General Manager appointed for Forbidden City

Ahmed will have complete responsibility for the development of the Forbidden City. At the centre of the International City development, the Forbidden City, along with the Al Warsan Lake, will be a key tourist attraction at the development. Spread over 240,000 square metres it will intricately replicate the Forbidden City of China, and will include a variety of leisure facilities including museums, and performance spaces.

Since gaining a degree in Civil Engineering from Emirates University, Ahmed has been working for more than ten years. He has worked for the Ministry of Health, and in the engineering office at Sharjah Airport Free Zone where he managed the delivery of the developments structures and infrastructure. He joined Nakheel in 2003 as a Procurement Engineer.

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman Nakheel said, "Ahmed's background in managing the delivery of major projects such as Sharjah Airport Free Zone means that he is ideally suited to ensure the smooth progression of the Forbidden City development. His two years at Nakheel in the Procurements and Contracts department have been impressive and his extensive knowledge of implementing engineering strategies will be invaluable in his new role."

Ahmed commented, "Being appointed General Manager Forbidden City is a great challenge for me, both personally and professionally. I am honoured to be able to play a part in building the vision of Dubai - transforming it into a progressive and thriving world class city. There are three inseparable factors that constitute a successful project: time, cost and quality. These will be the benchmarks that I am working to in order to ensure maximum stakeholder satisfaction.

"The Forbidden City promises to be an excellent tourist attraction perfectly complimenting the Dragon Complex which launched in December 2004, and the Chinese Quarter in International City. It will feature extensive entertainment facilities, restaurants and public squares for authentic Chinese themed shows."

This appointment is part of a number of announcements that will be made over the coming weeks as Nakheel restructures its senior management team in order to enhance customer focus and delivery, and to prepare for the next stage of growth and profitability. Each Nakheel project will now act as an autonomous strategic business unit complete with its own management, budget and team.