Donald Trump
New York property mogul
Harnessing his celebrity pizzazz to Dubai’s building boom with Palm Jumeirah’s Trump Tower, Donald is doing an A-list PR job on the emirate. So what’s next on the golden bouffant’s to-do list? A golf course. ‘I’m trying to get Nakheel to let me do a big golf design,’ he says. ‘If we had a Trump international golf club here, it would blow out everything.’
Justin Timberlake
Pop megastar
December 6, 2007 was the moment Abu Dhabi came of age as a world-class entertainment capital. 10,001 people gathered together on the Emirates Palace lawn (the one being Justin Timberlake) for a flawlessly organised spectacle. The price of such a bold statement of intent wasn’t cheap (a rumoured US$1.75million), but it paved the way for a host of A-list visits. Watch this space for more big announcements in the nation’s capital.
George Clooney
Film star
As a passionate champion of environmental issues, charity fundraiser and a fierce critic of US intervention in the Middle East and Darfur, Gorgeous George has done much to endear himself to us. That’s why we were so excited he gave our city his stamp of approval by turning up at Dubai International Film Festival in 2007. And also why we didn’t wash for weeks after he pressed our palm.
Sunny Rahbar
Gallery director, The Third Line
How does it feel to be a Time Out hero?
I’d just come back from New York shortly before Time Out started, so I feel like we’ve kind of grown at the same time. It was the first real art review section of any magazine. Before Time Out people would sort of print our press releases. I’m very glad to be a Time Out hero.
What do you think has been the defining moment in the development of Dubai’s art scene?
Definitely things like Art Dubai created more public awareness and more support for the arts on a private and even a government level. But really, it felt like there was this combined energy and everyone just came together. It’s still a small art scene, but the fact that it all happened at the same time and everyone depended on each other has been amazing.
What’s been your personal favourite Dubai moment?
It has to be when we opened in 2005. We weren’t even finished – we had a generator out the back running everything and it was really loud so we had to put the music up really loud [laughs]. It was great!
What does the future hold for you?
We’ve recently opened up in Doha. Now we’re established in the Middle East, I think it’s more about getting out there and getting our artists promoted more widely beyond the region – we’ve just been accepted into Art Miami for December.
And what about the future of the art scene here?
The Dubai Cultural & Arts Authority has got some crazy plans – there are museums, theatres, opera houses… It’s not that different from Abu Dhabi, but their strategy is more about inspiring the content from the ground rather than importing it. That’s really exciting. Basically, I think it’s just going to get bigger, better, faster, all those things – all very Dubai!
John Martin
Art Dubai founder
With two riotously successful fairs under its belt, Art Dubai has put the city on the international stage and brought influence – the idea to create Khor Dubai, the 10-strong cluster of galleries and museums at the Creek, came from the discussion programme of this year’s Art Dubai. ‘There are some really energetic and intelligent people working in the art sector in Dubai,’ he tells Time Out. ‘The determination is there to be the best.’
Pablo Picasso
Late artist
Pablo Picasso’s retrospective at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi was the first time the UAE has hosted an art display on this scale. That it was chosen as one of nine countries to show the works reveals it surely as an indication of what’s to come. For his ability to put the UAE on the international art map a full 35 years after he died, posthumous hero status is the least we can do.
Rami Farook
Founder of Dubai’s principal design gallery, Traffic, and host of the region’s first Middle Eastern design competition.
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I’m very honoured and humbled.
Who are your UAE heroes?
My dad and HH Sheikh Mohammed. I’ve tried to model a lot of what I do with Traffic on what Sheikh Mohammed has done with Dubai. His idea, it seemed, was the more you give, the more you receive.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in your own field?
Art Dubai and the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. It’s made the industries we’re working in serious. Ten years ago, the culture industry would have been viewed more like a hobby than an actual profession. Now the advantages of good design are understood.
What’s your favourite part of the UAE?
For me, it’s my home, and being around my family. We have four generations under one roof in our house near Safa Park, from my grandmother to my kids. I feel very lucky.
What is your favourite personal moment in the UAE?
