UAE - Shaikh Ahmad Bin Sa'id Al-Maktoum.

Born in 1958 as the youngest half-brother of the late Dubai ruler Shaikh Rashed, Shaikh Ahmad studied in the US and returned to Dubai in the 1970s to take up a post. In the early 1980s, he was promoted to higher positions by Muhammad bin Rashed.

Ahmad was made chairman of Dubai's Emirates Airlines, which grew rapidly to become the most popular airline in the world in 2001. Now he is also chairman of Emirates Group, which comprises the airline company, Emirates SkyCargo, the ground-handling agent Dnata, and other companies formed more recently.

During the Paris Le Bourget Air Show in June 2003, Shaikh Ahmad signed with Airbus Industries a $19,000 million order for passenger planes, including 21 555-passenger A380 super-jumbos that will enable Emirates to connect the world's five continents. The A380 is to come into service in 2006 and will be by far the largest passenger plane in the world.

Emirates is also leasing a number of big airbus aircraft to service a rapidly growing number of routes, with demand for additional seats increasing steadily. In addition, Emirates has leased Boeing aircraft, mainly the wide-bodied 777s. It has firmed up an agreement to purchase 26 Boeing 777-300 (extra long-range) aircraft on lease terms from Singapore-based International Lease Finance Corp. and General Electric Capital Aviation Services of the US.

Shaikh Ahmad keeps saying: "The airline is supported entirely from its own resources". By 2011, Emirates will have more than 100 large commercial aircraft in service.

Among other positions being held by Shaikh Ahmad bin Sa'id, he is head of the Dubai Civil Aviation Department. He is also president of the Dubai Supply Authority (Dusup), in charge of importing natural gas and other fuels required by the emirate.

Shaikh Ahmad bin Sa'id in 2002 was reported to be close to signing a firm agreement for a stake to be acquired by the Dubai Civil Aviation Department in a new $1.5 billion microship manufacturing plant in Germany to be built at Frankfurt an der Oder on the border with Poland. The plant was then due to start ship production in late 2003. As part of the agreement, a follow-up project was to be undertaken later at the free zone of Dubai International Airport.

Shaikh Ahmad has a pleasant personality and is an excellent, as well as shrewd, negotiator. People working with him say he is fully trusted by Shaikh Muhammad.