Dubai Airport free zone Authority
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ABOUT DAFZ

 
ABOUT DAFZ
WHY DAFZ
EXPANSION
SUSTAINABLY
INNOVATION
SMART CITY
ISLAMIC ECONOMY

ABOUT DAFZ

Dubai airport Freezone was established in 1996 and is a dynamic business hub located at the very heart of global trade.

Benefitting from direct access to the world’s busiest international airport, DAFZ offers the ideal gateway to the Middle East and also unrivalled connectivity to Europe, the Indian Subcontinent and the Far East.

DAFZ is now home to more than 2300 registered businesses from over 20+ sectors and various industries with 17,000+ professionals, who benefit from a business-focused regulatory and tax-free environment that offers total ownership, full repatriation of earnings and a range of world-class facilities.

VISION

The free zone that goes beyond.

MISSION

Adding value to UAE economy by providing smart solutions that attract global investors, through innovation and a customer centric environment driven by a passionate entrepreneurial team.

OUR VALUES

Customer: Add value to our customers
People: we strive for happy people
Innovation: Foster innovation
Team work: Together we achieve more
Integrity : Good governance
Corporate National Responsibility: We enrich the society

LEADERSHIP

H.H. SHEIKH AHMED BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM

CHAIRMAN
Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al maktoum - DAFZA

The organisation has provided the most attractive incentive packages, connectivity and support to multinational companies from every continent, enabling them to establish their regional offices here in Dubai.

I would like to welcome you to one of the world’s most modern freezones, designed to provide the most attractive investment opportunities for your business. Dubai Airport Freezone was officially established by the Government of Dubai, pursuant to Law No.2, in 1996.

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Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al maktoum - DAFZA

LEADERSHIP

H.H. SHEIKH AHMED BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM

CHAIRMAN
Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al maktoum - DAFZA
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al maktoum - DAFZA

The organisation has provided the most attractive incentive packages, connectivity and support to multinational companies from every continent, enabling them to establish their regional offices here in Dubai.

I would like to welcome you to one of the world’s most modern freezones, designed to provide the most attractive investment opportunities for your business. Dubai Airport Freezone was officially established by the Government of Dubai, pursuant to Law No.2, in 1996.

Read More

Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni

Executive Chairman, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

With over 25 years of experience leading and developing free economic zones, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni is considered one of the world’s top free zone influencing leaders. In 2021, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was appointed as Executive Chairman of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), holding three of Dubai’s pioneering Free Zones, Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and Dubai CommerCity.

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Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni

Executive Chairman, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

With over 25 years of experience leading and developing free economic zones, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni is considered one of the world’s top free zone influencing leaders. In 2021, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was appointed as Executive Chairman of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), holding three of Dubai’s pioneering Free Zones, Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and Dubai CommerCity.

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AMNA LOOTAH

DIRECTOR GENERAL

Amna Lootah is the Director General at Dubai Airport Freezone. She brings an extensive 20 years of experience in a number of key areas that support the growth of DAFZ, including finance, sales and marketing, communications, innovation and future, digital intelligence, customer experience, lease and licensing, property management, security and partnerships.

Ms. Lootah is one of the leading experts within the special economic zones sector across the emirate of Dubai, UAE and the wider region. She is passionate about achieving DAFZ’s goals of driving innovation, through her commitment to building trust and long-term relationships with DAFZ’s customers and strategic partners.

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AMNA LOOTAH

DIRECTOR GENERAL

Amna Lootah is the Director General at Dubai Airport Freezone. She brings an extensive 20 years of experience in a number of key areas that support the growth of DAFZ, including finance, sales and marketing, communications, innovation and future, digital intelligence, customer experience, lease and licensing, property management, security and partnerships.

Ms. Lootah is one of the leading experts within the special economic zones sector across the emirate of Dubai, UAE and the wider region. She is passionate about achieving DAFZ’s goals of driving innovation, through her commitment to building trust and long-term relationships with DAFZ’s customers and strategic partners.