We designed a space during Art Dubai this year, and I gave HH Sheikh Mohammed the tour. Traffic was only six months old at the time. We were being recognised so early on and for me that’s what makes this city beautiful. If you’re doing something right, you get recognised.
What does the future hold for Dubai?
For the next five or 10 years, Dubai has to become a liveable, lovable city. Right now it’s liveable but it isn’t lovable.
What does Time Out mean to you?
I really like Time Out, it keeps us on top of our game. And it helps start-up operations get noticed.
The UAE is…
like a teenager developing its mind, body and identity.
Alison Fordham
DUCTAC chief executive
Since opening in November 2006, Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC), has been the city’s outlet for local theatre. Alison Fordham, the centre’s chief executive, has been at the helm for the past year. ‘There’s been an explosion of the arts in Dubai,’ she tells us. ‘People of all nationalities want to engage creatively.’ Aside from offering space to productions, the centre hosts a programme of workshops for Dubai’s varied communities. ‘Dubai is a 21st century supercity,’ she enthuses.
Lateefa bint Maktoum
Tashkeel director
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I was really surprised, as I’ve only recently started out. It’s an honour to be chosen and hopefully I’ll live up to it.
Who are your UAE heroes?
Of course, HH Sheikh Mohammed, he’s our main hero. He’s done so much for Dubai and the UAE.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in your own field?
I’m glad that Art Dubai is happening and that they’re bringing galleries from abroad. When these galleries come, it raises the question of where the UAE artists are.
What’s your favourite part of the UAE?
I think the life of the UAE is in its people. You have to interact with the people to get the identity of the place.
What is your favourite personal moment in the UAE?
I think what put me where I am today is interning at the Sharjah Biennial. I had to interact with so many different artists from all over the world.
What does the future hold for you?
I’m hoping to build up Tashkeel, to make more artist and residency programmes, to bring more artists here from abroad, and hopefully send artists out.
What does Time Out mean to you?
If I want to be updated on what’s happening in the UAE, I grab Time Out.
The UAE is…
An ever-changing landscape in which I’ve been born and raised. Hopefully I will live here for a long time.
Nashwa Al Ruwaini
TV presenter and producer
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I am honoured and ecstatic. I do not view myself as a hero. I just do my job.
Who are your UAE heroes?
The hero of heroes to me and to every UAE resident is HH Sheikh Zayed, the father of the UAE. He was a visionary.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here, in your own field?
This is an exciting time for culture and television in the UAE. The top rated programmes in the region are Millions’ Poet and Prince Of Poets, and I am the executive producer of both. I am also working on several future programmes.
What does the future hold for you?
I can see myself living here long term. I came here three years ago to do The Nashwa Show with Dubai TV and to establish my company, Pyramedia, here. Now I am involved in many media-related initiatives, including the Middle East International Film Festival and the Abu Dhabi Film Commission. I want to be part of UAE history.
What does Time Out mean to you?
Usually when I visit a new city the first thing I ask the front desk is whether they have Time Out. I am a TimeOut-oholic!
Wael Al Sayegh
Poet and businessman
Who are your UAE heroes?
HH Sheikh Zayed: he took his culture into the modern world and never forgot his Bedouin origins. He controlled billions of US dollars, but would sit on the floor with his fellow man. Without him, we would have no identity.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in poetry?
The Zayed Book Award, which hands out big prize money to Arab writers every year. It’s something every Arab writer aspires to.
What is your personal favourite moment in the UAE?
Every time I see a UAE national succeeding on the world stage. As Emiratis, we’ve been given so much that excellence is not an option, it’s a duty.
What does the future hold for you?
Personally, my short story collection will be published in October and I’m working on a novel to submit to the Zayed Book Awards – fingers crossed. I’m trying to be the best writer that I can be.
What does Time Out mean to you?
Time Out represents a world class achievement. The UAE aims to be an international city, and Time Out reflects that. Two thumbs up!
The UAE is…
… very entrepreneurial. We may have personal differences and contrasting beliefs, but we can come together to make a deal. That’s the spirit of the UAE.
