Bin Hamoodah Company

ABOUT the CO-FOUNDERS AND FOUNDING STORY

Ghanem bin Ali Bin Hamoodah was born in 1933 in Abu Dhabi to a family of well-established traders.^[7]  His brother Hamoodah was born in 1940^[8] in Al Ain, Al Jimi,^[9] followed seven years later by their youngest brother, Faraj.^[10] In 1966, Faraj traveled to the UK to pursue his education;^[11] upon his return the following year, the three brothers established the Bin Hamoodah Company, a provider of electro-mechanical and facilities management services.^{[12] [13]}

In addition to their careers as businessmen, the three brothers would become prominent public figures in the United Arab Emirates. After the unification of the UAE in 1972, Ghanem worked closely with the country’s inaugural president, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. He also filled multiple management positions as a board member of Abu Dhabi National Insurance Co.^[14]

The family business expanded rapidly over the course of the UAE’s first decade. In 1972, the brothers established Gulf Automation Services and Oilfield Supplies (GASOS), specializing in the delivery of technology services to the oil and gas sector.^[15] Six years later, GISCO was reorganized as a fully owned subsidiary of the Bin Hamoodah Company.^[16]

Having grown up in a household that was heavily involved in politics and enjoyed close ties with the ruling family of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, middle brother Hamoodah entered into a political career and became Abu Dhabi interior minister in 1972.^[17]

Taking advantage of the massive development projects then getting underway in the country, in 1979, the brothers diversified their business operations into construction, establishing Al Geemi Contracting in Abu Dhabi.^[18] In the 1980s, ​​Bin Hamoodah Properties LLC was created as a Bin Hamoodah Group subsidiary to manage the shareholders’ private properties. Within a decade of its establishment, it started amassing its own property portfolio.^[19]  In 1981, the brothers founded Alpha Data as an IT service provider and system integrator with the aim of building a clientele across the Middle East.^[20]

Hamoodah was appointed the UAE’s minister of interior in 1990,^[21] a position in which he served for two years before he was promoted to presidential private adviser through a federal decree issued by the late Sheikh Zayed.^[22] He served in this latter post until his death in 2001 from a heart attack.^[23] The youngest brother, Faraj, was also involved in politics, as an assistant to Sheikh Zayed in his role as president of the United Arab Emirates.^[24]

In 2008, the family reorganized Bin Hamoodah Company LLC, then the holding company of the Bin Hamoodah Group. Ownership was transferred to and divided equally between three newly established family holding companies: Ghanem Ali Bin Hamoodah & Sons LLC, Hamoodah Sons Holding LLC, and Faraj Bin Hamoodah Holding LLC.^[25] The objective of this restructuring was to have each company represent one founder and his successors, ensuring a smoother transition to the younger generations.^[26] Bin Hamoodah Company retained its advisory and consultancy functions to assist the owners in the restructure.^[27]

In 2011, Faraj Ali bin Hamoodah founded the Bin Hamoodah Endowed Chair in Public Health, the cornerstone of Zayed University’s endowment fund, with the aim of encouraging advanced research and academic studies.^{[28] [29]}

TODAY

Eldest brother Ghanem passed away in 2021.^[30] Bin Hamoodah Group today owns 25 companies operating across 10 market segments including oil and gas, civil construction, trading, engineering, manufacturing, information technology, automotive, real estate, and financial services.^[31] Faraj Ali Bin Hamoodah is the chairman of Faraj Bin Hamoodah Holding.^[32] The group is primarily led by members of the family’s second generation. Marwan Faraj Bin Hamoodah serves as chairman of Bin Hamoodah Trading Company.^[33] All four of Faraj Bin Hamoodah’s children — Marwan, Salama, Ali, and Khalifa — are board members of Faraj Bin Hamoodah Holding.^[34]