Sharjah: Humaid Bin Ali Al Owais, a prominent UAE businessman, passed away yesterday morning of a heart attack. He was born in Sharjah in 1956.
Al Owais finished his high school studies in Sharjah and then started working in the family business along with his elder brother the late Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais, a businessman and an intellectual. The Al Owais family were pearl merchants for a long time and their business flourished.
He was raised among people known for their love of science, literature and culture. Al Owais regarded his elder brother as his father, and it was from him that he learnt how to build a life and be successful.
Humaid Bin Ali Al Owais was one of the most successful businessmen in the UAE. He chaired the boards of several major companies, including Jeema Mineral Water Company, United Food Company and Unikai.
He was deputy chairman of the board of directors of National Bank of Dubai.
Al Owais also delved deep into the world of culture and pursued academics. He came from a family of intellectuals - poet Salim Bin Ali Al Owais, historian Omran Al Owais and litterateur Ahmad Bin Ali Al Owais.
The Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation mourned the sudden demise of Humaid Bin Ali Al Owais.
One of Al Owais's close friends Dr Mohammad Khalifa Al Mualla described him as a large-hearted and noble human being who did a lot for others.
"I knew him since we were both children. We went to the same primary school. Humaid was a man of culture, devoting his life to the cultural movement in the UAE. He will be missed."
