Board of Directors

Sir Michael Rake is chairman of Phoenix Global Resources, NewDay Limited, Wireless Logic Group, and Great Ormond Street Hospital. He is also an advisor to Citigroup Global Markets.  Previous appointments include chairman of BT Group, chairman of KPMG International, senior partner at KPMG UK, and chairman of KPMG Europe, president of the Confederation of British Industry (2013 – 2015) among many others.

Sir Ian Davis is a former chairman of Rolls-Royce plc and a non-executive director of Johson & Johnson Inc. 

He is senior partner emeritus of McKinsey & Company, where he was a partner for 31 years until 2010. He served as chairman and worldwide managing director of McKinsey from 2003 to 2009. During his career with the company, Sir Ian served as a consultant to a range of global organisations across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors.

He was previously the senior independent director at BP plc and a non-executive board member at the UK Cabinet office.

Tariq Al Futtaim has been involved in the Majid Al Futtaim business as Vice President since the group was first formed. He was also former Chairman of the Majid Al Futtaim Charity Foundation, an esteemed charitable initiative well known for its work in the healthcare and education sectors.

Lord Stuart Rose started his career in 1971 at Marks & Spencer plc. He subsequently held chief executive officer positions at Argos plc, Booker plc, Arcadia Group plc and Marks and Spencer plc before becoming chief executive and later chairman of Marks & Spencer between 2004 and 2010. He was chairman of Ocado Group plc from 2013 to 2021, and is currently chairman of EG Group and  Zenith Automotive Enterprises among others. Lord Rose is also the current chairman of Majid Al Futtaim Retail.

He was knighted in 2008 for services to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility, and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2014.

Luc Vandevelde is the founder and chairman of Change Capital Partners LLP. With more than 30 years’ board-level experience in the consumer and retail industries, Belgian national Mr Vandevelde is one of Europe’s most respected business leaders, having served as a former chairman of the Carrefour Group and Marks & Spencer, and director of Vodafone. Following 24 years with Kraft General Foods, where he was appointed chief executive officer of French and Italian Operations, Mr Vandevelde joined the Promodes retail group as president and chief operating officer. He was responsible for positioning Promodes as an international retailer with operations spanning Europe, Asia and South America, before merging it with Carrefour in 1999. 

He is an independent director of JDE Peet’s and is also the current chairman of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures.

Ahmed Galal Ismail is Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors at Majid Al Futtaim - Holding.

He has been a long-standing leader at Majid Al Futtaim, having held several executive positions across the company’s portfolio of businesses during his tenure, and has played an instrumental role in the growth and development of the Group.

Having joined Majid Al Futtaim in 2007 as the group's VP of Strategy, he then oversaw seven business verticals including Leisure and Entertainment, Cinemas, Lifestyle, Facilities Management, and Consumer Finance in his role as CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Ventures. Prior to his most recent appointment as CEO of Holding, Mr. Ismail served for 5 years as CEO of our Properties business, leading the company’s portfolio of shopping malls, hotels, and mixed-use communities. 

Mr. Ismail started his career with Procter and Gamble in Egypt and Germany, before joining Booz Allen Hamilton where he was named Principal, advising organisations in the retail, media, tourism, and transportation sectors.

Mr. Ismail serves on the Board of Endeavor UAE, a global non-profit dedicated to high-impact entrepreneurship, and the Arab Investment Bank. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s CEO Alliance for Climate Change and is a Trustee of the American University in Cairo.

Mr. Ismail holds an MBA with distinction from London Business School and a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the American University in Cairo.

Download the full bio here.

Peter Davison is the Company Secretary of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding and Majid Al Futtaim – Capital. He also acts as Company Secretary for Majid Al Futtaim - Trust, Retail, Properties, LEC and Lifestyle. He is responsible for managing the systems and processes that uphold the group’s corporate governance standard and acting as liaison for the operating companies and their Boards of Directors. 

Peter brings over 30 years of legal and secretarial experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Far East. Most recently he served as Company Secretary, Group General Counsel and Head of Compliance at Arriva, adding to the 17-years he was with British American Tobacco where he held roles including Assistant Group General Counsel, Regional General Counsel Europe and Head of Commercial Legal.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University, England, and has completed the Law Society’s Final Examination (LSF) and Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) from Northumbria University, Newcastle, England.