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Maryam Al Bastaki

Senior Vice President of Leasing, Licensing and Government Services

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Ahmed Al Mulla

Senior Vice President of Sales & Business Accounts Management

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Arif Al Khoori

Senior Vice President of Customer Care

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Ahmed Al Mulla

Senior Vice President of Sales & Business Accounts Management

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Maryam Al Bastaki

Senior Vice President of Leasing, Licensing and Government Services

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Arif Al Khoori

Senior Vice President of Customer Care

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Abdulaziz Alhammadi

Senior Vice President - Director General Office

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Abdulaziz Alhammadi

Senior Vice President - Director General Office

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Asma Ghaith

Senior Director of Shared Services

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Asma Ghaith

Senior Director of Shared Services

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DAFZ ACCOLADES

2005
2005
The Dubai Government Excellence award for Best Department in Employee Satisfaction
2005
2006
2006
The Dubai Government Excellence award for Best Governmental Department – Sales & Marketing Best Website Award from the World Federation of Free Zones MELA in the Best Middle East Logistics Airport Park category
2006
2007
2007
MELA in the Best Middle East Logistics Airport Park category Best Government department in Emiratisation
2007
2008
2008
Saving Electricity and Water Consumption Award – DEWA Fire Award – Dubai Customs CSR Award from Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) MELA in the Best Middle East Logistics Airport Park category
2008
2009
2009
DQAP – Dubai Quality Appreciation – Dubai Economic Department Health, Safety & Environment Award – Dubai Customs Kingdom Expansion Award of Saudi Arabia for its Sustainable Facility Management Initiatives MELA in the Best Middle East Logistics Airport Park category
2009
2010
2010
Best Economic Airport Free Zone in the region and second internationally, FDI Magazine – Financial Times Group DHDA – Dubai Human Development Award – Dubai Economic Department
2010
2011
2011
Richard Goodman strategic planning Award, Association of Strategic planning, USA E- Government Web Award, the Internet Award Academy in Middle East & Arab Organisation for Administration Development Best Economic Airport Free Zone in the region and second internationally, FDI Magazine – Financial Times Group
2011
2012
2012
Best Economic Free Zone in the world, FDI – Financial Times Group The Global Award for Perfection, Quality & Ideal Performance: Otherways Association Management & Consultant, Italy Total Quality Customer Satisfaction Award – Otherways Association Management & Consultant, Italy Public Mobility Award, Roads & Transport Authority, Dubai Three Stevie awards (International Business Awards, USA): 1) New Innovative product or service of the year 2012 2) Best IT Department of the year 2012 3) Best Marketing Department of the year 2012
2012
2013
2013
Egov Excellence Awards, Pan Arab Excellence Awards Academy Best Economic Free Zone in the Middle East, FDI – Financial Times Group DQA- Dubai Quality Award – DED – Dubai Economic Department
2013
2014
2014
Hamdan Bin Mohammed for Smart Government Award Category of Best Service Center – Executive Council Palladium Award (Balanced Scorecard Hall of Fame for Executing Strategy)- Palladium Group ACCA Approved Employer Certificate
2014
2015
2015
IMA Finance Team of the Year 2015 – The Association of Accountants and Financial Professionals in Business Free zone Authorities Customer Care Excellence Award- Middle East Excellence Award Institution Shortlisted in Hamdan Bin Mohammed for Smart Government Award Category of Best Innovation Team and Category of Best Innovation Leader – Executive Council Emirates Energy Award – Supreme Council of Energy “Finance Team of the Year” Excellence Award by Middle East CFO Alliance LEED Certification for DAFZ Square – Gold
2015
2016
2016
DAFZ Superbrands Award – UAE Superbrands Council LEED Crtification for Building and Operation – Platinum
2016
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Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al maktoum - DAFZA

H.H. SHEIKH AHMED BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM

– CHAIRMAN 
– Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

The organisation has provided the most attractive incentive packages, connectivity and support to multinational companies from every continent, enabling them to establish their regional offices here in Dubai.

I would like to welcome you to one of the world’s most modern freezones, designed to provide the most attractive investment opportunities for your business. Dubai Airport Freezone was officially established by the Government of Dubai, pursuant to Law No.2, in 1996.

Moreover, as a city host to various world-class international business and commercial events, investors will enjoy the advantage of the strategic location next to one of busiest airports in the world.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed is the Chairman of the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), the entity overseeing the Middle East’s premium Freezone. Through his exemplary leadership, DAFZA has played a critical role in the success of the Dubai Government’s strategic plan to transform the emirate into an investment-driven economy. H.H. Sheikh Ahmed led the launching of DAFZA’s ‘Innovation Strategy’ and championed the advanced development of the Freezone’s human capital, smart transformation and state-of-art services and products. He also encouraged diversification across the Freezone in support of Dubai’s focus on building a vibrant economy beyond oil in the future.

