The rise of Abu Dhabi's Al Fahim group (page 1 of 4)

As you walk into the modest office of Saeed Al Fahim in Abu Dhabi, the first thing that catches your eye is a rack full of canes. The head of a business that generates annual revenues of nearly $1 billion and one of the biggest names in the UAE, Saeed Al Fahim is fascinated by canes, which remain today a powerful symbol of the Gulf's traditional culture and heritage.

"I love collecting canes," he says, pointing to a favorite, a German model that has a sword concealed inside. Al Fahim says he had to be very careful while bringing this one back, due to security concerns at the airport. "Whichever country I visit, I try to collect canes there. They are so different, depending where they come from. And many have interesting tales behind them."

Al Fahim's fascination with canes speaks a lot about the man himself. They reveal Saeed Al Fahim's modesty and simple lifestyle. A man who could have a collection of luxury cars, private jets or rare gems, Al Fahim contents himself with these humble artifacts. The simplicity is visible in his office, too, which is bare and functional, rather than glitzy or glamorous.

Besides modesty, the cane collection also reveals another facet of Al Fahim's personality: his straight-talking style and reluctance to spare the rod. For an Arab businessman, Saeed Al Fahim does little to hide his disdain for the bureaucracy in the Arab world and all the problems that it creates for businesses.

Al Fahim says bureaucracy is the biggest challenge, not only for him but for all businesses in the Arab world. "Bureaucracy kills all ambition. Laws in the Arab world don't evolve with changing times. Most of your business goes through the government and all the hurdles lie there. Bureaucracy makes it hard for a business to flourish," he says.

"They don't see things in terms of profit or loss. If you apply for a license to build a building, it can take years. The bureaucracy keeps on saying bukra (tomorrow) and inshallah (if God wills), while I lose money every day that is lost.''

It's not a great surprise, then, to hear Al Fahim express his admiration for the government and leadership in the neighboring emirate of Dubai. "The only place that I see where they have changed and updated the system is Dubai. They have visionary leadership," he says, "that is constantly being innovative in order to keep up with the changing world.

Unfortunately, I don't see any other Arab country following Dubai's example. Although, across the UAE, we are much better off than other countries, that's for sure.''

Better off, Saeed Al Fahim certainly is. In four decades, the Al Fahim family has managed to build a huge business, which had a rather modest beginning. Forty years ago, Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, a trader and influential personality in Abu Dhabi, was looking for new business opportunities. He was advised by a Bahraini banker friend to get into the spare automobile parts business.

Following that advice, Al Fahim traveled to Bahrain in order to purchase products in bulk. He bought parts for a total of $8,000 and then returned to Abu Dhabi, where he set up a small shop, with three employees, on a dusty road that was then Abu Dhabi's principal thoroughfare. Even before his goods arrived by sea from Bahrain, Al Fahim had managed to pre-sell all the parts.

This highly successful transaction laid the foundations of a business that was soon to be as profitable as the first deal.