UAE: Mars mission project director featured in Future 50 list

Dubai - Omran Sharaf named among the world’s young rising stars who are changing the world

Two executives from the UAE have been named among the world’s top 50 young rising leaders that are changing the world.

Omran Sharaf, director of the Emirates Mars Mission at Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, and Khaleel Baba, part of the senior strategy and planning team for corporate facilities management at Emaar Properties, have been listed in the Project Management Institute’s second annual Future 50 list.

The list features rising leaders using bold and innovative thinking to transform the world through notable projects.

Sarah Al Amiri, the UAE’s Minister of State for Advanced Technology, on Tuesday congratulated Sharaf on the nomination.

Sharaf was the man behind the first Arab interplanetary mission, Hope Probe, launched by the UAE.

The UAE’s mission to Mars reached the Red Planet and successfully entered orbit on February 9 after a seven-month journey of 494 million kilometres. The probe has since been collecting and relaying important data about the Martian atmosphere and climate.

The Emirates Mars Mission, which cost around $200 million, launched the Hope Probe from a Japanese space centre. It provides a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere for the first time, studying daily and seasonal changes.

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Khaleel Baba joined Emaar in 2017 and has since worked on implementing new and practical strategies for embedding and elevating project management practices within the company’s operation, shifting the focus from day-to-day operational activities to achieving its long-term strategic vision, the Project Management Institute said.

He has been instrumental in transforming the facility management operations of the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai