His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, UAE has been an integral part of my life for more than 25 years now. The very important portfolio of Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence was established by Government Decree in February 2016 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Thereafter in July 2020, the Ministry of Tolerance was changed to the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence. Joining the Federal Government in 1992, His Highness has since held several key positions including the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Minister of Education and the Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development. Other than his ministerial portfolio, HH Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan served as the Chancellor of the United Arab Emirates University from 1983 to 2013, the Chancellor of the Higher Colleges of Technology from 1988 to 2013 and the President of Zayed University from 1998 to 2013.
I first met HH Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan in 1998 after the govt of Pakistan had taken over branches of the BCCI whose worldwide assets were seized and which was given the new nomenclature of Habib Credit and Exchange Bank. I was nominated as a Director during the first step of denationalization in 1998 when the majority shares were taken over by the Abu Dhabi Group headed by HE Sheikh Nahayan Mubarak Al Nahayan, it has been my privilege to watch at first-hand what the private sector can accomplish with the straitjacket of the public sector control removed. I was fascinated by the vision and entrepreneurial skills of His Highness in macro-managing the Bank effectively through the Board of Directors, leaving day-to-day micro-management to senior managers in the field. I am extremely grateful that His Highness has treated me with great love and affection right from day one. One year later the balance of GOP shares were purchased by His Highness who asked me to continue as his nominee starting immediately; this was a matter of immense honour and pride for me personally, it was thus that I remained in that capacity for more than 16 years in the new bank which was renamed, ‘Bank Al Falah’.
During the time when I was with the bank, we experienced two tough transitions of senior management and two motivated RUNS on the bank. Both times that these happened, the then CEO Sirajuddin Aziz and myself being the only Director in Karachi, acted quickly to stop the cash flow. His Highness came on TV Pakistan the same evening to restore the confidence in the Bank. As is the way of this world, someone else took the credit both times however they were soon found out for reasons of integrity and had no option but to leave the employment of HH having lost his confidence. When I brought my reservations to HH’s attention he was quite specific in requesting that I should keep this private because, “they are my employees and you are my friend, indeed more than a friend, a brother!” An individual who always respected others’ thoughts and opinions requires self-awareness and humility.
His Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan is one of the finest human beings one has been privileged to know, the great quality of His Highness is his par excellence managerial capabilities, which I have seen and experienced since 1998. Anyone who has come into contact with His Highness and has seen how he performs, can tell you how and why Bank Al Falah has grown from three branches in 1997 to nearly a hundred (by end 2005); today the bank has prospered to become one of the largest in Pakistan, having a network of over 1000 branches across more than 200 cities in the country, it has also an international presence in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain and the UAE. His Highness has contrived this extraordinary expansion by constantly evoking discussions and evolving consensus on issues, always keeping his cool and sense of humour. I am very much privileged to be his friend, that friendship is very forgiving of my bluntness. His love for Pakistan is not articulated in words alone but by actual deeds, constantly putting direct investment into Pakistan, particularly when it was not fashionable to do so. Aside from Board Meetings, I have been privileged to speak to him many times about issues concerning Pakistan. In his own words, “good governance at the State level is only possible if you set a personal example, personally and professionally, put the right people in the correct slots and ensure that you hold the team that you select to the same high standards”. Sane and wise advice, perhaps we in Pakistan could use some “tutorials’ from UAE’s Minister for Tolerance and Coexistence.
I can go on and on praising the qualities of this wonderful person who has always looked upon me as a friend and a brother in every sense of the word, an excellent individual who is outstanding at whatever he does. I have seen very few who can match his talent for inspiring teamwork and dedication like he does. As UAE’s Minister for Higher Education, his achievements were par excellence, setting the bedrock of knowledge that has seen the Emirates men and women excel in every field today whether it be space, the earth, environment, digital space, etc. I had the privilege of being treated as a member of the “Higher College for Technology” Abu Dhabi, Dr Tayeb Kamali invited me repeatedly over the years to their outstanding annual event, “Festival of Thinkers” a gathering of over 2 dozen Nobel Prize winners. The phenomenal growth of Bank Al Falah from a mere 3 branches to over 1000 branches today could never have been possible without his superb and outstanding leadership with, despite his royal lineage, had an exceptional humble and common touch that has endeared him to one and all without exception.
It is an honour and privilege to put HH on the cover of the March 2024 issue of DJ.
