Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum (born December 25 1945 in Bur Dubai, Dubai) is the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the Minister of Finance and Industry of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He is the second son of the late ruler, Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum (1912-1990).

Sheikh Hamdan received his early education in the Emirates then attended Cambridge University. He and his brother, Sheik Mohammed, control the state-owned Dubai Ports World along with the Dubai Holding Co. and its many subsidiary companies which have wide ranging investments in hotels, apartment buildings, banking and finance, and healthcare facilities, He is also the Minister of Finance and Industry.

Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has six children; three boys and three girls.The boys are Rashid , Saeed and Maktoum

Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum has been the head of the UAE's delegation at the International Monetary Fund and the OPEC Fund.

Early life

Sheikh Hamdan was born on December 25 1945. He was the second of four sons of the late ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Hamdan's formal schooling began in Dubai. He attended Al Madrasah Al-Ahlia, where he studied mathematics, English, basic sciences, Arabic and Islamic studies. He went on to complete his further studies at the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge between 1967 and 1968. In Britain, Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum developed an interest in thoroughbred racing.

The years saw a great deal of development in the UAE. While Dubai and Abu Dhabi had begun the process of modernisation, it was far from complete; many areas in the remaining five emirates needed electricity, roads, housing, and clean water supplies. As Minister of Finance and Industry, Sheikh Hamdan oversaw such work, while he was also charged with developing the economy and an industrial base. The UAE's rulers understood that the country could not afford to isolate its efforts in the petroleum sector, despite the fact that in 1971 the majority of federal government revenues were derived from this source.

In Dubai, Sheikh Rashid also placed his second son in charge of an array of key governmental industrial enterprises, including the Dubai Aluminium Company, Dubai Gas Company and Dubai Cable Company, among others.

Thoroughbred horse racing

Introduced to Thoroughbred flat racing while a student in the United Kingdom, Sheikh Hamdan established his first racing stable there in 1981. Over the years he has invested heavily in both racing and breeding and has acquired major operations in England, Ireland and the United States.

The Dubai Arabian Horse Championship is held through the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan.

Deputy Ruler of Dubai

Sheikh Hamdan invited a delegation from the Islamic Research Academy ( [ISRA] ) on April 3 1999 to discuss the launch of an effort and human investment in preparing an academic team of young scholars as specialists in Islamicjerusalem Studies. This resulted in the launch of several scholarships to reward distinguished young scholars in Islamicjerusalem Studies, which then lead to the establishment of the Al-Maktoum Institute in Scotland with unique postgraduate programmes with the University of Aberdeen. Shaikh Hamdan is also the benefactor and the Patron of the "Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award for Medical Excellence", an award instituted to reward excellence in the field of medical sciences with its comprehensive, dynamic and exciting features to benefit competing researchers, scientists and medical institutions.

Sheikh Hamdan has received numerous honours and awards for his achievements.

References

* [http://www.sheikhhamdan.ae/english/index.html Official website for His Highness Sheik Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum]
* [http://www.almi.abdn.ac.uk website for the Al Maktoum Institute]
* [http://www.isra.org.uk Website for Islamic Research Academy]