Having built up a fortune from the motorcar business in the Gulf Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Volvo and Chrysler are among the brand names Abdulla Al-Futtaim is now steering his eponymous investment company into real estate on a grand scale.

The US$4bn-US$5bn Dubai Festival City, the biggest mixed-use development project in the UAE is his tentpole project and one in which he has poured some US$1.6bn but he also has another 40 companies and employs 10,000 people in Dubai.

The Al Futtaim family split its empire into two parts in early 2000 and Abdullas brother Majid Al Futtaim concentrated on developing the Mall of the Emirates opposite the Dubai Internet City which features the Middle Easts first indoor ski slope. Seemingly driven by the freedom of running his business, Dubai Festival City opens the way for Abdulla to tap into the real estate development market which has been surging forward in the UAE.