Isobel Abulhoul
Magrudy’s bookshop founder
Isobel Abulhoul opened the first Magrudy’s with her husband in 1975. Now, there are seven stores around the UAE, including ‘the largest bookshop in the Middle East’ at Dubai Festival City: ‘I don’t think there is a secret to Magrudy’s’ success’, confides Isobel, ‘We just maintain the friendly, family ethic, and as consequence, people feel comfortable coming in with their family, whatever their nationality.’ She’s also convinced bestselling authors to commit to 2009’s inaugural Emirates International Festival of Literature, of which she is director. So, come February, when you find yourself rubbing shoulders with Margaret Atwood, you’ll know who to thank.
Gordon Ramsay
Restauranteur
What does the future hold – for the UAE and for you?
I’m going to move to Dubai full-time in five years. That’s my ambition. I’m looking at a plot at the end of one of the branches of the Palm Island. Mum’s in her early 60s and she loves it out here. It’s booming now, Dubai is going through this whole transitional period. Five years ago everyone was saying it’s going to be the next Vegas, now everyone’s saying it’s going to be the next California or Monaco, because of the luxuriousness of the city and what’s happening in the markets here. There’s no stopping Dubai now.
What does Time Out mean to you?
I only have one magazine – that’s Time Out. They don’t ask me the usual s***; ‘So why did you stop playing football? Why do you hate vegetarians?’
The UAE is…
…fascinating place in terms of development. You just want it to be finished quickly.
Dia
Lead singer of local rock band, Juliana Down
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in your own field?
The Desert Rock Festival – just being able to play on the same stage as bands like Muse and Korn was incredible.
What’s your favourite part of the UAE?
Abu Dhabi gives you a lot of space to chill out and relax, whereas when I’m in Dubai I always feel like they’re spraying caffeine into the air or something.
What is your favourite personal moment in the UAE?
It was when I was about 15. We heard there was a band coming to play the InterContinental in Abu Dhabi. Even though we didn’t know who they were, we wanted to see them. But we didn’t have any tickets, so we tried to sneak into the pool to watch the show from there. When we got into the lift, we ended up going upwards instead of down to the pool. The doors opened and there were these two creepy-looking guys in leather pants, and we were like, ‘OK, they don’t look very nice.’ Eventually they got into the lift with us. We found our way to the pool for the gig, and when we looked through our binoculars, we saw the guys in the lift were the vocalist and guitarist from Def Leppard! I will never forget the first second of the show, when the crowd went ballistic. I still feel that whenever we’re onstage.
What does the future hold?
We want to start a whole free public performance movement in Dubai and Abu Dhabi – ‘guerilla gigging,’ walking into a place and playing. Last week Sari, the bassist, and I played in a subway in Abu Dhabi. People were taking pictures because they’d never seen it in Abu Dhabi before.
Steve Vaile
The brains behind Dubai Lime
If you’re a local musician or artist you’ll no doubt have come across Dubai Lime, headed by founder Steve Vaile. The group tirelessly promotes the local scene with open mic nights and Dubai 92FM sessions, as well as the local art community, with various events. ‘Someone just needed to start it, and show people that it was fun and they could make money from it,’ says Steve. ‘Now there’s an original music event every other week.’ Time Out salutes them.
Sukhbir Singh
Dubai-based Bhangra star
Dubai’s an international city, so in a way Bhangra star Sukhbir is the perfect man to represent it: born in India, he grew up in Kenya before moving here in 1994. ‘Then it used to seem like home,’ he says, ‘but now it’s hard to keep track of the changes. Every time I come back from holiday the roads have changed!’ He’s not totally down on the city, though. ‘We’ll have the biggest mall, the tallest building, the biggest aquarium… everything’s happening here.’
Abdulhamid Juma
Chairman, Dubai International Film Festival
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I always say we are fortunate to be in Dubai, to be part of this success story. We are building history.
Who are your UAE heroes?
I have three: the late HH Sheikh Zayed, who brought the whole UAE together. His connection with his people was remarkable; HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum – everything we see in Dubai is an extension of his vision. He was 100 years ahead of his time; HH Sheikh Mohammed – he’s the one who transferred those dreams into reality. I say: ‘Everybody dreams, you have to wake up to make it a reality.’