As a testament to H.H. Sheikh Ahmed’s outstanding supervision and extraordinary vision, DAFZA currently hosts over 1,600 multinational companies from various industries – a major boost to Dubai’s intensive economic diversification efforts. DAFZA currently contributes an impressive around 4.7 percent to Dubai’s GDP and offers unparalleled solutions for the global business sector thanks to H.H. Sheikh Ahmed’s foresight and able guidance.

For the past 30 years, H.H. Sheikh Ahmed has been at the forefront of Dubai’s remarkable economic development. He spearheaded the successful expansion of local aviation, which now accounts for 28 percent of Dubai’s GDP. More recently, he has formulated key economic, investment and fiscal policies and strategies in support of the emirate’s overarching vision.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed also serves as the President of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and its affiliates such as DNATA. He is the Chairman of the Dubai EXPO 2020 Higher Committee and occupies high-level positions in many other diverse government and private entities as well.

H.H. Sheikh Ahmed has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA. He is well known internationally for his contribution to the development of aviation in the region. The Royal Aeronautical Society, one of the industry’s oldest and most respected professional associations, honored his achievements in aviation with a Fellowship at the Society bestowed during the 1994 Farnborough Air Show in the UK. In May 2013, he was presented with an honorary Degree of Doctor of Science by City University London – Cass Business School in recognition of his outstanding leadership in the development of professional sectors including aviation, finance, banking and entrepreneurship, among others, in the UAE.

“It was a particularly successful period for us in terms of further streamlining our finances and operations, expanding our global presence, and supporting the national economic diversification policy to build a future beyond oil by encouraging major global names from various industries to do business at DAFZA.”

Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni

Executive Chairman, Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority

With over 25 years of experience leading and developing free economic zones, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni is considered one of the world’s top free zone influencing leaders. In 2021, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was appointed as Executive Chairman of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ), holding three of Dubai’s pioneering Free Zones, Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis, and Dubai CommerCity.

In 2000, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was appointed as Director-General of the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), which, through his visionary leadership, quickly grew to become one of the top-performing freezones in the world. In 2002, the Dubai Government appointed him as Vice Chairman and CEO of the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA), one of the region’s most advanced and successful technology hubs. In 1995, His Excellency join the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority as Director of Research and Administration and at that time, as he was one of the most prominent officials responsible for the establishment of the Dubai Airport Free Zone in 1996. Before joining the Department, he worked in the Ministry of Education for 8 years.

In 2014, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni was instrumental in conceptualizing and establishing the non-profit World Free Zones Organization. He is presently the chairman of this multilateral organization which acts as an

association for all free zones in the world. In 2015, he was appointed as the Secretary-General of the Dubai Free Zone Council. A prominent personality in Dubai’s economy, H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni is a member of the Dubai Economic Council. He also sits on several major institutions’ boards, including Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirati Human Resources Development Council, and RIT Dubai Board of Directors, in addition, he is the Chairman of Tradeling Board (a B2B ecommerce marketplace). H.E. Dr. Al Zarooni is an accomplished speaker on free zones and has been invited to address keynotes worldwide at numerous conferences and forums.

H.E. Dr. Mohammed Al Zarooni graduated with a Ph.D. Degree from the University of Durham in the U.K. His doctoral thesis was on “The Position of the Free Zones in Economic Development.”

AMNA LOOTAH

– DIRECTOR GENERAL

Amna Lootah is the Director General at Dubai Airport Freezone. She brings an extensive 20 years of experience in a number of key areas that support the growth of DAFZ, including finance, sales and marketing, communications, innovation and future, digital intelligence, customer experience, lease and licensing, property management, security and partnerships.

Ms. Lootah is one of the leading experts within the special economic zones sector across the emirate of Dubai, UAE and the wider region. She is passionate about achieving DAFZ’s goals of driving innovation, through her commitment to building trust and long-term relationships with DAFZ’s customers and strategic partners.

