Legendary UAE businessman Easa Saleh Al Gurg is no more

Dubai: A banker who turned into one of the most influential of UAE’s first-generation businessmen – that’s the legacy Easa Saleh Al Gurg leaves behind with a body of work that stretches over six decades. And some of that work was carried out in the public realm as the UAE’s Ambassador to the UK and Ireland from 1991 to 2009.

Easa Al Gurg was thrust into public service much earlier than that. Apart from carrying on the helmsman’s role at the business group he launched, he was a member of the Deliberative Committee of the Trucial States Development Office. In 1971, the year of the UAE’s creation, he took on a position as Executive Director of the Trucial States Development Board.

He has been honoured by the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with the Order of Zayed II in 1997, the country’s highest civilian honor. In 1990, he was awarded CBE (Commander in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire).

There were those who remember him for the constant encouragement he had to offer. “Mr. Al Gurg was a mentor to all, Emiratis and all those who made the UAE their home,” said Raju Shroff of Regal Group and whose father, Vasu Shroff, had a close association with Easa Saleh Al Gurg.

According to Suliman Al Zaben, Director - Hyundai UAE, "The UAE's first banker, a generous philanthropist, an able diplomat, and a prominent UAE businessman, Easa Saleh Al Gurg will be remembered for the significant contributions he has made to the growth and development of the UAE."

Forging alliances

The Group that he founded built alliances – and relationships that lasted, whether it was with Unilever or Siemens and the many other global multinational houses that became part of his extended ‘family’. The alliance with Unilever ran deep, in many ways setting the template how local partners should operate with an enterprise that straddled global markets.

The corporate relationships endured, and not just because of the years of growth the Group delivered its global partners. And through all these, the personal touch Easa Saleh Al Gurg brought to bear on business associations mattered. The Group is built around 27 companies, more than 350 brands and employs close to 3,000.

"At board meetings, you felt you had a ringside view of history – and all delivered with humility," said Ajai Kumar Dayal, who had worked closely with the Group. "I recall occasions when companies reported repeated losses and the recommendation would be to close shop."

“When the Group moved in new directions, he was always there supporting us. As he walked into a room, the attention would quickly shift to him. He enthralled everyone with his charm, wit and humour.”