SHYAM BHATIA

Alam Steel Group

Bhatia arrived in Dubai by ship in 1965, bringing with him a passion for cricket that has lasted to this day. He founded Alam Steel Group in 1979 initially as a small building materials firm to serve the growing UAE construction industry before it was rebranded in 2002 after deciding to specialise in the steel industry. His company operates one of the largest reinforcement bar processing centres in the region, with an annual capacity for 360,000 tonnes, and has a joint venture with Macsteel Group to serve the hydrocarbon industry. On the sporting front, Bhatia started to bring international cricket teams to Sharjah in 1981 and fulfilled a lifelong dream in 2010 by opening the UAE’s first cricket museum. His passion for the sport is reflected in the activities of the Shyam Bhatia Cricket for Care charitable foundation, which aims to bring cricket to less fortunate children.