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in the film industry?
The first Film Festival, in 2004: Dubai needed a cultural event, something apart from the construction and tourism for which it was rightly most well known.
What’s your favourite part of the UAE?
Sometimes it’s nice to escape to the northern emirates. And the desert is where you live the moment and enjoy the space.
What does the future hold – for you and the UAE?
For the UAE, the outlook is very positive. Now we want to celebrate our differences, the fact that we have such a variety of people from all over the world, with different energy.
What does Time Out mean to you?
I look at it when I have visitors, for example people from Hollywood. There are lots of things happening in Dubai, which I can’t keep up with, so I consult Time Out and it tells me where to go!
The UAE is…
positive energy.
Mohammed Harib
Creator of Freej
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. How do you feel?
I’m really humbled. It’s only been three years that I’ve been on the scene so to even be considered for such a thing is mind boggling!
Who are your UAE heroes?
HH Sheikh Mohammed, who helped cultivate a creative atmosphere in Dubai, and my father, who helped me become the person I am today. We have an Arabic phrase, ‘when your son is grown you cease to be his father. You become his brother,’ and my father certainly heeded it. When I told him I wanted to be in animation, which is not a normal aspiration for people here, he told me to go for it.
What’s your favourite part of the UAE?
Bastakiya was a huge influence for my Freej project, but because I am 30 years old I get to enjoy everything about the city, from walking around the malls to going to all the different openings and events. There are so many experiences to try.
What is your favourite personal moment in the UAE?
Ramadan is a big month for me. It’s when you get to come together with your family and it’s also crunch time careerwise – it’s when the new series of Freej is aired and I get to hear everyone’s opinions.
What does the future hold for the UAE?
The UAE has done in the past five years what many countries only aspire to: gone from being a third-world country to a developing monster. From sport to literature we are the number-one Arabic country. I’m a result of that, not part of it!
What does Time Out mean to you?
Time Out has become a definitive companion to the growth of the UAE for everyone, from those visiting Dubai and Abu Dhabi to residents who want to enrich their lives. It’s about being aware, educated and up- to-date.
The UAE is…
…my past, my present and my future.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Bollywood superstar and former Miss Universe
Aishwarya Rai may be the pride of India, but she’s got quite a following in Dubai as well. When she visited the city three years ago for the International Indian Film Academy Awards, she was met with such a reception that she decided to make Dubai her second home. Earlier this year, she and her husband, fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan, purchased an apartment in Sanctuary Falls. ‘I always have fond memories of Dubai,’ says the actress, ‘And I’m looking forward to making more.’
Deepika Padukone
Bollywood actress and supermodel
Deepika Padukone made her debut in hit film, Om Shanti Om. Even if you’re not a Bollywood fan, chances are you’ve seen her. The young supermodel-cum-actress is the spokesperson for Maybelline cosmetics and Levi Strauss jeans, and was also recently made the face of Dubai’s own Aspire Real Estate. ‘I love everything about Dubai,’ says Padukone. ‘The people, the places, the achievements; it has the best of everything.’
Jackie Wartanian
Founder of Dubai’s biggest music festivals
Jackie made her mark on the city by founding CSM, the company behind the Dubai Desert Rock, Desert Rhythm and Urban Desert festivals, which, between them, have brought the likes of Muse, Akon and Mika to the city. ‘I like entertainment, I like music, I like to see people happy,’ she says. ‘My father always told my sister and I to stay out of the music business because it’s so hard, but we ignored him and created these festivals.’ And it’s a good job she did.
Charlie C
The man who brought house music to Dubai
Have you ever heard a major house DJ spin in Dubai? Then thank Charlie Hobbs, aka Charlie C, the pioneering DJ who steered Dubai away from cheese hell. ‘I came out from the UK in 1988, when rave music was just getting big,’ he says. ‘I remember clearing the dancefloor with rave.’ But Charlie stuck around and eventually opened Cyclone in 1995, with Paul Oakenfold playing the first set. That gave rise to the stream of superstar DJs that now flock to the emirate on a weekly basis. Charlie Hobbs, however, returned to the UK last year after doctors said DJing was damaging his hearing. He now runs his own T-shirt business.
