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Leadership

The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. — Kenneth Blanchard

Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum

12:56 PM | Labels:


Background

 Name: Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum
Birth Year: 1958
Age: 54
Nationality: Emirati, born in Dubai
Occupations:
  • Chairman of Emirates Airline
  • Dubai Aviation City Corporation
  • Dubai World
  • flydubai
  • Noor Islamic Bank PJSC
  • Noor Investment Group LLC
  • Noor Takaful General PJSC
  • Noor Takaful Family PJSC

For the past 25 years His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum has been at the forefront of Dubai’s remarkable economic development spearheading the successful expansion of aviation. Recently, formulating economic, investment and fiscal policies and strategies in support of the emirate’s overarching vision.

 Early Life and Education

Born in a royal family, Sheikh Ahmed is the son of former Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Saeed bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, the brother of former Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum and the uncle of the current Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Sheikh Ahmed graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA.

Sheikh Ahmed first joined the aviation industry in 1985 and was selected as the President of Dubai Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and was also appointed as the newly-lauched Emirates Airline and group chairman. 

He holds a number of government positions and plays an increasingly pivotal role in leading the emirate’s finance and energy sectors.

Despite his numerous business activities, he is supporter to many charitable organisations and was recognised with numerous accolades from various Governments and multi-nationals

 Early Career

  • President Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA)
  • Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline and Group, including Dnata
  • Chairman Dubai Airports
  • Chairman FlyDubai
  • Board Member – General Civil Aviation Authority of UAE
  • Second Vice Chairman Dubai Executive Council
  • Chairman Dubai Supreme Fiscal Committee
  • Board of Directors Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD)
  • Chairman Department of Oil Affairs
  • Chairman Supreme Council for Energy
  • Chairman Board of Dubai World
  • Chairman Economic Development Committee
  • Board Member Dubai Council for Economic Affairs
  • Chairman Dubai Airport Free Zone Authority
  • Chairman Emirates National Bank of Dubai (ENBD)
  • Chairman Noor Investment Group and Noor Takaful
  • Vice-Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre
  • Chairman Alliance Insurance Company
  • Chairman The British University in Dubai
  • Chairman Dubai Air Wing
  • Chairman Dubai Aerospace Enterprises
  • Chairman Supreme Committee – Dubai Events & Promotions Establishment
  • Chairman Executive Authority for Expo 2020

 Career

Over the years, he developed Dubai Airport into the world’s 4th busiest airport that carries a total of 140 airlines. Under his supervision, he has made Emirates as the world’s fastest growing intercontinental carrier. He launched the flydubai in 2009, a budget airline under Emirates Group and was reported a great success. Currently, he is the Chairman and CEO of Emirates Airline and Group, which oversees DNATA, a ground-handling agency.

 Personal Life

He married a Egyptian Beau named, Nivin El Gamal, in London on January 2007 and gave birth to a son named Sheikh Saeed Bin Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. In 2008, he married the daughter of Sheikh Obaid bin Thani Al Maktoum. The Arabian Business ranked him as the world’s second most powerful Arab Man.

 Honours, Public Recognition and Milestones

Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from City University London was presented by Thee Royal Aeronautical Society, one of the industry’s oldest and most respected professional associations in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the development of professional sectors including aviation, finance, banking and entrepreneurship among others in the UAE.


Our Point of View

Type of Leader

For Sheikh Admed, his main ingredient to success - Vision and Charisma.

Sheikh Ahmed is known as a charismatic leader who is committed to his job for long term. Given his vast experience in aviation, the follower would instantly want to follow him because he possess expert power and exhibit great personality. 

On top of that, he is also a transformation leader who communicates clear vision to its team members, passionate about aviation industry and making everyone else on board. Even the locals in Dubai praised him as a true leader who brought positive changes and creating a vision of making Dubai a "City of His People Dream." This shows that he is a people-oriented leader, as he wants to help his people succeed and fly high. With this type of leader, he earns his followers' trust and loyalty. 

"I am reminded constantly that no matter how many millions we invest in the latest equipment, it is our people that make the difference in terms of results." said Sheikh Ahmed.

I feel that Sheikh Ahmed is an extraordinary leader as his point of view is very different from other leaders. Many of us would think that competition is unhealthy for the organization, but he thinks competitiveness keeps the company on their toes.

