Tabreed on Monday appointed Khalid Al Marzouqi as its new chief executive. Jumana El Heloueh / Reuters
Tabreed on Monday appointed Khalid Al Marzouqi as its new chief executive. Jumana El Heloueh / Reuters
Tabreed on Monday appointed Khalid Al Marzouqi as its new chief executive. Jumana El Heloueh / Reuters
Tabreed on Monday appointed Khalid Al Marzouqi as its new chief executive. Jumana El Heloueh / Reuters

Tabreed names Khalid Al Marzouqi as its new chief executive


Fareed Rahman
  • English
  • Arabic

The National Central Cooling Company, also known as Tabreed, appointed Khalid Al Marzouqi as its new chief executive.

Mr Al Marzouqi joins Tabreed from Dolphin Energy where he worked as chief operating officer of its downstream division, according to a statement from the company on Monday. He has more than 25 years of experience in the energy industry and holds qualifications in chemical engineering and petroleum engineering.

“Khalid Al Marzouqi joins Tabreed at the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the company and brings with him a wealth of experience in the energy sector, where he has worked at the most senior levels,” Khaled Al Qubaisi, chairman of Tabreed, said.

Tabreed, in which French utility Engie and Mubadala Investment Company own significant stakes, currently operates 86 district cooling plants, delivering more than 1.4 million refrigeration tonnes of cooling to districts in the UAE and across the GCC.

Earlier this month, Tabreed, reported a 4 per cent increase in net profit for the first quarter of 2021 to Dh85.5 million ($23.2m), as sales were boosted by recent additions to its portfolio.

“Khalid’s considerable expertise will help drive us towards achieving ever more impressive results," Mr Al Qubaisi said.

Prior to joining Dolphin Energy – a joint venture between Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company and US-based Occidental Petroleum – Mr Al Marzouqi occupied senior roles at Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority and the emirate's Department of Transport.

Mr Al Marzouqi is replacing Bader Al Lamki, who had been chief executive of the company for two years.

"The board sincerely thanks Bader Al Lamki for his steadfast belief in this company and his unwavering commitment meant that his time here was impactful for all the right reasons. Tabreed is bigger and more profitable than ever, delivering a 24 per cent increase in consolidated connected capacity, ensuring a 20 per cent increase in revenues," Mr Al Qubaisi said.

He also highlighted Mr Al Lamki's "pivotal" role in the company's Dh2.48 billion acquisition of an 80 per cent stake in the Downtown Dubai district cooling network from Emaar Properties in April last year. Tabreed also bought two district cooling plants on Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi for Dh963m from Aldar Properties in December.

The company is now targeting growth in countries with high-density populations such as Egypt, India and Saudi Arabia.

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1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

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Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

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There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

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Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

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Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”