In this inspirational series, we explore the lives of some of Bahrain's most successful people, and find out how they got to where they are today. The people featured here include both Bahrainis and expatriates living and working in Bahrain. The list is alphabetical, by last name.
Farouk Almoayed: As a child, he had a fascination for cars. But while other children pictured themselves behind the wheel, Almoayyed's head was planted under the hood, so to speak.
Karlheinz Aumann: Meet the Bahrain Sheraton general manager whose luncheon for taxi drivers has become an annual tradition since he introduced it in 1983. More
Mohammed Buzizi: It took a brazen and audacious act to get Buzizi started in his hotel career. But once he had his foot in the door, he was always on track to reach the top.
Mohammed Dadabhai: At the tender age of 14, when most children are starting to grow out of toys, Dadabhai was just discovering them. Not to play with though, but rather as a toy seller.
Ebrahim Al Dossary: An accident early in life which broke one of his legs made him physically weak, but as Al Dossary explains, it gave him more mental strength to face life's bigger trials.
Haji Hassan: Ataba, ataba... step by step. That's how Hassan described his progress from a 7-year-old pulling a donkey for miles, to his position as one of Bahrain's leading businessmen.
Ahmed Janahi: It comes as a surprise when the man behind some of Bahrain's finest architectural landmarks proclaims there is no such thing as the perfect building design.
Faisal Jawad: He was a bright student and when he applied for a course in medicine, he was accepted. But the day, he got his acceptance letter, he decided to go into business instead.
Fahmi bin Ali Al Jowder: What does it take for someone to make it to the exalted position of a government minister, in charge of the important Works & Housing portfolio, at the age of 36?
Khalid M Kanoo: A schoolboy athlete, a pioneer in Abu Dhabi when there was nothing there but sand, and now a top businessman, Kanoo is one of the most refreshing personalities you could meet.
Saleh Al Kowary: Kowary often pictured himself in the CEO's chair at HSBC. Nothing wrong with that, except he was employed there as a typist and was just 14 at the time.But whoever said dreams don't come true?
Iqbal Mamdani: From a small-town boy to an international banker of stature, Mamdani's story is one of calculated risks and an unending desire to go further.
Mohammed Al Mannai: At seven, he braved storms and the threat of pirates as he 'crewed' on vessels buying pearls in the Gulf. By 15, he was already starting to fulfil his passion of designing jewellery.
Akram Miknas: Seven friends, 7,000 dollars and one man's dream and planning - that's how Fortune Promoseven was born in 1968.Today, FP7 is the Arab world's largest advertising agency.
Osman Morad: His childhood dream was to become a pilot, but less than perfect eyesight meant he had to look elsewhere to ascend to heights of success.
Abdul Rahman Morshed: He was one of ten children, born into a poor family. Yet Morshed rose to become general manager of the National Hotels Company.
Khamis Al Muqla: If you love what you do for a living, you will never work a day in your life. If that adage is true, advertising man Khamis Al Muqla has had the pleasure of never having to work at all.
Mustafa Al Sayed: He started off with so many hard knocks in life - including a fire that left his family homeless - that he felt like Oliver Twist from the Dickens novel. Look just where he is now.
Abdulnabi Al Sho'ala: As a child from a poor family, he would even collect unmarked stamps from used envelopes and sell them for extra money. Today, he is Bahrain's State Minister.
Engin Turker: He was born with a love for the arts. He grew up with the desire to be an architect. What he did become was Turkey's Ambassador to Bahrain, a career, he says, that was just a 'widening of his canvas.' More
Jamil Wafa: This Palestininian refugee's formative years were marked by poverty and adversity, but that didn't stop him from becoming the architect of one of Bahrain's big success stories.
Johnny Young: The odds were heavily stacked against a black kid born into abject poverty in an America where equal rights were still a dream. Yet Young is now a US Ambassador.
Khalid Al Zayani: He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but when offered a top position by his father in the family's auto business, he declined. "I'll start at the bottom," he told his father, and was true to his word.
One person has commented on this article.
1. Mr.
Thulfaqar, Unregistered
It was really great to read about all the success stories and people who made a great difference in their life and career and get a real moral boost.
I have a small question, those days everything was reasonable enough and was not as difficult as know, I mean the expense, with a basic salary and a very little scope to develop in life, and with no family support or strong background will those successful men be success in our new era the 20th Century that we are living, I am 27 now all that I could do to my self and career is raise my average salary and have a flat for BD200/- per month, but will I be able to buy my own home, that will remain a big Q mark with the un-realistic increase in the real estate market and Land.
If I was at their time even without a family support I could have done and achieved, but in this era I doubt if any persona with a basic job do so unless he, leave or goes to a country that can pay him 3 to 4 time the basic salary that he gets it here in Bahrain. And that is a dream again . . .
To all my fellow brother, be strong in this harsh life and do not live in dreams..live your actual life and adjust with it, of try to get your self a better job that can secure your future and your family for the long run . . .
I wish all the best
Cheer . . .
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Bahrain was the first country in the Gulf where oil was discovered. The first well was dug in 1932; by contrast the first major oil strike in Saudi Arabia now the worlds largest crude producer came only in 1938.
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