Meet the UAE’s Royal Troubleshooter — and Maybe Next Big Boss
The de facto ruler’s brother, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, has emerged from obscurity to handle sensitive diplomatic tasks and oversee an exploding business empire
The princely city of Abu Dhabi
Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images EuropeIf you’re interested in the geopolitics of the Middle East, chances are you know Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the national security advisor of the United Arab Emirates. In this role, he’s been pivotal to the country’s military operations in Yemen and Libya, and in its recent efforts to mend fences with regional rivals like Turkey, Qatar and Iran.
If you’re interested in the business of the Middle East, you may have heard of Sheikh Tahnoon as the chairman of International Holding Co. In this role, he heads the UAE’s second most-valuable listed company, with interests ranging from healthcare and real estate to IT and utilities — and a market capitalization north of $72 billion.