She has also led the development of Dubai Commercity, a free zone dedicated to the growing e-commerce market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It is an investment of AED 3.2 billion spread over an area of approximately 2.1 million square feet. Dubai CommerCity provides a unique e-commerce ecosystem to global and regional brands to help them set up and operate their e-commerce business in the MENASA region. She holds the position of a Director on the JV Board.

Amna is also a board member for “Tradeling”, the world’s first B2B smart commerce base in the UAE for the MENA region. With a dedicated team of technology and business enthusiasts committed to making B2B trading simpler, faster, and more secure. With the mission to become the leading platform for all business buying. This objective is supported with financial backing from the Dubai government through DAFZ.

With her dynamic personality, Amna has also spearheaded the niche Islamic Economy Strategy for DAFZ that led to the formation of the “ Halal Trade and Marketing Centre (HTMC)”, a global business development centre that is positioned to benefit industry players and activate halal trade flows through the region.

Amna Lootah holds a Higher Diploma in Banking and Finance, and a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Higher Colleges of Technology – Dubai Women’s College. She is also a graduate from H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Program for Leadership Development.

Maryam Al Bastaki

Senior Vice President of Leasing, Licensing and Government Services

Maryam Al Bastaki is the Senior Vice President of Leasing, Livensing and Government Services at Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ). She joined the team in 2001 as an Officer in the Government Services Department. In order to develop her career path, she was appointed as a Manager in Leasing & Licensing Department and succeeded in managing it. Therefore as a result she was promoted as Director of Leasing, Licensing and Customer Relations in 2018.

With more than 20 years of experience in the fields of licensing, leasing and managing internal and external relations, Maryam has a proven track record of positively driving the administrative functions of the free zone and ensuring that tenant needs are consistently met.

Maryam has played a vital role since the establishment of DAFZ, and has contributed to setting up and successfully managing the Leasing and Licensing Department of the free zone.

Aside from being a core player in DAFZ’s growth and expansion projects, Maryam provides critical intelligence on operational improvements to support the needs of the tenants. She also drives the operational strategies in close coordination with the executive teams and external stakeholders. As part of her role, Maryam has reviewed and implemented enhanced system-related procedures and policies in order to improve efficiencies and determine the best practice for lease agreement, rules and regulations, terms and conditions and L&L policies.

Under her leadership, DAFZ became the first freezone to implement International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC 4) activities and the first to collaborate with the Department of Economic Development (DED) to issue the dual license.

Maryam’s core skills and competencies have been highly influential in establishing a solid operational landscape within the free zone and have allowed her to continue to drive internal and external synergies. She has successfully received recognition and awards for her work, including DAFZ’s CDG award.

Maryam holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies from United Arab Emirates University (UAEU).

Ahmed Al Mulla

Senior Vice President of Sales & Business Accounts Management 

Ahmed Al Mulla is the Senior Vice President of Sales & Business Accounts Management at Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ). He joined the team in 2011 as an Assistant Manager of Sales, before being appointed as the Assistant Director of Sales.

He is responsible for managing end-to-end- sales planning including budgeting, forecasting and outlook. He also analyses the performance and achievements of the department and reports to senior management accordingly.

He has been a key member of DAFZ’s sales team by closing multiple sale deals and presenting contractual lease agreements for signing to prospect clients. He has also contributed to the development of sales prospect leads by carrying out sales presentations, presenting negotiation of terms and conditions and spearheading all regional internal expansion.

Al Mulla has actively participated in customer interface by dedicating a large quantity of his time to prospect and customer facing activities and practiced effective relationship management techniques to ensure the achievement of a competitive advantage. In addition to driving external synergies, Al Mulla has also created value for the free zone by increasing sales revenue by over 30 million annually and increasing registered companies by 66 percent.

Throughout his career, Al Mulla has gained financial and commercial experiences through his work with free zones, governmental entities and UAE-based companies including Etisalat and Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA).  As a sales expert, he possess skills in in negotiation, executing deals, efficiency and analysis.

Arif Al Khoori

Senior Vice President of Customer Care

Arif Al Khoori serves as a Senior Vice President of Customer Care at Dubai Airport Free Zone (DAFZ). He brings an extensive 22 years of experience in customer care and relations, as well as leasing and licensing experience.

In his current role, Al Khoori is responsible for effectively developing and managing all aspects of customer support and services to ensure top-class customer outcomes and experiences. He is skilled at leveraging superior project planning, negotiation and team management abilities to interact with individuals and groups at all organization levels.

