Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem was DP World's chairman from 2007 and its group chairman and CEO from February 2016 until DP World announced on 13 February 2026 that he had resigned with immediate effect. Born in 1955 in Dubai, he has a BSc in economics from Temple University. He worked as a customs officer at Dubai's port in the late 1970s, became chairman of the Jebel Ali Free Zone in 1985, led Nakheel Properties until 2010 and headed DP World's private equity arm Istithmar World. Under him DP World bought P&O, which Wikipedia puts at $6.9 billion, making it the world's third-biggest port operator. DP World's announcement gave no reason for his departure. The Loadstar reported on 16 February 2026 that during the preceding week his name had appeared repeatedly in the latest tranche of Epstein files released by the US Department of Justice, and that the Canadian pension fund La Caisse said it would halt all future joint investments with DP World. No net worth figure is stated in the sources reviewed.

• Late 1970s · Customs officer · Dubai port
• 1985 · Chairman · Jebel Ali Free Zone
• 2007 · Chairman · DP World
• 2010 · Led until 2010 · Nakheel Properties
• 2016 · Group Chairman and CEO (February) · DP World
• 2026 · Resigned with immediate effect (13 February) · DP World

• BSc in economics, Temple University, Philadelphia

• Led DP World through its P&O acquisition and growth to 93.4 million TEU of throughput in 2025
• Honorary doctorate, Middlesex University Dubai (2008)