Leisure & Hospitality Jumeirah appoints acting CEO to lead expansion plans By Neil Halligan January 9, 2025, 7:45 PM Jumeirah Jumeirah will open Marsa Al Arab (centre) in Dubai this year, along with Jumeirah The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia Thomas Meier named Jumeirah CEO Fourth full-time CEO since 2016 Plan to double portfolio by 2030 Jumeirah Hotels Group, the owner of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab hotel, has appointed Thomas Meier as CEO to lead the luxury hotel chain in its global expansion push. Swiss national Meier has been acting CEO for the past 10 months following the departure of Katerina Giannouka in late February last year. Meier, who has been chief operating officer since 2021, is the fourth full-time CEO since Gerald Lawless retried in 2016. He had led the operation for 19 years. JumeirahMeier has been acting CEO for the past 10 months Jumeirah Group, part of Dubai Holding, is planning to double its portfolio by 2030, focusing on international expansion, the company said in its statement. It operates a portfolio of 30 properties across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia. Meier said he wants to “establish Jumeirah as one of the foremost influential hospitality brands worldwide”. “As we gear up for the opening of Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab and continue to expand into new markets, I am honoured to lead Jumeirah’s next chapter,” he said. During his period as interim CEO, Meier oversaw Jumeirah’s entry into Africa with the launch of Jumeirah Thanda Island in Tanzania and Jumeirah Thanda Safari in South Africa. Jumeirah will open two new properties this year, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab in Dubai and Jumeirah The Red Sea, Saudi Arabia. It’s also renovating Jumeirah Le Richemond Geneva in Switzerland, which it plans to open this year after taking it over in 2023. Meier has previously worked with Minor Hotels and Fairmont Resorts & Hotels International before leading operations for Raffles globally.
Real Estate ‘Safe’ Sharjah attracts Kuwaiti investors to $950m project The emirate of Sharjah has been praised as “safe and business-friendly” by a Kuwaiti developer who has formed a partnership to develop a AED3.5 billion ($950 million) housing project in its burgeoning local property market. Talal Al-Bahar, vice-chairman and CEO of Kuwait Real Estate Company (Aqarat), said that investors were attracted to Sharjah because of […] 23 hours ago
Tech KKR signs a $5bn Gulf data centre deal in Dubai KKR, the American investment giant, and the data centre platform Gulf Data Hub (GDH), based in Dubai, have signed a strategic partnership to invest $5 billion in data centres serving the Gulf. A joint press release on Friday said that funds “affiliated with KKR” will also acquire a stake in GDH, although it did not […] 1 day ago
Manufacturing China’s Geely opens Mena’s first car assembly plant in Egypt China’s Geely Auto has opened its first car assembly plant in the Middle East and North Africa near the Egyptian capital to produce 10,000 vehicles per year for the domestic market and up to 30,000 for export. Cairo-based Auto Mobility company (Geely Egypt), said it has invested around $100 million in the new car assembly […] 1 day ago
Logistics Emirates increases capacity to meet rising cargo demand Dubai national carrier Emirates Airline has taken delivery of two additional aircraft to increase capacity and meet growing demand for its cargo service. The company has signed multi-year leasing deals for two Boeing 747 freighters, which have raised Emirates’ cargo capacity by 15 percent, the airline said in a statement. Emirates SkyCargo transported almost 1.2 […] 1 day ago