Most recently, Al Khoori served as a Senior Director of Customer Care at DAFZ, leading the free zone’s customer experience. Al Khoori’s experience is gained from different domains within the freezone, such as, Leasing, licensing, government relations, stakeholders’ relationships and customer loyalty.

Al Khoori holds a Higher Diploma in Accounting from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, along with certificates from various government and private institutions on numerous subjects.

Abdulaziz Alhammadi

Senior Vice President of Marketing & Business Growth 

Abdulaziz Alhammadi is the Senior Vice President – Director General Office at Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ) with 12+ years of experience and 8+ years of experience in the free zone industry. Abdulaziz formerly led successful Marketing & Brand strategies, Media and public relations, and Business growth driven by Innovation Management in fields such as Foreign Direct Investments, Economic Zones, E-commerce, Creative, Islamic and Digital economies, bilateral partnerships, and NGOs, to name a few, which were achieved during his previous role as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Growth.

Alhammadi is an award-winning public relation expert; in 2022, he received the Global PRWeek Award for Best PR Professional in the Middle East and led the success of receiving multiple PR awards to the freezone, such as the Middle East PR Award 2018 for best b2b campaign.

Alhammadi played a key role in strategic projects such as the development of Two Elite Govt. Brands: Dubai Commerce, The 1st E-Commerce Zone In MENASA, and Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority – DIEZ, the home of DAFZ, DSO, and DCC, successfully pitched and led 2 approved initiatives by Dubai 10x – Dubai Blink (now Tradeling) and DEXIM Projects, as well as contributing to the commercial stream of Dubai CommerCity, Tradeling, and Food Tech Valley during their development phase.

Abdulaziz was responsible for managing the development of the DAFZ Innovation Strategy, Freezone Retail Strategy & Islamic Economy Strategy.
Alhammadi is also responsible for cultivating, maintaining, and enhancing effective relationships with customers, media partners, opinion leaders, private and public institutions, and local and international government bodies.

In terms of affiliations and memberships with prestigious organizations, Abdulaziz is the Associate Secretary-General of the Arab Federation of Digital Economy, part of the Arab League’s Economic Unity Council, a member of the Arab Federation of Ecommerce Development and Dubai Diplomacy Network, is a Board Member of Scality, a tech startup acceleration program. And Halal Trade and Marketing Centre’s Advisory Board and AmCham Dubai’s previous board member for two years.

Abdulaziz started his career as a TV Director in Dubai Media Inc and Watani Al Emarat as a Marketing & Corporate Communications Director. Alhammadi is a Law graduate with a minor in NGOs & commercial law and is a certified innovation leader.

Asma Ghaith

Senior Director of Shared Services

Asma Ghaith is the Senior Director of Shared Services at Dubai Airport Freezone. She joined Dubai Airport Freezone (DAFZ) in 2013 as a Senior Officer, Management Accounting, playing a key role in various accounting and finance projects.

With over nine years of experience in the fields of finance, accounting, system implementations and innovation, Ghaith has a track record of operating with a high level of commitment in leading teams and aligning efforts to achieve the organisation’s financial vision and strategic goals, whilst maintaining compliance with international standards and best practices.

In her current role, Ghaith is responsible for managing Shared Services within DAFZ with key emphasis on quality of services, performance management and continuous improvement. The shared services cover the areas of Human Resources, Information Technology, Facility Management, Security and Planning & design. Ghaith is driving the Shared Services with the operational philosophy to maximize the benefits of the business unit by ensuring streamlined and efficient central services delivery.

Ghaith is also managing the financial performance of the business unit which includes Management Accounting and Reporting as well as Accounts Receivables.

Ghaith in her previous role, generated business plans, Operational Performance Indicators (OPIs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) for the Management Accounting, and ensured timely and accurate reporting of monthly financial results and statements to internal and external users. She also presented financial performance results to the Financial Committee along with recommendations to improve financial positions, leds the annual budgeting cycle for the organisation, and continuously introduced new improvements to ensure maximum efficiency and business growth.

Ghaith is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), USA, and consistently takes on courses centred around innovation, leadership and accounting.

Ghaith holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Administration degree, with a focus on accounting, from the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai.

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