Celebrating 10 years of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as the visionary ruler of

Caterina Ciacatani
Jan 4, 2016
2 min read

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, ascended to the throne as Ruler of Dubai 10 years ago on January 4.

The Dubai of 2015 transports its population on a modern metro network, and welcomes its millions of visitors through the world’s busiest international airport and on to an unrivalled collection of luxury hotels.

The city has become a home and a haven for hundreds of thousands in a part of the world that is increasingly uncertain and unstable; it offers prosperity, security and tolerance as much around it slips towards chaos.

“A true leader does not derive power from his position,” he wrote in Flashes of Thought, “but from his ethics, from people’s love for him, and from his knowledge, education and excellence in his field of work.”

It is a philosophy of leadership that runs through the DNA of his first 10 years as Ruler. He is a visible presence both at home and abroad, from the winners’ enclosure at Britain’s Royal Ascot horse racing festival (one of his great passions) to answering questions live for listeners on local radio, to his Twitter feed that now tops 5.3 million followers.

Social media is an example of his embrace of the modern world. He speaks frequently of his vision to make Dubai the Arab world’s first Smart City, where every aspect of life is interconnected in a way that improves life for all, from traffic lights controlled by a single control centre, to a host of services from booking a taxi or paying a utility bill from the screen of a smartphone.

#ThankUShkMohd for the wisdom, the inspiration, the safe house you've created for us!