 Leadership Qualities

He has the ability to inspire others, getting his subordinate to understand the vision and praising others for performing well. With a clear company's vision, he knows where the company is moving towards to and how he can lead his team to achieve his plan. 

Secondly, he is very influential in getting everyone to work together in a cooperative manner. Moreover, he is a committed to work hard and getting others to contribute their efforts too. Thus he earns the respect of its people and look up as a role model.

 Interesting Fact

Do you know the meaning of 'The Shiek?' It refers to someone who is senior and carries the meaning of leader or governor in Arabic Language. 

References

LoveAndFly. (2013). Loveandfly.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013, from Emirates Website: http://blog.loveandfly.com/2012/10/26/emirates-how-to-fly-higher-and-higher/
Maktoum, H. S. (2013). Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Retrieved July 3, 2013, from Dubai World Web Site: http://www.dubaiworld.ae/hh-sheikh-ahmed/
Maktoum, H. S. (2013). Executive Biographies. Retrieved July 3, 2013, from Dubai International Web Site: http://www.dubaiairport.com/en/media-centre/Pages/executive-biographies.aspx?id=1
Wikipedia. (2013). Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Retrieved July 3, 2013, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahmed_bin_Saeed_Al_Maktoum

External Links

Emirates Official Website

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Posted by Leeying

Karl L. Holz

8:18 AM | Labels:


Background

 Name: Karl L. Holz
Birth Year: 1952
Age: 61
Nationality: American
Occupation: President, Disney Cruise Line and New Vacation Operations

Early Life and Education

Karl L. Holz was born in year 1952 in Hinzweiler, Germany. The Holz family immigrated to the United States and settled in Buffalo, New York. His father died when he was at the age of 12, therefore, he started working to help support his family financially.

He graduated from SUNY Fredonia as the class of 1973; and the State University of New York at Fredonia with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

Early Career

Holz have worked for years with various tourism companies, holding high-level positions before moving on to work with Walt Disney. He was previously the Regional Vice President for Sky Chefs Airport Concession, Inc., President and CEO of Concession Air, Inc. and Vice President of Theme Park Operations at Knott’s Berry Farm in Southern California.

He has lead several key growing businesses for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts.

 Journey with Walt Disney
1996 – Vice President of Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World Resort
2000 – Vice President of Epcot Theme Park, Walt Disney World Resort
2001 – Senior Vice President of Walt Disney World Operations, Walt Disney World Resort
2003 – President of Disney Cruise Line
2004 – President and Chief Operating Officer at Gérant, Management Company, and the Manager of Euro Disney SCA
2005 – President of New Vacation Operations, chairman and CEO of Euro Disney SCA

Career

Holz is the current the President for Disney Cruise Line as of February 14, 2009. He returned to his former role due to the corporate merger of the two companies – New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line. Holz directs all cruise ships under the Disney Cruise Line along with Disney Vacation Club, Adventures by Disney, Aulani, and Castaway Cay, Disney's very own Private Island in the Bahamas.

He has a major responsibility of leading more than 5,500 casts and crew, and the entire operations of the different cruises. One of Holz’s most memorable milestones includes sending the company’s fourth ship, the Disney Fantasy off on her maiden voyage.

Personal Life

Having faced financial difficulties and hardships when he was still young, Holz grew to become a socially responsible individual. In 2011, a fund-raising effort was made by DCL, and a total of $750,000 was donated to the Central Florida Boys & Girls Club. In 2012, he donated $100,000 on behalf of the Disney Cruise Line to the Boys & Girls Club of Harlem, New York City. A week before that, he presented a $250,000 cheque to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.

Holz is currently married to Wendy, also a former pupil of SUNY Fredonia. They had two children – Erik and Kirsten.

Honours, Public Recognition and Milestones

Year 2010
  • Disney Cruise Line has been recognized as the No. 1 cruise experience at the Annual Readers’ Choice Awards for Condé Nast Traveler magazine in New York City
  • Top Family-Friendly Large-Ship Cruise Line in the 2010 World’s Best Awards poll.

Year 2012
  • No. 1 in the Large-Ship Cruise Lines for Families category in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2012, making it the 4th consecutive year to be ranked in the top spot.

