"MY JOURNEY BEGAN
AT 19, WHEN I LANDED
IN THE COLDEST PLACE
I'D EVER EXPERIENCED."
MAJID AL-NASSAR
BUSINESS OWNER AND
PROPERTY SPECULATOR
"My university in England was a melting pot. It stood me in good stead for what Dubai was to become.
I met my future business partner and brother-in-law, Abdullah, in England. Strange our paths should cross there, and not at home in Dubai.
I thought, ‘If the English can build a visionary university in the middle of green fields, why can’t we have a business centre in the desert?’ So I took a risk and started my computer business.
My business was thriving in the 80s and I enjoyed the trappings of success. I’d worked hard for them.
I married Farida, Abdullah’s beautiful sister. When she had our first child, business took on new meaning. I wasn’t just working for myself anymore; I was doing it for them too.
The Gulf War showed me that, however successful, you’re never really in control. I asked my banker to find my children a school in Switzerland, for their own safety. I missed them terribly.
I started investing in property in 1999. That crazy dream I’d had for Dubai was actually starting to happen. No-one was going to stop me getting involved.
This was my journey to prosperity – not without its ups and downs. Now I don’t have to worry about good times and bad times, and nor do my children. That is our biggest luxury”.
EVERY JOURNEY IS UNIQUE