Mana Al Otaiba

H.E Dr. Mana Saeed Al Otaiba
Born	Mana Saeed Al Otaiba Abu Dhabi, UAE
Other names	Dr. Mani Said Al Utaybah, Dr. Mana Saeed Al Otaiba, الدكتور مانع سعيد العتيبة
Occupation	Politician, Business magnate, Poet, Hotelier, Economist, Novelist
Title	His Excellency, Dr.
Religion	Liberal Muslim

Dr Mana Alotaiba (Arabic: الدكتور مانع العتيبه‎) was born on 15 May 1946 To Saeed Al Otaiba in Abu Dhabi the United Arab Emirates. Little else is known about Dr. Al Otaiba's personal life. Dr. Mana Al Otaiba is the former Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources of the United Arab Emirates under the Presidency of H.H Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan [1]. After which Dr. Mana Al Otaiba became the Personal Adviser to his highness the president. Which he remained until the death of H.H Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, after which he became the Private Advisor to H.H Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan [2], as well as a member of the Royal Moroccan Academy under H.H King Hassan II.

Politics

Mana Al Otaiba is an Arab diplomat who is sought for advice by both Arab and international leaders because of his economic experience and his high levels of experience in the diplomatic circuit.

Business

Mana Al Otaiba is also the Chairman of Noor Capital [3], a firm dealing in Asset Management, Private Equity, Investment Banking, Investment Placement and Direct Equity. He is also a Major Shareholder in Abu Dhabi Group [4], a company with holdings in real estate; banking; slamic banking; telecommunication; ISP; manufacturing; pharmaceuticals; hotels and tourism, as well as being a major shareholder in Dana Gas [5], which is the first regional private-sector natural gas company in the Middle East. He also owns Maissoune; a Moroccan business venture that has a significant presence in the Kingdom [6]. The rest of Dr. Al Otaiba’s business activity is unknown due to his very private nature.

Culture

Al Otaiba has published more than 42 books of poetry, written in colloquial Arabic, formal Arabic and English. Al Otaiba has written novels including Karima and several essays including Essays on Petroleum and The Petroleum Concession Agreement as well as the highly influential book on Petroleum; OPEC and the Petroleum Industry. Dr. Mana Al Otaiba is a noted Poet of the modern Arab World and of the United Arab Emirates, and his writing was renowned even before the unification of the Emirates in 1972 [7]. Al Otaiba was also given several Honorary Doctorates, including a Doctorate of Law from the University of Keio in Japan [8], a Doctorate of Law from the University of Manila in the Philippines [9], and a Doctorate of Economics from the University of São Paulo Brazil.

OPEC

Mana Al Otaiba was the President of OPEC a record of six times, including the presidency of the 26th conference held in Abu Dhabi 1971, the 52nd held in Abu Dhabi 1978, the 53rd and 54th both held in Geneva in 1979, the 62nd held in Abu Dhabi in 1981, and the 63rd held in Vienna in 1982. [10] Dr. Al Otaiba caused a lot of controversy in the seventies by disregarding the quotas agree upon in OPEC for the better benefit of the economy of the UAE, his most famous quote being "I always sign" which was the answer he gave when asked about whether he would comply with the agreement he signed. [11]

Hospitality

Mana Al Otaiba is also the owner of the Royal Mirage Hotels in Morocco (formerly known as Sheraton). They include the Royal Mirage Marrakech, The Royal Mirage Marrakech Deluxe, The Royal Mirage Fes and the Royal Mirage Agadir.

See also

• United Arab Emirates
• Abu Dhabi
• OPEC
• Utaybah
• Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
• Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
• List of Arabic language poets

Persondata
Name	Mana Al Otaiba
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1946
Place of birth	Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date of death
Place of death