Engineer's vision will shape the future

Mohamad Dib Chehab, a senior development manager and technical adviser within the real estate and hospitality division of Mubadala Development Company, died earlier this month from a heart attack. He was 52. Born in Beirut, Mr Chehab graduated from the college of engineering at the University of Florida in 1980 and went on to study for a master's degree in civil engineering in the same state. Before joining Mubadala, he worked for the Bin Laden Group and Turner International in Saudi Arabia, and lived for long periods in the holy cities of Medina and Mecca. He continued to make pilgrimages to Mecca after moving to Abu Dhabi and maintained close contact with friends in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Chehab was a dedicated employee of Mubadala, the development and investment arm of the Abu Dhabi Government, for three years, joining the company several years after it was founded in 2002. He oversaw a number of important developments expected to shape the landscape of the capital. Mubadala is one of the chief players involved in the current transformation of Abu Dhabi from an oil-based economy to a multi-sector global force hosting a range of diverse industries.

Among the significant projects in which Mubadala is involved are the Zayed University campus, Sowwah Island, the core of Abu Dhabi's new central business district and the Masdar initiative, an international co-operative established to identify solutions for the key issues influencing urban design in the 21st century, such as energy security, climate change and sustainable growth. One of the founding members of the division where he worked, Mr Chehab was committed to his profession and known among his colleagues for his love of chocolate and Arabic coffee, as well as his sense of humour.

Mr Chehab was born Oct 27, 1956. He died on Nov 8, 2008. He is survived by his wife and four children; two are students in the United States and two are studying in the UAE. * The National