Abu Dhabi National Hotels has hosted a reception to honour former Chairman His Excellency Khalifa Nasser Bin Huwaileel Al Mansoori and welcome the new Chairman His Excellency Saif Mohamed Al Hajeri. The reception was attended by ADNH Board members, senior management and staff, invited partners and other guests, as well as the media.

Al Hajeri paid tributes to Al Mansoori, describing him as “one of the most distinguished sons of Abu Dhabi” and praising his “great legacy of achievements.”  The list of realized projects and successful joint ventures and the outstanding performance of the company are just a few examples of Al Mansoori’s achievements, the new Chairman said. 

“I would like to thank HE Khalifa Al Mansoori for his outstanding service to the Abu Dhabi National Hotels, to the tourism industry and Abu Dhabi,” he said. 

Al Hajeri said ADNH will continue to strengthen its catering, travel and tourism and transport services.  The company will develop a 5-year strategic business plan supporting the great vision of Abu Dhabi in the hospitality sector. The business plan will also lay the foundation for a stronger company that is geared to meet emerging challenges of Abu Dhabi’s growth, he added. 

The new Chairman referred to the five-year plan in the context of Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority’s ambitious tourism development programme for the next five years targeting 2.7 million guests.  “As you all know, our upcoming projects at the Capital Centre (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre), Saadiyat and the JW Marriott are all part and parcel of this vision in Abu Dhabi,” Al Hajeri said.

Al Mansoori, who was ADNH’s Chairman for 12 years, described his years with the company as “a long and fruitful journey”. “It has been a great honour and a rewarding personal and professional experience for me to have held the post of Chairman of the Abu Dhabi National Hotels in one of the most historical phases in the growth of Abu Dhabi,” he said. 

Al Mansoori recalled that his tenure with ADNH began at a time when the company was looking at strengthening its assets and expanding across various services. He cited the opening of Mafraq Hotel and Grand Mercure Jebel Hafeet, the renovation of properties such as the Hilton Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, the Sheraton Abu Dhabi and the Meridien Abu Dhabi and the expansion of Al Diar portfolio as major achievements.

“We also expanded our catering division by setting up a joint venture with one of the largest catering companies in the world - the Compass Group. Lately, we set up another joint venture for our travel and tourism sector with Travco.  Our transport division, Al Ghazal Transport, continues to secure new business opportunities and has expanded its fleet to be amongst the top transport providers in the country,” he said.

“We have also embarked on some exciting mix use developments and to name just a few, the J.W. Marriott, the Park Hyatt in Saadiyat Island, and our 5-star property at the Capital Centre for which the management agreement is under negotiation and the Sofitel Jumeirah which is due to open shortly,” he added. 

Both Al Mansoori and Al Hajeri thanked His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince and Deputy Commander of the UAE Armed Forces for their support.  They also thanked the Board of Directors, the management team and staff and partners who have supported and contributed to the company’s growth.

Al Hajeri, the new Chairman, presented Al Mansoori with a souvenir to honour his services to the company.

Al Hajeri, who was appointed Chairman nearly a month ago, is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Offset Programme Bureau (OPB).  He is the Chairman of Tadreeb, (National Training LLC), and a board member of Bedaya (the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Program for Small & Medium Enterprises), Horizon International Flight Academy, Caracal International, Abu Dhabi UAV Investments Company, Waha Capital and the German Emarati Company (BENA).  Al Hajeri is a graduate of the Lewis & Clark College in Portland, USA and holds a degree in Business and Economics.
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