Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation names Alaa Al-Afifi as Director of Entrepreneurship

The appointment of Al-Afifi is in line with the Foundation's strategy to empower young qualified leaders who can support its noble mission of empowering young generations to devise sustainable home-grown solutions to regional challenges.

Dr. Rima Khalaf, CEO of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, said:

"Al-Afifi will play a key role in the Entrepreneurship and Employment sector which witnessed a number of regional activities in the last few months with strategic partnerships that will stimulate Entrepreneurship in the Arab World."

Referring to the skills and expertise Al-Afifi bring to the Foundation, Dr. Khalaf added: "We are keen to leverage the academic and professional expertise of Al-Afifi. He brings with him in-depth knowledge of business development which, in cooperation with the rest of the team, will help achieve the goals of the Foundation.

Alaa Al-Afifi, who expressed his delight for the trust of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, said: "I am glad to join this ambitious Arab Foundation. I hope I will play a proactive role in supporting the Foundation's mission in this sector, especially at a time when entrepreneurship is playing an important role in the growth of the economies of many countries."

Prior to joining the Foundation, Al Afifi was Director of Business Development at Tejari.com, where he successfully identified potential business opportunities that resulted in profound partnerships.

He was also in charge of managing client relationship during the venture development process, while supporting operations and the stabilization phase of new ventures.

Earlier, Alaa had worked as a sales team leader at Emirates Petroleum (EMARAT) and a Retail Site Manager at Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC).

Al Afifi holds a bachelor's degree with Honors in Business Administration (Marketing Path) from Dubai University.

In addition to a number of training courses in leadership, team building, negation skills, crisis management and problem solving. He is also a certified internal auditor for ISO 9000.

Al-Afifi has received several honours in recognition of his outstanding contributions.

Recently, the Entrepreneurship and Employment sector at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation reached a number of agreements and partnerships to promote entrepreneurship in Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Palestine, and Lebanon by setting up a regional network to support entrepreneurship.

The Sawaed Programmem, which has been launched recently, supports new and innovative projects which assist development efforts in the Arab World.