On the fast track

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Government officials sometimes accrue reputations for being closed books, but Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer is rather the polar opposite. As we sit down for the interview, and I thank him for his time, the Chairman and Executive Director of Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) sets me at ease by first offering refreshments before assuring me that we can discuss whatever I wish completely freely. "There is nothing we cannot talk about," he smiles, which clearly illustrates the confidence that he has in the organisation.

The rapid development of the 4,000-strong RTA is symptomatic of the rapid growth that Dubai itself has undergone in the last decade and which, to all intents and purposes, is set to carry on at an ever more frenetic pace. From a population of around 1.3 million in 2005 the number of citizens is estimated to increase to 5.3 million by 2020, according to government statistics, warranting the creation of a specialised agency to manage and develop the emirate's transport infrastructure.

Founded in late 2005, the RTA currently has road projects valued at over US$2bn under development, exceeding the combined spend of the last ten years, while the Strategic Transportation Plan through to 2020 calls for total investments of over US$22bn.

Yet Al Tayer does not appear overawed by these figures, instead pointing to the necessity of investing now to ensure future returns. "The government, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed [bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai], wanted Dubai to be a business hub and commercial centre for Asia and the Middle East," he explains. "He also wanted Dubai to be between the EU and the US on the one side and the Asian cities on the other, like a bridge. In order to make this a reality you have to have an infrastructure that is capable of absorbing all the big projects, both those under construction now and in the future."

For a year leading up the RTA's launch in late 2005 research into the best transport practices globally was undertaken. "We looked at Singapore, Japan, Australia, France, Britain," expands Al Tayer. "We looked at similar transportation organisations and structures and took the best parts of these. Part of Dubai's success has been its ability to attract a lot of investment. Nowadays there are a lot of competitors so the success will not continue unless the commitment, finance and infrastructure to host all these events and conferences is in place. Transport is the backbone to any growth or development," he adds.

The Emirate being something of a ‘blank canvas' in terms of the space available for development, and the lack of regulatory and financial constrictions, presents challenges as well as opportunities for the RTA. "There is a lot of work to be implemented in a short time," says Al Tayer. "Putting all this together is not easy. Of course we have the finance, we have the support from the government but the challenge is coming up with the best scheme possible for each project and then putting it together and coordinating it."

Reminding me of the full breadth of his remit, Al Tayer then lists all the agencies gathered under the RTA umbrella: "The system is a combination of different modes of transport - you have the marine side, the metro system, the trams, the buses and, of course, the road network, so you have to find a ‘recipe' that will suit Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed said that the plan is flexible. It's not an easy process but we will get it done."

As Executive Director, Al Tayer oversees the strategic planning for every agency in the RTA, actively chairing the Metro and large project committee meetings and playing a supervisory role on the others, something which allows him to focus on the bigger picture. "My involvement is at the strategic level," he explains. "The rest is for the individual agency CEOs to oversee, but we then have weekly strategy meetings - we have big budgets and we cannot afford to delay decisions. So I'm not involved in the day-to-day operations but I will step in if I see a need to."

This willingness to ‘step in' to advise on the minutiae of the RTA's operations reflects Al Tayer's own personal history and involvement in the sector. An engineer himself, he has been elected by his peers to chair the UAE's Society of Engineers for the last three years. His enthusiasm for, and enjoyment in, the RTA's projects visibly shines through when he is asked about them. "I enjoy engineering work you see," he smiles. "Everyone has a hobby, and mine is road projects. I enjoy looking at all the designs for those interchanges so it's not work. All my experience has been in transportation systems so it's a part of my life."

Al Tayer is also very result-orientated, a necessary trait when the investments involved are so large, and it is one that he sees as the cornerstone of any leader's policy. "I always say that is the most important competency. The way I see it the CEO should be a strategic thinker," he says, adding: "He should look to the final result, even if it sometimes means making decisions against a friend, you have to differentiate between what is personal and what is business. He should be decisive and he should have good lines of communication with his staff. I read a lot, particularly management, strategic planning and leadership books. There is always something new."

One of the particularly influential works has been Sheikh Mohammed's book, which Al Tayer has read numerous times and considers key to his own managerial development.

"He [Sheikh Mohammed] always has a vision that is usually 20 years ahead of anyone else and he is determined to achieve it," he says. "There is one of his quotes that I always use almost as a motto: ‘In the race for excellence there is no finish line.'"

Al Tayer also follows Sheikh Mohammed's style of people-centric management, with quotes from the book written around the RTA's offices: "He has one day assigned to have a Majlis with the leaders, and we learn a lot. It's as though he is our teacher and our leader, but also our friend. Everyone who works closely with him learns from the experience and enjoys it too. That is why you find the people around him competing to give the best that they can."

These and similar influences are the reason that Al Tayer sees such a bright future ahead for Dubai, and for the UAE as a whole. "I think that young people today are very lucky," he confirms. "Dubai is shaping up, the Palms are ready, you will have the Canal, Business Bay, the Metro - all of which are coming to fruition. So they will have a lot of opportunities, and a lot of chances to work. The infrastructure is almost finished so they don't have to panic!" he laughs.

"A simple example is that in my time, in 1979 and the early 1980s, I had to go to the US for my education, now my children only need to drive one or two kilometres and they're at university. People from other countries now come to Dubai to study and I think that that, more than anything, shows the success."

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