Abdullatif Al Mulla named CEO of TECOM Investments

Ahmad Bin Byat, the former CEO, will assume the role of Executive Chairman of TECOM Investments.

The new appointments respond to TECOM Investments' rapid development and diversification as well as the expansion of its global investment portfolio over the past year.

"With his vast corporate experience and proven leadership qualities, Abdullatif Al Mulla is the ideal person to take the reins of TECOM Investments," said Ahmad Bin Byat. "I am confident that under his strategic guidance, TECOM will become a stronger force for knowledge-industry growth as well as develop into a richer and more vibrant community," he added.

"It is an honour for me to be the CEO of this visionary organisation that is at the forefront of Dubai's economic diversification," said Al Mulla. "I am very excited about what the future holds for TECOM. The opportunities are immense and I look forward to developing fresh initiatives that will help TECOM meet its vision and objectives. The year ahead will be promising, particularly because many of our newer projects will start welcoming its first business partners."

Al Mulla will be responsible for giving strategic direction and driving new initiatives. He will have overall responsibility for managing TECOM's entities and ensuring the development of commercially viable projects.

Prior to joining TECOM, Al Mulla spent over nine years at the Microsoft regional headquarters in Dubai where he led the development of subsidiaries in the Gulf, Yemen and Pakistan. He last served there as General Manager for South Gulf, UAE, Oman, Yemen & Pakistan.

Diversification and Global Expansion

Al Mulla will be heading an organisation that has evolved considerably since its inception.

TECOM Investments has significantly diversified its brand portfolio by launching initiatives in new high-value sectors like biotechnology, printing and publishing, film and TV production and energy. These initiatives are part of Dubai's long-term vision of diversifying its economy from oil-based industries to knowledge-based ones.

In the past year, TECOM also sought to share its expertise in developing knowledge-industry business campuses in Dubai with other countries. Recently, it signed an agreement with the Malta government to develop SmartCity@Malta, a $308 million knowledge-industry business park in the city of Valetta. It is also in talks with other countries in Asia and Europe to develop similar initiatives.

Following the establishment of Dubai Holding, TECOM was restructured to divide the regulatory and commercial roles of the organisation. A new company named TECOM Investments was created to focus on industry enablement and commercial development while the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority (DTMFZA) became exclusively dedicated to regulation and policy development. TECOM's brands where operationally grouped under TECOM Investments.

TECOM Investments is now working with its sister entities in the Dubai Holding group to acquire and manage profitable assets internationally to bring long-term benefits to Dubai.