Exploring the Legacy of Hussain Sajwani in Real Estate

Hussain Sajwani, the man who took a journey from basically nothing to becoming a real estate giant, is the extraordinary story of vision, resilience, and strategic brilliance. Founded by him, DAMAC Properties is now the largest and most luxurious property development company in the Middle East. More than its massive contribution to Dubai’s skyline, DAMAC has made an impression on the global scale of real estate. Sajwani is known for his elaborate marketing campaigns and cooperation with international brands, including the likes of Versace, Roberto Cavalli, and even the Trump Organization. He has transformed Dubai into a great luxury property hotspot and boasts an empire now valued at $5 billion. But his journey reflects not only his individual success but the tremendous pace of development in Dubai as a global city for investment and real estate innovation.

He comes from a family that had a small souk shop selling imported goods from China. His mother was a textile trader with a variety of goods. Such early exposure gave Sajwani an acute sense of the nature of trade, commerce, and business dynamics. Sajwani is able to earn a government scholarship to attend a medical college in Baghdad and within a short period, he moved to the United States, where he pursued industrial engineering at the University of Washington. This was Sajwani’s first experience in business as well as his education. It helped him build a solid foundation to begin with his entrepreneurship journey. In 1981, he joined Abu Dhabi Gas Industries in the finance department, but, actually, it was in 1983 that he launched his first big venture, that of a catering business catering to clients including the U.S. military, besides major corporations such as Bechtel. The venture is today named Global Logistics Services and is still operational to this day.

In the year 2002, Hussain Sajwani decided to take a shift in his life—a shift that would enormously affect his future and also alter the condition of Dubai’s real estate sector. Following the law had changed and facilitated foreigners with the right to own property, especially in freehold areas, in Dubai, Sajwani founded the DAMAC Properties, aimed at luxury residential, commercial, and leisure properties. It proved to be a milestone, considering that Dubai was booming in real estate at that time, the city undergoing a fast-paced transformation into the world’s business hub. The move saw DAMAC quickly building its name into one associated with luxuriously designed projects to attract high-net-worth and international investors. At the current moment, the company has delivered more than 27,000 homes while 35,000 units are currently under development.

He saw an opportunity to stand out with grand marketing for DAMAC. The company allowed the owners of a place to buy the property and take away a Lamborghini. Developing properties in collaboration with Versace, Fendi, and Roberto Cavalli, DAMAC projected itself as a top luxury developer. Among its projects is a golf course by Tiger Woods and managed by the Trump Organization.

Hussain Sajwani’s vision goes beyond Dubai. He acquired the Italian fashion brand Roberto Cavalli in 2019. The move sounds like an extension of his diversification efforts in investments. He invested £600 million in the UK by commissioning DAMAC Tower, which will carry the Versace brand, in London’s Nine Elms district. This is a demonstration of Sajwani’s international ambitions as he works to develop developments that are upscale enough to appeal to the refined tastes of the world in general. Personal Life Hussain Sajwani is a family and business man. Being married with four children is a modest description of how personal Sajwani’s life is to his professional life, since his son Ali Sajwani is the Managing Director of Operations for DAMAC Group. Several lists have featured Ali as a new star rising in the Middle East, and one can easily see that the future of the future generation of Sajwani leaders is bright. His daughter, Amira Sajwani, has a vital role at DAMAC that reflects a commitment to shaping the future of the company.

Sajwani is also notable for his close ties with former U.S. President Donald Trump, working in association with the Trump Organization over a couple of luxury projects spread all over the world, including the Trump International Golf Club in Dubai. However, it would appear that Sajwani has kept his business acumen on the sharp end, having widened the global reach of DAMAC with its award-winning luxury developments.