John Rishton was chief executive of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc from 2011-2015 and he previously held the positions of chief executive at Ahold and chief financial officer at Ahold and British Airways. Mr Rishton is currently a chairman of Serco, Informa Pls, and non executive director at Unilever.

Abdulla Majed Al Ghurair is the chairman of Abdulla & Hamad Al Ghurair Investment LLC, Dubai. He is also the chairman of the Bates Pan Gulf Group and Innoventure Educational Investments LLC, and is currently the chairman of the Board of the Majid Al Futtaim Charity Foundation.

Terry Duddy was chief executive of Home Retail Group plc, following its demerger from GUS in October 2006 until March 2014, having previously served as CEO of Argos since its acquisition by GUS in 1998. He previously held senior executive roles at Dixons Stores Group, latterly as MD at PC World. He was formerly senior independent director at Hammerson plc, non-executive director at Gems Menasa Holdings, and chair at Debenhams plc. Presently he is chair of the charity Catch22, chair of London Marathon Events and an advisor to True Capital.

John M. Sullivan, former president and CEO of The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited (“Cadillac Fairview”) has more than 30 years of real estate experience in acquisitions, dispositions, asset management and development. Cadillac Fairview has $30 billion in assets and is one of the largest owners, operators and developers of best-in-class office, retail and mixed-use properties in North America. The company also invests in retail, mixed-use and industrial real estate in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.

Before joining Cadillac Fairview, Mr Sullivan built an impressive career in the real estate industry holding senior positions with a number of high profile companies such as Marathon Realty Company Limited and Brookfield Properties Corporation, where he was responsible for all asset management, acquisitions and dispositions for Canadian assets.

Mr Sullivan holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Concordia University, an MBA from McGill University and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Ahmed El Shamy was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties in January 2023.
 
In his previous role as Chief Financial Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Properties, Ahmed was responsible for the evolution of the finance function and oversaw the financial health, risk, and compliance practices. He helped deliver on business targets despite challenging market conditions, mitigated the impact of the COVD-19 pandemic and successfully executed programmes such as War on Waste and the C1500 plan. 
 
Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, Ahmed was Partner and Group CFO of Qalaa Holdings, one of the Arab world's largest private equity firms. He has also worked with Procter & Gamble, Citadel Capital, and Al Ahram Beverages and Orascom Development Holding.

Peter Davison is the Company Secretary of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding and Majid Al Futtaim – Capital. He also acts as Company Secretary for Majid Al Futtaim - Trust, Retail, Properties, LEC and Lifestyle. He is responsible for managing the systems and processes that uphold the group’s corporate governance standard and acting as liaison for the operating companies and their Boards of Directors. 

Peter brings over 30 years of legal and secretarial experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Far East. Most recently he served as Company Secretary, Group General Counsel and Head of Compliance at Arriva, adding to the 17-years he was with British American Tobacco where he held roles including Assistant Group General Counsel, Regional General Counsel Europe and Head of Commercial Legal.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University, England, and has completed the Law Society’s Final Examination (LSF) and Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) from Northumbria University, Newcastle, England.

Lord Stuart Rose started his career in 1971 at Marks & Spencer plc. He subsequently held chief executive officer positions at Argos plc, Booker plc, Arcadia Group plc and Marks and Spencer plc before becoming chief executive and later chairman of Marks & Spencer between 2004 and 2010. He was chairman of Ocado Group plc from 2013 to 2021, and is currently chairman of EG Group and  Zenith Automotive Enterprises among others. Lord Rose is also the current chairman of Majid Al Futtaim Retail.

He was knighted in 2008 for services to the retail industry and corporate social responsibility, and was appointed to the House of Lords in 2014.

Hamad Al Ghurair is a third generation member of a prominent UAE business family and the managing director of Abdullah & Hamad Al Ghurair Investment, a holding company established in Dubai. This holding company manages and organises the partners’ interest in companies that are either partially or fully owned by the group.

Michael Mire is an independent director of Aviva PLC, chairman of HM Land Registry and a senior advisor at Lazard. He has extensive experience in advising companies on and implementing transformation programmes, and also brings to the board an in-depth understanding of the financial services sector.

Andrew Higginson is chairman of Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, Evergreen Garden Care (UK) Ltd and YourParkingSpace.  He is a senior independent director at Flutter plc and an advisor to Shore Capital Markets Limited.