Sulaiman Al-Fahim
Real estate whizz and buyer of Manchester City Football Club
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I understand that Time Out is a zestful magazine that caters to a young readership and to be recognised by them as a hero is a great feeling.
Who are your UAE heroes?
I look up to His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. His Highness’s paternal presence is a fountainhead of inspiration for me. Equally significant in my life is His Highness Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed.
What does the future hold – for the UAE and for Hydra Properties? Will there be sport sponsorship deals?
Yes, we are already very much there and, having sponsored the UAE National team for the Beijing Olympics, Hydra Properties will be playing more constructive roles.
Frankie Dettori
Jockey
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
Come on! Let’s shake it! I’ve been racing there for [UAE Club] Godolphin for 14 years.
Who are your UAE heroes?
I think we should all take our hats off to what HH Sheikh Mohammed has done. The city’s just gone beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in racing?
The World Cup, without a doubt. And now the new racing venue, Meydan City – which is set to be completed in 2010 – will be huge, huge. It’s just not coming quick enough!
What is your favourite personal moment in the UAE?
Winning the World Cup in 2000, riding Dubai Millennium. The horse was a hot favourite so there was a lot of expectation. My parents were there. It was very nerve wracking, but it was a great moment for everyone. We smashed the track record. It was fabulous!
What does the future hold – for Dubai and for you?
For myself I’m looking forward to Meydan City, the new track. US$1billion has been invested in the place, a state-of-the-art race course, with facilities that are second to none. I can’t wait.
What does Time Out mean to you?
It’s a great guide for everybody in Dubai. It gives you an outlook on the week. We always use it to find places to go with the kids. It’s a must-have thing in your house, every Thursday.
Tiger Woods
Golf guru
The world’s undisputed number-one golfer can do as he pleases. His 2007 earnings were estimated at a staggering US$100million. So it’s a coup for Dubai that the sporting hero has forged close links with the emirate. That’s thanks to The Tiger Woods Dubai, a golfing leisure project set for completion next year. The golf haven will incorporate 13million sq ft of course. Oh, and a residential complex, as well as a hotel.
Ismail Matar
UAE footballer
There is perhaps no bigger hero in local sport than Ismail Matar. In the 2007 Gulf Cup he scored five goals in five games, leading the UAE team to victory and its first ever trophy. Now he dreams of leading his team to the World Cup: ‘Every player wants to play in the finals and I hope I can achieve this dream in 2010.’
Bernie Ecclestone
The man behind Formula One
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I’m very happy, because we’ve worked hard to make the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix happen and I’m more than pleased. I’ve been speaking to them this morning. Everything seems to be going very well.
Who are your UAE heroes?
There’s so many people there. This whole part of the world has come on so strongly, and so very quickly, that you’ve got to admire everyone who’s been part of it.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in F1 racing?
When the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was conceived, when we talked about it in the beginning, it was just going to be a race within the streets, and it sort of grew from there to [the Yas Island track]. It’s an enormous project and I’m sure everyone will be very, very proud of what is going to happen.
What is your personal favourite moment in the UAE?
I think it was when I realised that the Grand Prix was actually going to take place. It was great to think that it was going to happen after so much hard work. Also, moments like the launch in Abu Dhabi [where they had the largest gathering of Formula 1 cars and drivers outside of a Grand Prix ever]; these are the things that you will most likely remember forever.
Tom Wright
Burj al Arab architect
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
It’s very unexpected but it is good to think that one of your projects has been recognised as making a difference.
Who are your own UAE heroes?
There is only one. HH Sheikh Mohammed. The inspiration and dream behind the reality. He is a man who has an uncanny ability to see the very big picture while not losing sight of the importance of excellence in the detail.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in Dubai in your own field?
The combination of the realisation that untold wealth from oil would eventually run out and the succession of a ‘builder king’ who understood this challenge.
