As the former group CEO of DP World, and the UAE’s assistant foreign minister for economic and trade affairs, HE Dr Mohammed Sharaf has more leadership experience than most. In an exclusive interview with Gulf Business, the CEO par excellence reveals what it takes to become – and remain - an effective leader.
WHEN HIS EXCELLENCY Dr Mohammed Sharaf called time on his tenure at DP World in 2016, he brought the curtain down on a 24-year career with the Dubai-based port operator – including 11 successful years as group CEO.
Having risen through the ranks of the logistics giant since the early 1990s when it was the Dubai Ports Authority – well before it merged with Dubai Ports International to officially form DP World in 2005 – the Emirati businessman is in that rare category of ‘business icon’: A reputation he carried forward into his subsequent role as the UAE’s assistant foreign minister for economic and trade affairs.
Dr Sharaf assumed the governmental post in the summer of 2016, mere months after departing DP World, working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
His is the type of experience very few of us will get close to, having played a vital part in the vast global growth of a local company. But that’s not to say we can’t get access to his many learnings from his years at the top.
A new book written by Dr Sharaf and published by Motivate Media Group entitled World of Changes offers an insight into the former CEO’s time at DP World and beyond.
Set to be launched at the Abu Dhabi Book Fair on April 25, the book charts his personal and professional journey not only through his eyes, but also those of the people closest to him – ranging from family members and junior staff to government ministers such as HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi – the first woman to hold a ministerial post in the UAE.
The breadth of the book is such that details of two near-death experiences sit alongside tales from the negotiating table, adding up to a compendium of stories and advice that is both entertaining and edifying.
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