After starting his career in FMCG with Unilever, he spent over 30 years in retail. He was group finance director of Laura Ashley Holdings plc, The Burton Group plc, then, for 15 years he was an executive director of Tesco PLC: 11 years as finance and strategy Director, and four years as CEO of their Retail Services Division (Tesco.com, Tesco Bank, Tesco Telecomms and DunnHumby). He retired in August 2012, and was chairman of Poundland up to and including their IPO.

Mr Higginson also served for six years as chairman of online clothing retailer N Brown plc, four years as an independent non-executive director on the board of the RFU and for 10 years as an independent non-executive director at the broadcaster Sky plc, where he was the SID.

Carolyn Bradley has a strong consumer-focused background, having worked at Tesco from 1986 until 2013. During this time, Ms Bradley held a range of senior positions in various roles including chief operating officer at Tesco.com, UK marketing director at Tesco Stores and, most recently, as group brand director.

Ms Bradley also serves as a board director of SSP Group plc, B&M Value Retail S.A., Marston’s PLC, The Mentoring Foundation, Cambridge Judge Business School, and as a trustee of Cancer Research UK.

John Dixon has 30 years of international retail experience. He began his career at Marks and Spencer PLC and held a number of senior commercial positions across retail operations, digital, food, clothing and homewares. He joined the board as executive director in 2009, leading both the food and then general merchandise businesses until 2015.

Mr Dixon joined Woolworths Holdings Limited in 2015 as chief executive officer of David Jones in Australia. In 2017, he was appointed executive director of Woolworths Holdings and promoted to regional chief executive officer across both David Jones and the Country Road Group businesses in Australasia.

Peter Davison is the Company Secretary of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding and Majid Al Futtaim – Capital. He also acts as Company Secretary for Majid Al Futtaim - Trust, Retail, Properties, LEC and Lifestyle. He is responsible for managing the systems and processes that uphold the group’s corporate governance standard and acting as liaison for the operating companies and their Boards of Directors. 

Peter brings over 30 years of legal and secretarial experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Far East. Most recently he served as Company Secretary, Group General Counsel and Head of Compliance at Arriva, adding to the 17-years he was with British American Tobacco where he held roles including Assistant Group General Counsel, Regional General Counsel Europe and Head of Commercial Legal.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University, England, and has completed the Law Society’s Final Examination (LSF) and Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) from Northumbria University, Newcastle, England.

Luc Vandevelde is the founder and chairman of Change Capital Partners LLP. With more than 30 years’ board-level experience in the consumer and retail industries, Belgian national Mr Vandevelde is one of Europe’s most respected business leaders, having served as a former chairman of the Carrefour Group and Marks & Spencer, and director of Vodafone. Following 24 years with Kraft General Foods, where he was appointed chief executive officer of French and Italian Operations, Mr Vandevelde joined the Promodes retail group as president and chief operating officer. He was responsible for positioning Promodes as an international retailer with operations spanning Europe, Asia and South America, before merging it with Carrefour in 1999.

He is an independent director of JDE Peet’s and is also the current chairman of Majid Al Futtaim - Ventures.

Rupert Gavin was the chief executive of Odeon and UCI Cinemas Group, a member of the executive committee of the BBC, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, and managing director of British Telecom. Today he is chairman of Historic Royal Palaces, chairman of the honours committee for Arts and Media, director of the Living Room Cinema, Incidental Colman Ltd, and the Society of London Theatre.

Martin Robinson joined the Board of Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment in 2014. 

Mr. Robinson is currently Chairman of Travelodge, Parkdean Resorts, Innis & Gunn and Inspiring Learning. He is also a Board member of UK Hospitality and an advisor to Kings Park Capital. 

His previous Chairman roles include Burger King UK, Center Parcs UK and Europe, Wagamama, Casual Dining Group and Holmes Place Healthclubs. He has also served as a Director of the Supervisory Board of Disneyland Paris and as SID at Regus plc. 

Mr. Robinson’s career began at Reckitt and he has also worked for Sara Lee Corporation, Scottish & Newcastle plc and as a consultant with McKinsey & Co Inc in London and Chicago.

