Mattar al-Tayer

Company: Chairman and executive director, RTA

Biography: As chairman of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), Mattar al-Tayer has one of the most challenging jobs in Dubai. Congestion costs the emirate $1.2bn a year and Al-Tayer is using his $3bn annual budget to try end the gridlock. Al-Tayer is developing roads, highways, intersections, metro lines and trams, while also adding alternatives to road transport such as ferries and water taxis. Al-Tayer began his career at Dubai Municipality in 1983 as a trainee engineer. He was promoted to assistant head of roads in 1984, then head of roads in 1986 and then director of the department in 1988, a post he held until 1994, before being made the assistant director general for roads and general projects affairs. In 2005, he was appointed deputy director general of the municipality before heading up the RTA when it was formed later that year. He has a degree in engineering from the University of Milwaukee in Wisconsin.

Contact Tel: (+9714) 206 5155

Maitha bin Adai

Company: CEO, Traffic & Roads Agency

Biography: As CEO of the Traffic & Roads Agency, Maitha bin Adai is responsible for upgrading the emirate’s road network. This includes a number of major projects such as the Ras al-Khor creek crossing corridor, the parallel roads, new interchanges and the widening of major highways such as Sheikh Zayed, Emirates and Al-Khail roads. She was also instrumental in the introduction of the Salik toll system that was started in July 2007 and will be extended in September to include new toll gates on Sheikh Zayed road and Maktoum bridge. Like Al-Tayer, Bin Adai comes from Dubai Municipality, where from 2002 to 2005 she was the head of the traffic engineering and technology section of the roads department. She has a master’s degree in transport engineering and operations from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and an undergraduate degree in civil engineering from Kuwait University.

Contact Tel: (+9714) 206 5406

Abdul Majid al-Khaja

Company: CEO, Rail Agency

Biography: Abdul Majid al-Khaja joined the RTA when it was formed in 2005 and heads the Rail Agency. He is responsible for the emirate’s metro system that includes the red and green lines that are under construction, the blue and purple lines that are in the planning stages and other future lines. The red and green lines are projects inherited from Dubai Municipality and the red line is scheduled to begin operating in September 2009, followed by the green line in 2010. Al-Khaja has held several positions at the municipality. He began his career as a trainee engineer in 1989. He became the head of street lighting and electromechanical design unit in 1991, the head of car parking control in 1998, the head of the services co-ordination centre that liaised with infrastructure providers such as Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) in 2002, and became the acting director of the roads department in 2005 before joining the RTA.

Contact Tel: (+9714) 206 5009

Mohammed Obaid al-Mulla

Company: CEO, Marine Agency

Biography: Mohammed Obaid al-Mulla became the head of the Marine Agency in 2007, in a move that saw him swap jobs with Essa Abdul-Rahman al-Dosari, who joined the Public Transport Agency. Marine transport has been identified as a key growth area and it plans to provide a network totalling 1,500 kilometres by 2020, linking developments in Dubai and providing connections with neighbouring emirates. Much of this growth will come from offshore developments such as the three Palm islands, the World, and Dubai Waterfront, together with the network of inland waterways being built across Dubai. More than 27 million trips were made between Bur Dubai and Deira last year, using the traditional abbra service that is popular with commuters and tourists. Al-Mulla was previously the director general of Dubai Transport Corporation and held various positions at Dubai Municipality.

Contact Tel: (+9714) 206 5628

Essa Abdul-Rahman al-Dosari

Company: CEO, Public Transport Agency

Biography: Essa Abdul-Rahman al-Dosari moved to the RTA’s Public Transport Agency from the Marine Agency in late 2007. At the Public Transport Agency his prime responsibility involves managing and improving the emirate’s network of public buses. Together with the metro and marine transport networks, buses are expected to provide a much-needed alternative to car travel for commuters. To help improve the frequency of its services, the agency recently purchased 626 buses. The network has also been upgraded with new routes and air-conditioned bus stops. It also provides bus services that link Dubai with other emirates such as Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Al-Dosari has previously held a number of positions at the RTA including head of the marine agency and head of public licensing. Before joining the RTA, he was the head of the public transport department at Dubai Municipality.

Contact Tel: (+9714) 208 5929

Ahmed Bahrouzyan

Company: CEO, Licensing Agency

Biography: Ahmed Bahrouzyan heads up the newest department at the RTA, the Licensing Agency. It was established in March this year and will play a key role in improving the safety of the emirate’s roads. The agency is responsible for licensing the emirate’s driving institutes and centres as well as qualifying and training instructors, and inspectors of drivers and vehicles. It is also responsible for the testing and licensing of drivers and vehicles along with conditions and guidelines governing training. It will also assume responsibility for regulating number plates, together with developing and updating databases of drivers and vehicles. Bahrouzyan was the director of development for the RTA’s IT systems before moving to head up the licensing agency. Before joining the RTA, Bahrouzyan was head of the government electronic services department at Dubai Municipality.

Contact Tel: (+9714) 206 5335