Do you know why the Burj Al Arab symbol was removed from car number plates?
No, but if any one has a Burj plate lying around that they don’t want I’d love to have it.
Have you ever stayed in the Royal Suite?
No, I have never stayed in the Royal Suite. I finally took my wife and younger daughter and stayed in the Burj seven years after it opened. Unfortunately my daughter contracted chicken pox and we were quarantined in our suite for the entire five days of our stay. It could have been worse.
Frank Gehry
Architect
Frank Gehry is set to design Abu Dhabi’s Guggenheim museum, scheduled to open on Saadiyat Island in 2011. The architect’s distinctive style –inside-out buildings, strange protuberances, shiny surfaces – will hold a world-class collection of modern art. Just as his design for the Guggenheim in Spain’s Bilbao brought international attention to what had been little more than a port town, so his Saadiyat Island creation will draw the world to Abu Dhabi.
Hamza Mustafa
Managing director of Nakheel International and The World
You simply can’t argue about the importance of a man with the words ‘Director’ and ‘The World’ in his job title. Tasked with creating Dubai’s most exclusive tourist destination – the 300 man-made islands off the coast of Dubai – Dubai-born Hamza also directs the acquisition of properties outside Dubai. The man’s achievements with Nakheel already seem never-ending, even though he only joined them in 2002. Heck, this man is The World.
Zaha Hadid
Architect
Zaha Hadid has so much of the UAE on her desk right now. The Iraqi-born, London-based architect has pinned down plans for, among others, Dubai’s ‘Dancing Towers’, The Opus, the Abu Dhabi Performing Arts Centre and, of course, her now famous dune-shaped Opera House at the heart of Dubai Creek. Hadid told us, ‘Ambition means pushing boundaries, and I think the UAE is a place where pushing boundaries is possible at the moment.’
Afra Albasti
Charity centre director
‘We’ve helped more than 200 women and children in the past year,’ says Afra Albasti, centre director at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWC). ‘I’d like to help out more and open a centre in the middle of Dubai,’ she tells us. While Afra keeps residents shielded from the media, she wants victims to know there’s a 24-hour helpline (800 111) and that there is always someone at DFWC waiting to help.
Ali Alsaloom
Abu Dhabi businessman, cultural consultant (www.embracearabia.com) and UAE online information expert (www.ak-ali.com)
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. How do you feel?
It feels very good and I’m honoured; I’m a big Time Out fan and it’s nice that people out there know what I am doing for the city – it’s a positive thing.
You’re something of a cultural ambassador for the UAE, aren’t you?
We have to maintain our heritage, but we want people to come and do the right thing when they’re here. In the bigger picture, are we doing the necessary things to help that process? I’m a cultural consultant, helping to pass on knowledge and help people to understand why we do what we do.
What is your personal favourite moment in the UAE?
Meeting HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. It was the highlight of my career, of everything I have tried to do. To listen to him say, ‘Good job, keep doing what you are doing for your city,’ was amazing.
What does the future hold – for the UAE and for you?
I am learning Korean and I would love to be an ambassador for my country. The future is about having nationals who work hard,who develop themselves for the good of their community and who enrich other peoples’ experiences. When people think of Arabs, I don’t want people to think of Bin Laden, or a camel or a Bedu, I want them to think of people like me. I want people to know that – yes, we are Arabs and Muslims, and we have knowledge to give and share.
Queen Rania of Jordan
Charity ambassador
Whether it’s Dubai Autism Centre, Children’s City or new charities like Reaching U (an organisation to help disabled children in Dubai), Queen Rania of Jordan is actively involved. Nick Watson, founder of Reaching U, believes she’s helped put Dubai’s charities on the map. ‘She has the patience and understanding to speak to the children at these charities and actually make a difference,’ he says.
Major Ali Shakr Bin Suwaidi
Emirates Marine Environment Group
‘It’s a good thing to help the country take care of the people,’ says Major Ali, modestly. As the founder of the UAE’s first homegrown environmental group, EMEG, he is one of the country’s leading lights, helping to preserve the land and culture of the region and working with major building contractors to help lessen the impact of development across the United Arab Emirates. Give that man a medal, we say.
