Prominent Dubai businessman Saif Ahmed Al Ghurair dies

Emirati businessman and founder of UAE conglomerate Al Ghurair Group, Saif Ahmed Al Ghurair passed away in Dubai on Tuesday. He was 95.

Al Ghurair Group, which was established in 1960, has diversified interests across retail, petrochemicals, packaging and investments. Its assets include Al Ghurair Centre, BurJuman Mall and Taghleef Industries, among others.

Condolences poured in for the businessman, with UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Dubai’s Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also paying a visit to the Al Ghurair family gathering in Al Khawaneej.

.@HHShkMohd, accompanied by @HamdanMohammed, offers condolences on the death of Saif Ahmad Al Ghurairhttps://t.co/dC557rQaT8#UAE #Dubai pic.twitter.com/IBSwoRkfuY

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 27, 2019

Ina message on Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed also praised Al Ghurair as being an economist and a visionary.

ودعت الإمارات سيف بن أحمد الغرير.. ابن دبي البار وأحد رجالها الأوفياء . كان رجل اقتصاد وصاحب رؤية، أعطى وطنه من فكره وجهده الكثير . رحم الله الفقيد وأسكنه فسيح جنانه pic.twitter.com/X6FS7Ge35n

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) August 27, 2019

Dubai businessman Khalaf Al Habtoor also conveyed his condolences on Twitter, calling Saif Ahmed Al Ghurair “a pillar of Dubai’s economy”.

أعزي عائلة المغفور له بإذن الله #سيف_بن_أحمد_الغرير بوفاة هذا الرجل الطيب، أحد أعمدة اقتصاد دبي، روكفيلر العرب. الله يرحمه بواسع رحمته، ويلهم أهله الصبر والسلوان.

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

— KhalafAhmadAlHabtoor (@KhalafAlHabtoor) August 27, 2019

Born in Deira in 1924, Al Ghurair was the eldest among five brothers and soon became involved in the family business which at that time was pearl diving, his profile on the company website states.

By the 1930s the family moved away from pearl diving and branched into trading.

As Dubai’s economy began to pick up in the 1950s, he established the Al Ghurair Group in 1960 with one office in Dubai on Salahuddin Road to bring together the family’s diverse and expanding business interests.

Under his leadership, the group diversified into numerous business lines, including retail, manufacturing and real estate.

The group currently employs thousands of people in operations across the globe.

Al Ghurair’s son, Abdul Rahman Saif Al Ghurair, is currently serving as the group’s chairman.

The company was closed for the day as a mark of respect. Funeral prayers were held on Tuesday at the Al Qusais graveyard.