Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, born on 15 July 1949, is an Emirati royal and politician who has ruled Dubai since 2006 and serves as vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. Besides his political offices he is described as the founder of the Emirates airline, which he launched in 1985 after a dispute with Gulf Air over Dubai's open skies policy, and of the Palm Islands developer Nakheel Properties. He also launched the hotel management company Jumeirah in 1997. Many of the businesses and economic assets he oversaw are held through Dubai World and through Dubai Holding, which is described as his personal corporate portfolio. For this atlas he matters as a state builder who used government-backed enterprises in aviation, hospitality, property and technology to turn Dubai into a global commercial hub.