Muttar Al Tayer
Head of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. How does that make you feel?
I am delighted indeed. It is a great honour to be chosen and to represent the Government of Dubai. All that I strive for is the greater good of the country and I wish all my fellow brethren leading various government entities all the very most success possible.
What’s the most profound development in roads and transport in recent years?
The biggest thing that has happened is the organisation and initiation of RTA’s current projects, worth Dhs26billion. I’m pleased that the RTA has achieved considerable results and success since its establishment at the end of 2005 on several fronts, such as the number of public buses increasing from 500 to 1,200 by 2008 and then to 2,600. the launch of the Water Bus; the trial operation of gas-operated Abras and hybrid cars; and the construction of more than 1,000 air-conditioned bus shelters. And, last but not least, the construction of the Dubai Metro project, worth Dhs15.5billion. The first phase of this is scheduled to commence operations in October 2009.
What’s your favourite thing about Dubai?
It is a city that helps realise one’s dreams. All thanks to our visionary leader H.H Sheikh Mohammed, today, Dubai has become a first class city. Despite being a melting pot of different cultures, it has unity in diversity and it never ceases to amaze the world with its very many achievements.
What does Time Out mean to you?
Time Out to me makes great reading. Besides being an information guide that caters for events and happenings in the emirate of Dubai, it addresses people from all walks of life and sheds light on varied elements of life.
Karl Lagerfeld
Fashion designer
Armed with decades of catwalk experience, Karl Lagerfeld is looking to give the UAE an injection of sass. And Isla Moda – set to open on The World in 2011 – is the vehicle he is using. ‘For the fashion world this region is very important,’ he says. ‘Other parts of the world can have a little [financial] crisis; there is no crisis here. Isla Moda is the key to Dubai’s fashion future.’
Buffi Jashanmal
Fashion designer
You’ve been chosen as one of Time Out’s heroes. What do you think of that?
I’m totally flattered. I only arrived on the fashion scene last year and I just love what Time Out has got going on there.
What’s the biggest thing that’s happened here in the fashion world?
I guess the last two Fashion Weeks have got people’s attention, and they’re just getting bigger and bigger.
What’s your favourite part of the UAE?
I couldn’t live without my 6.30am walks on the beach. The buzz of the city is amazing, but it’s escaping from it all that means the most to me.
Describe your personal favourite moment in the UAE.
Probably seeing my Dad cry as my models strutted down the catwalk at Dubai Fashion Week. He knew how much effort I put into it all and there’s nothing like having your family there to support you.
What does the future hold – for the UAE and for you?
I kind of get scared of my label growing because I want to keep things personal. The moment you get bigger, you have to play it safe and I don’t want to be restricted. Dubai is a great place to try things out because people let you make mistakes. I do get worried that this place is too obsessed with money and growth. My apartment is half the size of my one in New York and more expensive. I just think it’s all getting a little insane and could all come crashing down.
What does Time Out mean to you?
It’s the only mag I pick up. I love the fact that it shows the good, the bad and the ugly side of the place – it doesn’t sugar-coat the place.
Raghda Bukhash
Fashion designer
‘I think the scene here is on the verge of exploding with the new force of whacked-out designers,’ explains Raghda Bukhash, a Dubai-based Emirati who’s the brains behind Pink Sushi.’ Raghda’s Pink Sushi line has been a feature at stores like Amzaan, S*uce and Five Green for several years. For Raghda this is merely the start of something much bigger. ‘I have huge dreams for my brand on the international fashion scene.’
Sameer Al Ansari
Dubai Investment Capital
Since Al Ansari founded Dubai Investment Capital in 2004, the firm has bought such well-known international names as Tussauds as well as stakes in DaimlerChrysler and HSBC. Born in Kuwait and partly educated in Britain, Al Ansari tried to buy his beloved Liverpool Football Club. The bid failed, but made DIC a household name. ‘It took me two weeks to get over that, but it didn’t dent my passion, I still went to every match,’ he said.
