About
One of the Middle East’s most influential business leaders and real estate visionaries, Hussain Sajwani, Founder and Chairman of DAMAC Group, has built an international enterprise that reflects the UAE’s own trajectory of ambition, innovation and global growth.
DAMAC operates across more than 20 countries, with a diversified portfolio spanning real estate, hospitality, data centers, retail, fashion, capital markets and strategic investments.
The Group’s journey began in 1982 with a catering and logistics business. Under Sajwani’s leadership, it evolved into a global organisation recognised for identifying emerging opportunities, entering high-growth sectors and creating long-term value.
A defining moment came in 2002, when Sajwani established DAMAC Properties following the opening of Dubai’s real estate market to international investors. Recognising the city’s potential to become a leading global destination for business, tourism and luxury living, he positioned the company at the forefront of the sector’s transformation.
More than two decades later, DAMAC Properties has delivered over 50,000 homes, with a further 55,000+ units in various stages of planning, design and construction. Its international footprint extends across more than 15 cities and includes over 100 residential and hospitality towers, alongside eight master development communities.
The company’s flagship communities demonstrate Sajwani’s long-term approach to placemaking. DAMAC Hills, DAMAC Hills 2, DAMAC Lagoons, DAMAC Islands and DAMAC Islands 2 have been conceived as integrated lifestyle destinations, combining residential neighbourhoods with leisure facilities, landscaped spaces and amenities that encourage community living. Together, they illustrate the company’s evolution from developing individual towers to delivering complex, large-scale destinations designed around residents’ changing expectations.
The company’s portfolio also includes landmark developments such as Cavalli Tower, Safa One, DAMAC Casa, DAMAC Towers Nine Elms in London and Chelsea Residences by DAMAC. These projects reflect Sajwani’s appetite for bold concepts and international collaboration, bringing together architecture, design, fashion, hospitality and sport to create differentiated residential experiences.
Beyond real estate, DAMAC Capital , the Group’s strategic investment arm, has expanded into private equity, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, and investments in listed and high-growth companies. Its portfolio includes exposure to leading global funds such as Vista, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Thoma Bravo, Starwood, NEA, Founders Fund, Warburg Pincus, KKR and Brookfield.
DAMAC Capital has also invested in companies shaping the next generation of technology and innovation, including OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, Mistral, SpaceX and Stripe. These investments demonstrate Sajwani’s ability to identify sectors with the potential to transform economies, industries and everyday life.
His strategic focus on luxury and lifestyle has further strengthened DAMAC Group’s global brand profile. In 2019, the Group acquired Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli S.p.A., safeguarding the legacy of one of fashion’s most distinctive names while creating opportunities for its continued evolution. The subsequent acquisition of Swiss luxury jewellery brand de GRISOGONO reinforced the Group’s presence within the international luxury sector.
Sajwani resides in
Dubai with his wife and four children. Alongside his family, he advocates for
access to quality education through the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation. Its
initiatives include One Million Arab Coders, which aims to empower one million Arabs
with coding skills and equip them to participate in the digital economy.
Across these sectors,
Sajwani’s leadership is characterised by entrepreneurial conviction, speed of
execution and a willingness to pursue opportunities at scale. His career has closely
mirrored Dubai’s rise as a global business hub, while his investments have
increasingly connected the UAE with international markets, brands and emerging
technologies.
DAMAC 40-Year Journey
A Story of Progress
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Hussain Sajwani is the visionary founder of the DAMAC Group, a multi-billion-dollar global conglomerate headquartered in Dubai.
Since its inception in 1982, the Group has evolved from catering and logistics into a diversified powerhouse with operations across more than 20 countries. Today, DAMAC’s portfolio spans luxury real estate, hospitality, digital infrastructure, fashion, retail and capital markets.
Ranked 260th on Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List and consistently featured among the richest and most influential Arabs globally, Sajwani is widely recognised for transforming bold entrepreneurial ideas into enduring enterprises. His leadership has also played a central role in shaping the modern luxury landscape in the Middle East and beyond.
In 2002, Sajwani pioneered private freehold real estate in Dubai with the launch of DAMAC Properties. Since then, the company has delivered over 48,000 homes, with more than 50,000 in various stages of development. DAMAC’s footprint covers 15+ countries, including Dubai, Riyadh, London, Toronto, Miami, and the Maldives. Its expansive portfolio features over 75 residential towers, six master communities, branded residences and hotels across 12 cities around the world.
DAMAC is renowned for redefining luxury living through collaborations with iconic brands such as Chelsea Football Club, Versace Home, Cavalli and de GRISOGONO. It also operates a hospitality arm managing properties under internationally renowned names including Radisson, Paramount, Rotana and Mandarin Oriental. Meanwhile, DAMAC Hills, one of the Group’s flagship communities, is home to the Middle East’s first Trump-branded golf course.
Beyond real estate, Sajwani is a shrewd investor with a robust track record in global capital markets. Through DAMAC Capital, the Group holds a diverse investment portfolio spanning private equity, venture capital and strategic stakes in firms such as SpaceX, Stripe, Anthropic, xAI and Mistral. The Group also partners with top-tier US fund managers including Vista, Silver Lake, Andreessen Horowitz, Thoma Bravo, Starwood, NEA, Founders Fund, Warburg Pincus, KKR and Brookfield.
Expanding into the luxury fashion sector, DAMAC Group acquired the iconic Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli in 2019, followed by Swiss high-jewellery brand de GRISOGONO. These acquisitions underscore Sajwani’s ambition to revitalise heritage brands and connect them with a new generation of consumers.
In 2021, DAMAC entered the digital infrastructure space with DAMAC Digital (formerly EDGNEX Data Centers by DAMAC). With a projected capacity exceeding 4,000+ MW, DAMAC Digital operates in 11 countries, including the UAE, KSA, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Greece, Spain, Finland, Italy and the United States, cementing the Group’s role in the global data economy.
A dedicated family man, Sajwani lives in Dubai with his wife and four children Ali, Amira, Abbas and Mehdi. Deeply committed to philanthropy, he actively supports causes focused on education, youth empowerment, and humanitarian relief across the region, embodying DAMAC’s role as a socially responsible organisation.
