UAE. Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths was named Business Leader of the Year at the fifth edition of the Gulf Business Awards this week. He was also named Business Leader of the Year for the aviation sector.
Griffiths has played a key role in aviation in the emirate since joining Dubai Airports as CEO in 2007. He played an instrumental role in the opening of Terminal 3 and Concourse B in 2008, Dubai World Central (DWC) in 2010 and more recently oversaw the US$7.8 billion Strategic Plan 2020 expansion project, which concluded with the opening of Concourse D in February this year. That project is the subject of a new publication released by Moodie Davitt Corporate, which can be accessed in digital format here.
Griffiths also leads the operation and development of DWC, which is currently undergoing an expansion to 26 million passengers capacity by 2018. It will eventually be the world’s biggest airport with an annual capacity up to 240 million passengers.
The awards ceremony acknowledged Griffiths’ leadership in the wake of a major incident at Dubai International recently when he led efforts to recover operations, while ensuring the safety of customers at the airport. In his acceptance speech, Griffiths paid homage to Dubai Airports’ team of fire fighters whose speedy response, dedication and bravery saved lives that day.
A total of 25 awards – selected by an independent judging panel and public voting – were given away during the evening, which also celebrated the 20th anniversary of Gulf Business magazine.
The awards seek to applaud excellence in the corporate world and recognise companies and business leaders across nine industries including aviation and transport, banking, healthcare, energy, technology, real estate, retail, media and marketing, and tourism and hospitality.
