30 SEP - 02 OCT 2024
Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai
Mohamed Abdalla Al Zaabi
Group Chief Executive Officer
Miral
Mohamed Al Zaabi is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Miral Group. He joined the company in 2015 and has played a key role in establishing Miral as one of the leading creators of immersive destinations and experiences in the region.
Al Zaabi currently oversees the management and business strategy of Miral’s expanding portfolio on Yas Island Abu Dhabi, positioning it as a top global destination for entertainment, leisure and business through immersive experiences and world-class attractions. Over the last 11 years, the company has conceived, created, developed, operated, and managed immersive destinations and experiences that attract visitors from across the world to create unforgettable memories, accelerating the realization of the Emirate’s economic diversification.
Through Al Zaabi’s leadership, Miral has invested over AED 9.2 billion (USD $2.5 billion) into multiple projects on Yas Island and in Abu Dhabi, successfully forging key business partnerships with some of the world’s most recognizable leisure and entertainment brands, including SeaWorld Entertainment Inc and Warner Bros. Underscoring Al Zaabi’s success, today Yas Island is home to several world-class and award-winning experiences.
After his period in the military, Al Zaabi joined a subsidiary of Emirates Advanced Investment, as Head of Integrated Technologies. Al Zaabi then made his first venture into project and construction development in 2008 when he joined Aldar Properties PJSC. He worked across various business units, including as Head of Integrated Technologies, Director of Estates and Director of Strategic Investments.
His current board positions include; Chairman of Miral Destinations, a subsidiary of Miral, the trade and promotion of unique destinations including Yas Island Abu Dhabi, and Saadiyat Island, which contribute to Abu Dhabi achieving international recognition and commercial success, and Member of the Board of Directors at Miral Experiences LLC, which operates a diverse portfolio of world-class and award-winning immersive experiences and attractions, in Abu Dhabi and beyond, bringing joy to visitors from around the world.
He was the first Emirati to receive the Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) certificate from Cisco, one of the world’s most prestigious certifications in the IT industry. Al Zaabi holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD and an MSc in Strategic Project Planning from Heriot-Watt University, United Kingdom. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from UAE University.
Al Zaabi’s relentless pursuit for creating new and unique experiences is guided by the company’s ambition of becoming a customer-centric, progressive, and efficient organisation, that is continuously reimagining and evolving and delivering integrated visitors’ experiences, to solidify Miral’s destinations as a world-class global choice for leisure, entertainment, and tourism. Underscoring his success, most recently Al Zaabi was recognized as one of Forbes Middle East’s ‘Top 100 Travel & Tourism Leaders’ for 2023. The Forbes list ranks the region's most impactful and innovative leaders from across the Travel & Tourism ecosystem, based on the size of business, ownership of assets, designation, influence, achievements, and experience and recognises their ongoing efforts to advance the development of the tourism and hospitality sector in the region.