2009, as an ambassador at large of IIMSAM, he helped to establish Spirulina Nutritional Initiatives and Spirulina Programs along with IIMSAM's CAMP MARADONA in the Republic of Kenya along with IIMSAM's Goodwill Ambassadors Mama Sarah Obama and Said Obama, grandmother and uncle respectively of the President of the United States, The Honorable Barack Obama
Sport
Al-Fahim is a keen chess player, and has represented his country as a youth and is currently serves as President of the UAE Chess Association.
Al-Fahim is also an avid football fan as evidenced by the fact that he is Chairman and 10% owner of English Premier League Portsmouth Football Club, but he also favors Al Ain and Al Jazeera clubs in the UAE League.
Personal life:
While he has many business initiatives and personal interests, Sulaiman Al-Fahim is above all a devoted family man. He is married and lives with his wife and three children in the UAE.
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