Dubai, UAE, July 25, 2007: Emaar Properties has appointed Mr Yousif Al Ali, a UAE national, as General Manager of The Dubai Mall, the company’s flagship mall development within Downtown Burj Dubai. The first and only UAE national to achieve and hold Certified Shopping Centre Manager and Certified Marketing Director designations from the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC), Mr Al Ali will drive customer and tenant relationship building strategies at The Dubai Mall.
One of the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destinations, The Dubai Mall has 3.77 million sq ft of gross leasable area and will anchor several global retailers including the Galeries Lafayette department store. Set to open in 2008, The Dubai Mall will be home to one of the world’s largest indoor aquariums, the largest enclosed gold and jewellery souk with over 200 stores and Kidzania, a wonderful mini-city where children can play make-believe in a realistic way.
“The Dubai Mall is one our pioneering developments and will benchmark our global diversification strategy to build 150 malls across key emerging markets in the Middle East and North Africa region, the Indian Subcontinent and South Asia,” said Mr Rashid Doleh, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Malls Group LLC. “The appointment of Mr Yousif Al Ali, a young UAE national with proven expertise in mall management, reiterates Emaar’s commitment to Afaq, our Emiratisation programme, and to provide the right growth environment for UAE nationals to become future leaders.”
“The Dubai Mall will be declaration to the world at large on the mall building and management capabilities of Dubai and Emaar, and to work as the general manager of this massive development is a challenging responsibility. We are bringing in world-class standards and several innovative ideas that will continue to position The Dubai Mall as a pioneering example of insightful planning and execution,” said Mr Al Ali.
Mr Al Ali joins Emaar after eight years of managing shopping centers in various markets across the UAE, where he was responsible for enhancing the mall value, professional asset management, establishing effective relations with partners, budget control and implementing marketing and management plans.
A Masters in International Business from the University of Wollongong in Australia, Mr Al Ali has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the UAE University. He holds Professional Property Management Certificate from Allied Business School, USA; and has completed the Shopping Centre Management Course of the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC).
Emaar’s diversification into shopping malls is in line with its Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world.
