A man with a vision
HE Sultan Alkaabi is on a quest to take Al Forsan International Sports Resort to even greater heights within the community it serves and beyond the UAE borders
Khalifa City provides the perfect location for families residing in the capital and at the very heart of it is a sports resort that has been embedded within the community for almost 12 years.
Al Forsan International Sports Resort, a world leading and successful sports, fitness, leisure and entertainment destination, is where people can enjoy world class facilities, a wide range of programmes and impeccable service.
Clearly, such success did not happen overnight. It takes a forward-thinking strategy and clear vision to ensure that the Resort is able to deliver world-class recreational facilities that include, among others, the highest and fastest wakeboarding cable parks with two lakes in the region.
As one can imagine, it takes a talented team to ensure that the Resort delivers such an outstanding community offering and at the helm is HE Sultan Alkaabi, Group Chief Executive Officer at Al Forsan Holding, Al Forsan International Sports Resort. HE Sultan Alkaabi, who is also an Apache pilot and prior to his present role was seconded to Tawazun Economic Council as a Defence strategic programme senior advisor, has taken the Resort to even greater heights through strengthening and implementing a more indepth strategy and vision.
HE Sultan Alkaabi and his team have been able to initiate a variety of initiatives to meet such the Resort’s objectives. “I am now moving swiftly to apply everything that I have planted within this organisation,” he says, explaining how last year under his leadership, the Resort developed a new community service team. “I wanted to see how I could get employees more engaged, to create ownership among the team.”
Consequently, Al Forsan has registered with the Emirates Volunteer platform, which sits under the Ministry of Community Development, in order to further support the community within Khalifa City.
HE Sultan Alkaabi reveals how the organisation has signed numerous MOUs with private and public entities in order to serve the community better. “Last year, we signed one with The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation. We are supporting homebased businesses run by women and mothers and we provide concessions within the Resort where the entrepreneurs can sell their products.”
Al Forsan has also taken the organisation’s offering beyond the Resort’s perimeters. This year Al Forsan participated in Sheikh Zayed Festival. “It was the most challenging project in Al Forsan’s history,” reveals HE Sultan Alkaabi. “It was the first time that we had opened a site outside of Al Forsan, which we ran for four months.”
It was a bold move, especially when one thinks of the logistics behind such an operation. However, HE Sultan Alkaabi’s acumen in military operations overseas were instrumental in ensuring this project was deployed successfully. “This is just one of many projects that we are aiming to deliver beyond Al Forsan premises,” he adds, explaining how he envisages participating Al Forsan’s activities and expertise cross borders to events other countries across the region.
As for the future of Al Forsan, HE Sultan Alkaabi has an exacting vision. “To be the most elite entity worldwide. I have travelled far and wide; I have not seen any facility that has such diversified activities.”
For more information, please visit alforsan.com
Participating in Sheikh Zayed Festival was the most challenging project in Al Forsan’s history