Our new Vice President of the UAE is a man of many talents…

H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan has just been appointed Vice President of the UAE.

The announcement was made by UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on March 29, 2023 as one of a string of new leadership appointments.

Sheikh Mansour’s new role will run alongside his existing role as Deputy Prime Minister of the Presidential Court. He will serve jointly as UAE Vice President beside H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also Ruler of Dubai.

Here are 9 interesting facts you might not know about Sheikh Mansour, the UAE’s new Vice President.

1. Sheikh Mansour was born in Abu Dhabi on November 21, 1970. He is a son of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

2. Several of his brothers have held key leadership roles in the UAE. His elder brother, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, succeeded their father Sheikh Zayed as UAE President in 2004. Upon Sheikh Khalifa’s death in May 2022, another of his older brothers, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, was appointed UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

3. Sheikh Mansour is a big football fan. He is perhaps best known in the football world as the owner of Manchester City FC, a club he acquired in 2008. After this, Manchester City FC rapidly became one of the most successful football clubs in the Premier League.

4. He studied in both America and the UAE, attending Santa Barbara Community College as an English Student in 1989, before finishing his bachelor’s in international affairs in 1993 at the United Arab Emirates University. His studies abroad led him to establish scholarship programs for UAE students to study abroad.

5. In 2013, he became an Honorary Knight Commander of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

6. A man of many talents, Sheikh Mansour is a gifted horse rider, and as a result, has won several endurance racing tournaments in the Middle East. His love for horses has made him chairman of the Emirates horse racing authority. As he continued to champion Arabian horse racing, he launched H.H Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Racing Festival, in 2009. This spectacular horse racing festival aims to preserve the traditions and heritage of equestrian activities, support local Arabian horse owners and to gain international recognition for Arabian horse racing, breeding, and ownership around the world.

 

7. Sheikh Mansour has a philanthropic flare, and among his previous titles he was the chairman of Abu Dhabi Education Council, the Emirates Foundation, and Abu Dhabi fund for Development. He has also served as a member of the board of trustees for the Zayed charitable and humanitarian foundation.

8. A champion for sports, he is a patron for the annual Zayed international half marathon and in 2022, he became the chairman of the Emirates Muay Thai Federation.

9. A natural businessman, Sheikh Mansour has chaired several of Abu Dhabi’s financial entities including the First Gulf Bank. His business ventures are also international, having stakes in multiple international companies including, Virgin Galactic, the spaceflight company owned by Richard Branson.

Images: instagram.com/hhmansoor/