Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Friday appointed Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum as Crown Prince of Dubai and Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum to join Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as Deputy Ruler of Dubai.
Crown Prince to Dubai's third post-federation ruler, Shaikh Hamdan heads the Dubai Executive Council which supervises public sector and development strategies in the emirate.
Born on November 14, 1982, Shaikh Hamdan began schooling in Dubai before moving to Britain, where he graduated from the Sandhurst military academy.
He later attended specialised courses at the London School of Economics and the Dubai School of Government.
In September 2006 he was appointed as chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, entrusted with overseeing Dubai government entities. He has made significant contributions to the council, which was highlighted particularly by the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 that was launched in February 2007.
Shaikh Hamdan also has a keen interest in creating "a barrier-free society" for people with special needs and in September 2006 he launched Takamul, an initiative that seeks to integrate special needs people into mainstream society.
In an effort to make Dubai's roads safer, he approved an unprecedented point-based traffic control system in November 2006, meant to penalise errant motorists by confiscating their driving licences for six months and impounding their car for a month.
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum was appointed Deputy Ruler of Dubai on January 4, 1995 by his brother, the late Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Born in 1945, he became the UAE's first minister of finance and industry in 1971 and has held the position since.
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad, born in 1983, got his high school diploma from the Rashid School for Boys and went on to graduate from the American University of Dubai.
As chairman of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone, he oversaw the expansion of Dubai Media City, Dubai Internet City and Knowledge Village, as well as the birth of other entities such as Dubiotech.
Shaikh Maktoum's role in Dubai's philanthropic activities was highlighted during his campaign for the Dubai Cares initiative.