Year 2013
  • Disney Fantasy, earned the top honor – Best Large Ship – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
  • Disney Fantasy, earned the Large Ship Best Cabins – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
  • Disney Fantasy, earned the Best Entertainment – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
  • Disney Fantasy, earned the Best Public Rooms – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
  • Disney Fantasy, earned the Best Service – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards
  • Disney Dream, earned the Best Shore Excursions – in the Cruise Critic 2013 Cruisers’ Choice Awards

Our Point of View

Type of Leader

Holz has a mix of different leadership style. However, he is more of a Charismatic and Visionary leader.

Leadership Qualities

During SUNY Fredonia class of 2011 commencement, Holz shared stories and quotes demonstrating that he exhibit strong traits of integrity, trustworthiness, optimism, intuition and the ability to inspire others.

It was mentioned in his speech that, “as a leader, you have to inspire people in all the right ways,” with encouragement, trust, and by “walking in their shoes” and “challenging them and holding them to high expectations.” He also mentioned that one should “always conduct yourself with integrity,” “use common sense in everything you do,” and “stay optimistic.” (SUNY Fredonia, 2011)

“Embrace every opportunity to demonstrate my worth — even when it means being really, really uncomfortable for a while.” – Karl L. Holz

 In the same commencement, Holz talked about his early career before joining Disney. He mentioned that it was essential “to be flexible and willing to take risk to move ahead.” This shows that he is intuitive and is a risk-taker. In the hospitality industry, having the guts to take risks and gamble with new ideas and concepts is as important as having great service. Taking risks increases the chances of attaining a new market group which is beneficial to one’s company.

Furthermore, Holz have exhibited passion and commitment for the Disney Family over the years he has worked with The Walt Disney Company. Not many individuals stay in the same organization for years, but we have a leader here that does not look for opportunities elsewhere but strive for the best within his organization.

Lastly, who says a leader has to exhibit support only within his company? Holz was present at the shipyard when Disney Fantasy was still under construction at Papenburg, Germany. He was there to ensure that the structure was up to its standards. Of course, this shows that he is supportive both his partner and his own!


Communication

With a large number of Disney businesses, one may assume that there would be miscommunications or perhaps service inconsistency going on. The biggest barriers to effective communication across the businesses would be misinterpretation, projection and environment. The communications skills he exhibited “behind-the-scenes” have most definitely reassure their guests the extraordinary service expected from the Disney brand.

References

Schmidt, C. (2012, April 4). Disney Cruise Line's Karl Holz: Big man with a big heart | SILive.com. Retrieved July 1, 2013, from SILive Web Site: http://blog.silive.com/goofy_about_disney/2012/04/disney_cruise_lines_karl_holz_big_man_with_a_big_heart.html
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. (n.d.). The Walt Disney Company and Affiliated Companies - Parks and Resorts Press. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from The Walt Disney Company: http://corporate.disney.go.com/news/parks_resorts/exe_bios/karlholz.html
Disney Cruise Line News. (2010, October 13). Disney Cruise Line Named Top Cruise Line by Readers of Condé Nast Traveler Magazine | Disney Cruise Line News. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from Disney Cruise Line News: http://dclnews.com/2010/10/13/disney-cruise-line-named-top-cruise-line-by-readers-of-cond-nast-traveler-magazine/
SUNY Fredonia. (2011, May 17). Class of 2011 treated to some Disney magic > SUNY Fredonia News Services. Retrieved June 28, 2013, from SUNY Fredonia News Services: http://ww2.fredonia.edu/news/BrowseallNews/tabid/1101/ctl/ArticleView/mid/1878/articleId/3163/language/en-US/Class_of_2011_treated_to_some_Disney_magic.aspx
The Walt Disney Company. (n.d.). Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund | The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved June 27, 2013, from The Walt Disney Company Web Site: http://thewaltdisneycompany.com/citizenship/environmental-stewardship/disney-worldwide-conservation-fund?DisplayItem=d7c0b0be-afb1-4938-af5c-74231ee347cb
Mantai, C. D. (2011, May 24). Karl Holz, '73; President of Disney Cruise & Vacations > SUNY Fredonia Alumni Portal. Retrieved June 29, 2013, from SUNY Fredonia : http://alumni.fredonia.edu/Magazine/SearchArticles/tabid/188/ID/262/categoryId/48/Karl-Holz-73-President-of-Disney-Cruise-Vacations.aspx

External Links

Disney Cruise Line Official Website

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