Name:		Rashid Al Leem
Company: Address:		Hamriyah FreeZone Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	Tel.: +971 6 526 33 33 Fax: +971 6 526 35 55 E-mail: info@hamriyahfreezone.ae Website: www.hamriyahfreezone.ae

Short Profile of the Person:
Rashid Al Leem is widely considered a visionary and thought leader in business, socio-economic, academic and cultural endeavours. Respected by peers as a strategic thinker, Al Leem dons many hats and hones various passions. As the Director General of Sharjah Ports and Customs and the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority, he is the driving force in transforming them into a strategic commerce hub and empowering thousands of businesses in the region, contributing to the development of the UAE economy. 

His indelible leadership has helped propagate business excellence to other fronts as well. As the board member of World Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Sharjah Charity International, Sharjah Medical Zone, American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates, German Emarati Joint Council for Industry and Commerce and World Trade Development Council in Hong Kong, besides being an honorary lecturer in numerous local and international universities, including the American University of Sharjah, he believes true excellence can only be achieved through sustainability by aligning commercial, social and environmental objectives.

Rashid Al Leem has authored many acclaimed books and articles in journals and magazines in both Arabic and English, including his recent book 'My Leadership Secrets'. Much sought after in the speaker’s circuit, he frequently addresses a diverse range of audience in the development of human capital and socially responsible business empowerment initiatives. Testament to this is the Alleem Knowledge Center an organization he founded to promote leadership potential.

He is acknowledged by the industry as a ‘Change Leader’, thanks to his leadership experience gained over two decades in the international business arena.
With an MBA from Atlantic University in the US and multiple honorary doctorates from Somalia University for Humanitarian Services and American Global International University in the US for his global business contributions and numerous academic accreditations, Al Leem is an embodiment of a lifelong learner and harnessing intellectual capital.

Testament to his efforts are the various accolades he has received, including Achievement Award by League of Arab States, Golden Medal from the Mayor of Cannes for environmental efforts, Excellence in Leadership award from ASSOCHAM in India and Celebrity of the Year by Khaleej Times. He’s been also recently endorsed as a Maritime Personality for 2010 by MarineBiz TV.

Short Profile of the Company:
True to its vision of creating affordable yet world class free zone, Hamriyah Free Zone Authority has formulated explicit policies and designed special programs to strengthen the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) sector – officially called the Hamriyah SME Zone, an array of business incentives that includes 100% ownership, full repatriation of capital and profits, no taxes or commercial levies, 25 years long lease agreement and highly develop infrastructure to encourage SMEs to develop further.

Hamriyah SME Zone offers seven strategic clusters comprising of the Oil & Gas Zone; Timber Land; Maritime City; Petrochemical Zone; Construction World; Perfume Land; and Steel City complimented by E-Office packages. This innovative approach has already attracted hundreds of SMEs from the across the globe. Over 60,000 people representing 125 nations have chosen HFZA as a launching pad for their businesses serving as a testament to HFZA’s success.