Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Arabic: أحمد بن زايد آل نهيان, 1969 – 26 March 2010) was an Emirati businessman and the managing director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.[1]

Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Managing Director of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
In officeNovember 1997 – March 2010
SuccessorHamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Born1969
Died26 March 2010(2010-03-26) (aged 41)
near Rabat, Morocco
Burial31 March 2010
Al Bateen, Abu Dhabi
IssueZayed bin Ahmed Al Nahyan
HouseAl Nahyan family
FatherZayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
MotherMouza bint Suhail Al Khaili
ReligionIslam

Early life and education edit

Ahmed was born in 1969.[2] He was one of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's 19 sons.[3][4] His mother was Sheika Mouza.[5][6] He had four full brothers, including Sheikh Saif and Sheikh Hamed.[7] Sheikh Ahmed was a graduate of the United Arab Emirates University.[8]

Career edit

Sheikh Ahmed joined the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority in 1994 and worked there as a European equities analyst.[9] He became its managing director and board member in November 1997.[5][10] His full-brother Hamed bin Zayed replaced him as ADIA managing director in April 2010.[11]

He served as Interior Minister of the United Arab Emirates in 2004. In 2007, Ahmed was appointed the Undersecretary of Ministry of Finance and Industry.[8] Sheikh Ahmed also served as chairman of the board of trustees of the Zayed Foundation for Charitable and Humanitarian Works.[10] In addition, he was a member of the Supreme Petroleum Council.[10]

Alliances and influence edit

Sheikh Ahmed had been a close ally of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed since the latter was crown prince.[12] In 2009, Sheikh Ahmed was regarded as the 27th most powerful person in the world by Forbes.[13]

Death and funeral edit

Ahmed was reported missing on 26 March 2010 after the ultralight aircraft in which he was learning to fly disappeared while flying in Morocco.[14][15] Soon after, the plane was found to have crashed into the lake Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, near the Moroccan capital, Rabat.[2] Sheikh Ahmed's family, the Al Nahyan, have a residence on the shore of that lake, where Ahmed used to come often. The craft's Spanish pilot, his flight instructor Julio López, survived the accident and was quickly rescued. Ahmed's body was only recovered from the crash site four days later on 30 March, despite an intensive search by helicopters and divers from several countries.[16][17] He was 41.[3]

His body was returned to Abu Dhabi and funeral prayers for him were performed on 31 March at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.[18] His body was buried in the Al Bateen cemetery.[18]

Ancestry edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Obituary: Shaikh Ahmad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan". gulfnews.com. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "UAE Prez's brother still missing, 4 days after plane crash". Zee News. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  3. ^ a b Spencer, Richard (4 April 2010). "Inside the world of the 'Kennedys of the Gulf'". The Telegraph. Abu Dhabi. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Sheik Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority's Chief, Dies at 41". The New York Times. Abu Dhabi. Reuters. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  5. ^ a b Abouzeid, Rania (30 March 2010). "Abu Dhabi Death Could Spark a Dynastic Struggle". Time. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  6. ^ Christopher Davidson (September 2011). Abu Dhabi: Oil and Beyond. Columbia University Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-0-231-80033-4.
  7. ^ "Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan". APS Review Oil Market Trends. 21 January 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  8. ^ a b Rasheed, Abdulla (30 March 2010). "Profile: Shaikh Ahmad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan". Gulf News.
  9. ^ "Factbox: Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan". Al Arabiya. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  10. ^ a b c "ADIA mourns the death of Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan". UAE Interact. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  11. ^ Sara Bazoobandi (2012). Political Economy of the Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds: A Case Study of Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Routledge. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-136-17019-5.
  12. ^ Pistor, Katharina; Kyle Hatton (2011). "Maximizing Autonomy in the Shadow of Great Powers: The Political Economy of Sovereign Wealth Funds". Columbia Public Law & Legal Theory. Working Papers. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  13. ^ "The World's Most Powerful People". Forbes. 11 November 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2009.
  14. ^ Quico Chirino (30 March 2010). "El jeque Ahmed, desaparecido desde el viernes, volaba con un piloto de Granada". Ideal. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  15. ^ Kasolowsky, Raissa (26 March 2010). "Abu Dhabi wealth fund MD missing in Morocco plane crash". Reuters. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
  16. ^ England, Andrew (30 March 2010). "UAE announces death of ADIA fund chief". Financial Times. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  17. ^ Klaus, Oliver (30 March 2010). "Body of Abu Dhabi Fund Manager Found". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 March 2010.(subscription required)
  18. ^ a b "Sheikh Ahmed laid to rest". UAE Interact. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2013.