About Us

Ismail Abdulwahid Al Zarooni, a UAE national born and raised in the emirate of Sharjah, is the head of the Al Zarooni family and serves as Chairman of ZEI. For over six decades he has built the family fortune across several industry sectors, through hard work and strong determination. Mr. Ismail was trained as a petroleum engineer and started his career at GETY as an oil production controller. During the 1960s he held the position of regional standby manager for British Petroleum. He was involved with the Sharjah Oil and Gas Council since its inception in 1972, starting in a managerial role and eventually rising to become Director General.  With over 53 year’s experience in the oil and gas industry, Mr. Ismail is a well-connected and highly respected member of the Sharjah community. In addition, he serves as the chairman of many family owned businesses across multiple industry sectors. Mr. Ismail has grown his business ventures organically and today is firmly established managing numerous properties in the residential, commercial and hospitality sectors.

Abdulwahid Al Zarooni is the head of Al Zarooni Emirates Investments real estate development department, which oversees all of the family’s construction and development projects. He has previously overseen various construction sites and developments in both Dubai and Sharjah. Abdulwahid is also the Chief Executive Officer of the family’s travel agency business, Arabian Travel Agency.

Dr. Adil Al Zarooni has experience in executive management, investments, sales, and IT security. He is the Chief Executive Officer of ZEI, and prior has assumed the role of Senior Vice President for Sales at Economic Zones World (EZW) and JAFZA. Dr. Adil holds directorship positions in firms in the sectors of healthcare, financial services, logistics, media, real estate and more.

Ahmed Al Zarooni heads the real estate operations department at ZEI, managing almost all aspects of the lease portfolio of the company. Ahmed has previously worked for Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development, as well as for Invest Bank. Currently, Ahmed is also the Managing Director of ZEI’s sister company, Granada Real Estate.

Dr Adil Alzarooni possesses over 20 years of experience in executive management, investments, sales, logistics, IT security, and economic zone development. He has served in various leadership positions within UAE government entities as well as family-owned businesses. Currently, he operates two family offices: Al Zarooni Emirates Investments and Albidayer Holding, while also holding directorship positions in various firms in healthcare, education, financial services, logistics, media, technology, F&B, FMCG, and real estate sectors. He has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Etisalat College of Engineering, an MBA degree from the American University of Sharjah, and a Ph.D. in Family Businesses and Business Systems from the British University in Dubai.

Hisham has been the Chief Investment Officer of ZEI since July 2013, managing the full investment portfolio in a variety of sectors, including healthcare, consumer goods, services, financial services, education, food and beverage, logistics and SMEs. Hisham has extensive experience in the GCC region, having worked for Istithmar World Capital in DIFC, Dubai as well as at QInvest in Doha, Qatar, between the years of 2002 and 2013. Hisham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon.

Abdulwahid Alzarooni has a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Southeastern University of Washington, USA. He oversees all of the family’s construction and development projects. He has previously overseen the construction of a mixed use tower in Buhaira, Sharjah, as well as working on the development of town houses and villas in Jumeirah Village Circle, Dubai. Abdulwahid also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the family’s travel agency business, Arabian Travel Agency.

Ahmed Alzarooni is managing all aspects of ZEI’s lease portfolio. He graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree of International Business from Skyline University, and holds a Diploma of Applied Business. Ahmed has previously worked for Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development, as well as for Invest Bank. Ahmed manage and develop ZEI’s property portfolio from all angles, and he also identifies potential areas within the commercial and residential real estate market where the firm can strategically invest. Currently, Ahmed is also the Managing Director of ZEI’s sister company, Granada Real Estate.

ZEI welcomed Caren as their office manager in the second quarter of 2019. Caren is a qualified administrative professional and has a degree in Business Administration majoring in Human Resources Development Management. At ZEI, she is overseeing the overall office management aspects of the company while also acting as the CEO’s executive assistant. She handles all human resources, administrative and marketing aspects of ZEI as well as providing support in several aspects of investment processes. Before joining ZEI, Caren worked for multinational and publicly listed companies in the UK Market and gained considerable experience in senior-level executive support, business administration, human resources, investor relations and investments. She takes pride in representing her employer and acting as a spokesperson for their team. Caren’s philosophy centers around what role she can play in helping others find solutions and is committed to excellence in service.  Her passion is to contribute, support and make a difference.

Naveed joined the ZEI team in September of 2017. He has over 10 years of experience across financial management and assurance. Naveed is a part of ZEI’s investment and finance team, focusing on financial analysis, model creation, feasibility, business valuations and in-depth due diligence. Naveed began his career with Grant Thornton Pakistan in 2007 and moved to Crowe Horwath UAE in 2012. Prior to ZEI, he was the Finance Manager of Excess Investment and before that of Bahmani Group, where he led in financial reporting, analysis, planning, and control, as well as participated in the valuation, due diligence and feasibilities of various projects. Naveed is a fellow member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Pakistan. He is also certified from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants UK and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.

Behzad joined the ZEI team as Investments Associate in November 2016. He is responsible for investments analysis, research and financial analysis, as well as analyzing and modelling new opportunities for the company. Behzad keeps track of the performance of the company’s current portfolio as well. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration at Imperial College of Business Studies in Lahore, Pakistan. Following the completion of his bachelor’s degree, Behzad relocated to Dubai and completed his master’s degree in Applied Finance and Banking at the University of Wollongong in Dubai. He is also an alumni of Oxford University where he attended the Oxford Private Equity Program in June 2019.