Who is Sheikh Tahnoon, Gatekeeper of the Arabs?

Sheikh Tahnun bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi is one of the most wanted men in the Middle East. Money managers and financiers flying to the UAE from Hong Kong, London or New York they crave at least a 10-minute meet and greet.

A lucky few could be guests on his superyacht Mariah, where he likes to play chess while the sun shines on the Persian Gulf. A slim and sporty guy, often seen with his protective sunglasses, is a descendant the richest families in the world and oversees government assets and private funds totaling more than $1.5 trillion, writes Bloomberg.

The opportunity to invest even a fraction of that wealth could bring big fees and returns.

However, getting to Sheikh Tahnun is a problem. Anywhere in the world where valuable prizes can be won, the right introduction works wonders. Or what they would say in our country – a nice word opens an iron door.

The concentration of state and financial power in the UAE, unlike for example Silicon Valley, makes everything personal.

Sheikh, who is in his mid-50s, is not only his family’s financier; he is one of the deputy rulers of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the brother of the president of the UAE and the son of the country’s founding father. He is also the national security adviser.

In other words, not the person whose reception you call to ask for a meeting.

After conducting about four dozen interviews, Bloomberg’s Ben Bartenstein on Thursday identified the gatekeepers who are key to dealing with this sheikh who also runs Abu Dhabi’s biggest companies and sovereign wealth funds.

Among Sheikh Tahnun’s key intermediaries is Sophia Abdelatif Laski, described in a Bloomberg story as the de facto CEO of Abu Dhabi-owned Royal Holdings. Other close advisers identified as having the ability to arrange the meetings include former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri; former British diplomat Bill Murray; and Ajay Bhatia, CEO of Sirius International Holdings of Abu Dhabi.

ADK, one of the funds controlled by Sheikh Tahnun, is meanwhile investing a fortune in Kenya to build its industrial holdings in East Africa’s largest economy.

ADK on Wednesday signed a framework agreement with the Kenyan government to invest as much as $500 million in strategic sectors for both countries, including food production, mining, technology and logistics.

Economic growth is the goal, according to Mohammad Hassan Alsuwaidi, ADK’s CEO and CEO: “We are confident that our investment will bring significant opportunities that will unlock tangible value… by leveraging its enormous potential for development,” he said in a statement.

In 2023, non-oil trade between the UAE and Kenya increased by 26% year-on-year to $3.1 billion. That figure is set to increase further as the two countries signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) earlier this year.

Last month, Kenya signed a preliminary agreement with the UAE to develop the country’s first data center powered by geothermal energy. The 1 gigawatt facility will be built by Kenya’s EcoCloud and UAE’s G42.