Sultan Ali Rashed Lootah, FNC candidate, Dubai. Supplied photo
Dubai - Multifaceted 38-year-old candidate from Dubai finds FNC polls an opportunity to serve the country that nurtured his talents.
Published: Sun 13 Sep 2015, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Mon 14 Sep 2015, 9:26 AM
With almost one month left for the Federal National Council (FNC) elections 2015, candidates shed light on their programmes that would attract as many votes as possible.
One among them, 38-year-old Sultan Ali Rashed Lootah, the FNC candidate for the emirate of Dubai, said he is all set to pay back part of the debt he owed to his beloved country.
"It is really an honour to be part of this electoral procession, and give back part of so much my country has given to us without which we would not have been able to develop our skills and careers."
Lootah, managing partner Vault Investments & Chairman at Vietgate General Trading L.L.C and MD Sultan Lootah Petroleum, has exerted great effort to develop his career, but "that has been very much backed up by the country infrastructure and facilities in every nook and corner."
Profile: Sultan Ali Rashed Lootah
> Age: 38
> Designation: MD, Sultan Lootah Petroleum
> Achievements: Dubai Government Excellence Award for Best Distinguished Government Employee
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Dedicated to voice the youth and concerns of old people, and propose a bunch of key projects that go along with the visionary strategic plans of the country, Lootah has decided to chip in the nationwide October 3 elections.
The candidate, though now running a number of private companies, has a long experience with the government sector from 1998 to 2014. Showing exceptional performance, Lootah has been entitled for the Dubai Government Excellence Award for Best Distinguished Government Employee in 2006. Lootah, who has a degree from the Higher Colleges of Technology, handled the role of acting CEO and the executive director of entrepreneurship development at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation from 2008-2012 until he became the CEO of the Foundation from October 2012 to 2014.
Prior to that, Lootah served as director of projects at The Executive Office in Dubai. As the director of Information Technology in the Dubai Department of Economic Development (DED), Lootah played a key role in formulating the department's strategy and bolstering its overall efficiency. Starting his career as a software programmer at Mashreq Bank (1998-99), he was associated with the Public Prosecution department for a year. In 2000, he moved to Al Thuraya Telecom as a Testbed Engineer, before joining DED.
A member of the Mohammed bin Rashid Programme for Leadership Development, Lootah holds a high diploma in Business IT from the HCT and an Executive Diploma in Public Administration at the Lee Kuan Yew College, Singapore. With a post-graduate diploma in public policy and master's degree in strategic business administration, Lootah stormed the private sector.
"'I am also the honorary ambassador of trading and investment for South Korea, chairman of the Emirati-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce in Oslo, and head of Vietnamese Business Group."
In his diverse and long career, Lootah's wife has always been there to support him.
"She has a master's degree and now works with the federal human resources department."
Lootah has been deeply involved in politics, and has run a polling station in the first edition of FNC polls, in Sharjah and Fujairah as a deputy director.
"I then chaired a polling station in Ajman in the second edition of the FNC elections. This time I wish to participate as a candidate to share my experience and knowledge for the benefit of the country and new generations."
"The development of all aspects of education as part of a thorough project is on top of my core concerns, leave alone community development and communication among all generations, boosting national identity, taking care of all segments of the society, mainly the special needs people, women and children."
Health is one of the key areas of Lootah's programme. "I want not only to develop this critical sector but to make our hospitals kind of five-star hotels as is the case in developed countries."
Believing that the government cannot create jobs for all Emiratis, Lootah said it is better to encourage and equip them to invade the private sector.
"Over 80 per cent of the national economy is based on small and medium projects."
Emiratisation is not just a law, it is rather a well-studied process considering the requirements of labour market, he underlined.
"It is not just an order to localise this sector or that; we should be well prepared for such a move with competent national cadres."
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com
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