Abu Dhabi’s Go-To Man Builds $229 Billion Fund for Post-Oil Era

For an Emirati who’s not a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling royal family, Khaldoon Al Mubarak is remarkably influential. Photos of him with Barack Obama and Donald Trump decorate his desk. Around the time of our interview with him in October, he’d hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and caught up with former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and retired U.S. Army General David Petraeus.

From a tragic childhood—his father was assassinated when he was 8 years old—Al Mubarak, who turns 44 in January, has risen to become one of the ruling Al Nahyan family’s most trusted advisers. He’s also chief executive officer of Mubadala Investment Co., a $229 billion state-owned holding company. His broad remit—it even includes the chairmanship of Manchester City Football Club—is particularly important now as Abu Dhabi seeks to reduce its dependence on oil and Mubadala works to diversify its investments.