Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, born in 1955 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is a prominent Emirati businessman known for his transformative contributions to Dubai’s global trade and infrastructure sectors.

He is the Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, a leading global port operator and logistics company, and serves as Chairman of the Ports, Customs & Free Zone Corporation. He hails from the influential Sulayem family, one of Dubai’s most prominent political and business families, historically close to the ruling Al Maktoum family.

He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Temple University in Philadelphia and holds an honorary doctorate from Middlesex University Dubai.

His career began in the late 1970s as a customs officer at Dubai’s port. In 1985, he was appointed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to chair the Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), which under his leadership expanded dramatically from hosting 19 companies to over 7,500, becoming a vital business hub.

In 2007, he became chairman of DP World, and in 2016 he was appointed group chairman and CEO, overseeing the company’s rise to being the world’s third-largest port operator after acquiring British shipping giant Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation for $6.9 billion.

Under bin Sulayem, DP World diversified from port operations into end-to-end supply chain solutions and expanded with strategic acquisitions such as American logistics provider Syncreon Holdings.

Besides DP World, he has led Nakheel, the real estate developer behind iconic projects like the Palm Jumeirah, and founded the investment company Istithmar World.

He has served on Dubai’s Executive Council and UAE federal bodies such as the Federal Tax Authority and the Investment Corporation of Dubai. Since 2018, he has been the non-executive chairman of Virgin Hyperloop.