Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem is the Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DP World and the Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation. His leadership spans across 79 countries, with over 115,000 employees of more than 160 distinct nationalities.

Mr bin Sulayem is a leading entrepreneur and trade industry expert, who led the rapid expansion and development of Dubai’s infrastructure and its ports and free zones. Notable among these is the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), which is now an unrivalled business park that houses more than 10,000 companies.

His keen foresight in the UAE’s development and well-placed investments have contributed significantly to the growth of the UAE into a global business and trade hub, and a sought-after tourist destination. Under his leadership, DP World is now responsible for contributing more than 33 per cent to the GDP of Dubai and about 12 per cent of the GDP of UAE.

Throughout his career, Mr bin Sulayem has leveraged his well-acquired experience of over four decades to build a global company that is now responsible for approximately 10 per cent of global container trade. As Group Chairman and CEO, he has led DP World’s significant transformation from being a Ports and Terminals operator into an end-to-end supply chain solutions provider.

Under Mr bin Sulayem’s leadership, strategic investments and acquisitions have enabled DP World to significantly improve its portfolio of services globally, with expanded infrastructure and increased capabilities. Critical milestones in his leadership journey include the acquisitions of Imperial Logistics and Syncreon in 2021 and UNICO Logistics in 2020, enabling DP World to provide smarter and more robust integrated solutions for customers across more industries and wider range of needs along the supply chain.

His strategic guidance in the purchase of the P&O group for US$6.8 billion in March 2006 propelled DP World to one of the largest global port operators and trade enablers in the world with over 75 marine and inland terminals in six continents.

His other ventures include establishing Nakheel, a leading real estate and tourism property development firm that has created many iconic Dubai projects such as The Palm, the world’s largest man-made islands; and pioneering the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), a market for gold and precious metals, diamonds and coloured stones, energy and other commodities.

Mr bin Sulayem was conferred an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University Dubai, in 2008, and has a BSc in Economics from Temple University, USA. He is also Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) and Dubai International Chamber, Board Member of the Dubai Executive Council, the UAE Federal Tax Authority, Dubai Free Zones Council, and Nakheel PJSC.

OUR LEADERS