Ms Cartwright was appointed to the Board of Directors of Majid Al Futtaim Entertainment in 2021 and since 2022, she has been chairing the Audit and Risk Committee. Ms Cartwright has extensive experience in the sector, having served as deputy chair and CEO of British luxury department store chain Harvey Nichols for over four years until 2018. Prior to joining Harvey Nichols, she was the executive vice president and chief financial officer of Burberry Group Plc. and served as CFO of Egg Plc. She spent over a decade at Granada Group, where she held a number of senior financial roles.

Ms Cartwright’s non-executive roles include chair of Savills Plc, non executive director and chair of the audit committee at Gymshark and non-executive director and ESG Committee chair at AerCap Holdings NV. She was previously non-executive director at Genpact Plc, GlaxoSmithKline Plc and senior independent director of the Football Association Ltd.

 She is a qualified chartered accountant and holds a BSc from the London School of Economics.

Ignace Lahoud is Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim - Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas.

In his role, he leads the company's Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas business in line with Majid Al Futtaim's long-term strategic direction and growth agenda.

Ignace has 30 years of experience, having spent most of his career leading transformational changes across three continents and multi-billion-dollar businesses within the Walt Disney Company. He joined Majid Al Futtaim from Valence Media/MRC Entertainment, a Beverly Hills-based privately owned company that produces quality content for both TV and film, in addition to live events; where he was Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he was responsible for the integration of the functional areas across all brands, optimising capital structure and developing the framework for long-term strategic plans. Prior to that, he enjoyed a very successful 26-year career with the Walt Disney Company where he held several senior roles.  

He holds an MBA from the Madrid Business School and University of Houston and a B.Sc. from the American University of Beirut.

Peter Davison is the Company Secretary of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding and Majid Al Futtaim – Capital. He also acts as Company Secretary for Majid Al Futtaim - Trust, Retail, Properties, LEC and Lifestyle. He is responsible for managing the systems and processes that uphold the group’s corporate governance standard and acting as liaison for the operating companies and their Boards of Directors. 

Peter brings over 30 years of legal and secretarial experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Far East. Most recently he served as Company Secretary, Group General Counsel and Head of Compliance at Arriva, adding to the 17-years he was with British American Tobacco where he held roles including Assistant Group General Counsel, Regional General Counsel Europe and Head of Commercial Legal.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University, England, and has completed the Law Society’s Final Examination (LSF) and Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) from Northumbria University, Newcastle, England.

Fahed Ghanim is the Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim – Lifestyle. In his role, Mr. Ghanim manages world renowned brands across Home, Fashion, Specialty Retail, and Multiband Concepts covering retail stores across the GCC, while developing expansion strategies for high growth markets and new concepts. Fahed joined Majid Al Futtaim Fashion in February 2018 as Chief Operating Officer for Majid Al Futtaim – Fashion.

Prior to joining Majid Al Futtaim, Fahed was General Manager Retail for L’azurde PLC, a Saudi based jewellery company. This was the third business turn around for Fahed after Bvlgari.

His journey in the real estate industry included the management of various high-profile projects, such as negotiations on a partnership deal with The Trump Organization for a $1.5 billion development.

Fahed has led acquisitions, successful IPO, business transformation, new brand launches, development and growth of globally acclaimed fashion, home and jewellery brands including: Bvlgari, Boucheron, Pomellato, Gucci, Harvey Nichols Dubai, L’azurde, LEGO, Lululemon to name a few.

Fahed is a board member of multiple organisations and holds an MBA degree with distinction from ESCP Europe Business School.

Peter Davison is the Company Secretary of Majid Al Futtaim - Holding and Majid Al Futtaim – Capital. He also acts as Company Secretary for Majid Al Futtaim - Trust, Retail, Properties, LEC and Lifestyle. He is responsible for managing the systems and processes that uphold the group’s corporate governance standard and acting as liaison for the operating companies and their Boards of Directors. 

Peter brings over 30 years of legal and secretarial experience across Europe, the United States, the Middle East and North Africa region, and the Far East. Most recently he served as Company Secretary, Group General Counsel and Head of Compliance at Arriva, adding to the 17-years he was with British American Tobacco where he held roles including Assistant Group General Counsel, Regional General Counsel Europe and Head of Commercial Legal.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in the UK and Hong Kong, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography from Durham University, England, and has completed the Law Society’s Final Examination (LSF) and Common Professional Examination/Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE/GDL) from Northumbria University, Newcastle, England.