ABOUT HUSSAIN SAJWANI
Hussain Sajwani, a prominent UAE national, is the Founder and Chairman of the DAMAC, a global multi-billion-dollar conglomerate with operations in over 20 countries. Established in 1982, the Group has diversified from its origins in catering and logistics to becoming a leader in luxury real estate, hospitality, data centers, retail, fashion, and capital markets.
Ranked 600th in Forbes’ list of the top Billionaires and among the richest Arabs in the world and among the 100 most globally influential Arabs, Sajwani has proven his capability to transfer business vision into corporate reality and to provide leadership that is necessary to maintain its continuity and growth.
Pioneering the Middle East’s property market, Sajwani founded DAMAC Properties in 2002, growing to become one of the largest property development companies in the Middle East and beyond.
With over 47,000+ homes delivered and over 40,000 in multiple stages of development, DAMAC Properties has projects in 15+ countries worldwide, including cities such as Dubai, Riyadh, Toronto, London, Miami, and the Maldives. The company’s extensive residential and hospitality portfolio now comprises over 75 towers, multiple branded residences, 6 master development communities, as well as hotels, and hotel apartments across 12 global cities.
As a market leader, DAMAC Properties has distinguished itself by partnering with the most recognised lifestyle brands to create unique living concepts. With interiors designed by global fashion houses such as Versace Home, de GRISOGONO, and Cavalli, the developments of DAMAC Properties stand out as iconic, inspiring a new standard of luxury living. Additionally, the company has established its hotel management company to oversee hotel properties under brands such as Radisson, Paramount, Rotana, DAMAC Maison and Mandarin Oriental. DAMAC also has in its portfolio the region’s first Trump-branded International Golf Course, located in its community development, DAMAC Hills.
As an astute businessman and investor, Sajwani has a proven record of accomplishment of successful forays in the global equity and capital markets. The Group’s strategic investment arm, DAMAC Capital, focuses on investments in new concepts, private equities, mergers and acquisitions, and holds majority and minority holdings in publicly traded companies and industries like luxury fashion, real estate, hospitality, manufacturing, and more.
Recent investments include SpaceX, Stripe, AI startup Anthropic, xAI – an American AI startup founded by Elon Musk, and Mistral, a France-based AI company recognised for its European large-language model open-source capabilities. Furthermore, the group has substantial investments with top US-based fund managers such as Vista, Silverlake, Andreessen Horowitz, Thoma Bravo, Starwood, NEA, Founders Fund, Warburg, Pincus, KKR and Brookfield.
Making its foray into the world of luxury fashion, the DAMAC Group acquired the Italian fashion group Roberto Cavalli SPA in 2019 and went on to acquire the Swiss luxury jewelry brand de GRISIGONO with the aim to leverage these brands and innovate them for a younger clientele, while preserving their global legacy and appeal.
DAMAC Group ventured into the burgeoning data centre industry through its subsidiary, EDGNEX Data Centers by DAMAC. This move signifies a significant expansion in the group’s portfolio into digital infrastructure, capitalising on the increasing global demand for robust data management solutions.
Today, EDGNEX is operational in 10 countries including UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Greece, Spain, Finland, and Italy, and has built a workforce of 100+ seasoned professionals. EDGNEX has a projected capacity of over 1,000 MW+ globally, with 10 MW operational in Saudi Arabia, 5 MW launching in Thailand by Q1 2025, and a target of 300 MW+ operational capacity by 2026.
In the U.S., EDGNEX is undergoing a transformative expansion, planning to develop data centres with a total capacity of 2,000 MW over the next four years, backed by an initial investment of $20 billion. This strategic expansion includes acquiring lands and forming partnerships in key regions like the Sunbelt and Midwest, chosen for their economic resilience, abundant energy resources, and proximity to major technological hubs, vital for meeting both current and future demands, and catering to customers including Fortune 500 companies.
Among its development into Europe, EDGNEX has committed €400 million to construct a 40MW data centre in Madrid, Spain. This facility is set to bolster Madrid’s role as a key data centre hub outside the main FLAPD (Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Dublin) markets, offering advanced computing and AI capabilities to hyper-scalers and enterprise clients.
The company’s investment in the APAC region exceeds $3 billion, aimed at enhancing digital infrastructure to support sophisticated AI technologies and data processing demands. Projects in strategic locations like Thailand and Indonesia emphasise EDGNEX’s commitment to providing scalable and sustainable solutions across key growth markets.
Furthermore, in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, EDGNEX’s initiatives include the development of facilities expected to deliver a total of 55MW by 2025, reinforcing the digital infrastructure capabilities of the region and aligning with DAMAC’s strategic objectives to strengthen its global data centre market presence.
Sajwani resides in Dubai with his wife and four children, Ali, Amira, Abbas, and Mehdi. Alongside his family, Sajwani advocates for access to quality education under the Hussain Sajwani – DAMAC Foundation, including the Dubai Schools Project which provides education scholarships to UAE National children, as well as the One Million Arab Coders initiative empowering over one million young Arab coders.
The private foundation is also involved in a variety of other charitable initiatives including the Fresh Slate Initiative with Dubai Police that has helped petty offenders from correctional facilities to rejoin society. Additionally, the foundation has made significant contributions to several important causes such as the Prototypes for Humanity by Dubai Future Foundation, Arab Hope Makers 2020, the 1 Billion Meals Campaign to aid the underprivileged across several countries during Ramadan, the ‘UAE Stands with Lebanon’ initiative organised by Dubai Cares, among others.
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FROM MY DESK
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