Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry passed away. His brother, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, shared the news through the official Twitter account.
Sheikh Hamdan was born on December 25, 1945 and was the second son of the late ruler Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum.
Sheikh Hamdan's formal schooling began in Dubai. He did his early schooling at the Al-Ahlia school in Dubai and completed his further studies at the Bell School of Languages in Cambridge.
Sheikh Hamdan became the UAE’s first minister of Finance and Industry in 1971, a position he occupied until his death. He played an indispensable role in developing the country’s financial policies and government spending.
Sheikh Hamdan presided over Dubai Municipality as chairman, and the Information and Health Departments, Dubai World Trade Centre, Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL) and Dubai Natural Gas Company Limited (DUGAS) among others.
He was the president of the governing board of the Dubai Ports Authority and was also the UAE’s chief representative at the International Monetary Fund, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund and to the Arab states.
On January 4, 1995, Sheikh Hamdan was appointed as the Deputy Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan also funded many scholarships for students from around the world at Al Maktoum Institute.
In 2006, Sheikh Hamdan received three certificates from the Royal British College, making him the first personality to attain such a distinction from the College. He was granted the Honorary fellowship for Internal Medicine from the Royal British College-London, the Honorary fellowship for Internal Medicine from the Royal British College-Edinburgh, and the Honorary fellowship for Internal Medicine and Surgery from the Royal British College-Glasgow.
Apart from his passion for horses, he liked hunting and dhow racing.
