In the realm where monumental vision meets rigorous engineering, few names command the influence and respect of Ayman Bitar. As Vice President & Senior Executive Director in the Master Development & Infrastructure Industry, he stands among the Most Inspiring Leaders Making a Difference in 2025, not merely by managing assets, but by shaping the very infrastructure that defines modern regional economies.
Mr. Bitar’s career is a masterclass in global development, forged over 23 years of extensive experience spanning the private and public sectors worldwide. His expertise covers the entire lifecycle of a project: from its inception and feasibility study through Master Planning and Design, culminating in full, high-stakes development. He is a recognized authority in development, handling everything from the complex tender documents and contractor proposal evaluations to contract negotiations & awards, and delivery management
His proven capability lies in delivering mega projects with capital expenditures exceeding 20 billion USD. His portfolio reads like a blueprint of national development: major communities, airports, seaports, Rails, Metros, large treatment plants, highways & bridges and the strategic upgradation of existing critical assets within major economic zones and petrochemical parks. A rare synthesis of abilities defines Mr. Bitar’s impact.
Beyond his impressive technical and managerial abilities, he possesses an extensive level of experience in business growth and operation of large, high-volume profit centers (1000+ employees). A visionary, he has a great understanding of what it takes to create a roadmap for success, gain necessary funding, and lead a diverse team of talented individuals to bring those ideas to life and maintain their success long term.
The Trillion-Dollar Trajectory: From AECOM to Majid Al Futtaim
Mr. Bitar’s journey through the international development landscape is nothing short of remarkable. He has strategically navigated some of the largest multinational companies in the world, starting his career with AECOM, a titan with a yearly revenue of over $20 billion. He then moved to Arcadis, a European multinational company boasting over $7 billion in yearly revenue, before landing in his current role as Vice President for Development at Majid Al Futtaim.
He acknowledges the fortune of working with such prestigious corporate entities, which exposed him to a vast range of projects and developers throughout the region. The sheer scale of his involvement is staggering: he estimates having worked on projects collectively worth more than $1 trillion. This exceptional trajectory provided him with the deep technical and strategic expertise necessary to tackle the Gulf region’s most ambitious infrastructure challenges.
Defining the Future: The 16 Pillars of Smart Cities
When asked to name a single project that is redefining the regional landscape, Mr. Bitar points to a monumental initiative they are currently spearheading: the Smart Cities initiative for a major development in the GCC.
He notes the common misconception that a “smart city” merely requires community Wi-Fi. The reality, he explains, is far more complex and foundational.
In collaboration with international consultants, his team meticulously developed 16 distinct initiatives—a comprehensive framework of criteria and solutions—that will transform the community into a genuine, functional smart city. This pioneering work is poised to become the definitive benchmark for all future communities, not only in the UAE but across the entire Gulf region, fundamentally changing how urban spaces are conceived and operated.
Diversity, Women Inclusion and Integrity
Mr. Bitar shares “When we talk about building future-ready organizations, three values consistently stand out: diversity, women inclusion, and integrity. These aren’t just ideals, we experience their impact every day in the way teams perform, innovate, and build trust.”
On Diversity
“In today’s business environment, diversity is not a checkbox—it’s a competitive advantage. The strongest teams are not those that think alike, but those that bring different backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and perspectives into the same room. That mix creates sharper thinking, stronger decision-making, and more resilient problem-solving. Diversity strengthens creativity, improves agility, and allows organizations to stay aligned with real-world markets and changing customer expectations.”
On Women Inclusion
“Women inclusion is not simply about representation—it’s about empowerment. Organizations thrive when women are genuinely heard, supported, and enabled to lead. Gender-diverse leadership creates stronger collaboration, richer
strategy discussions, and more sustainable growth. Inclusion is not a trend or a campaign—it is a leadership responsibility. When we build workplaces where women are confident to contribute and grow, we raise the standard of performance for the entire organization.”
On Integrity
“Integrity is the foundation of every credible leader and every trusted institution. It means doing the right thing when no one is watching—staying aligned with values, being accountable, and honoring commitments.
Integrity builds a culture of fairness, transparency, and respect. In the long run, organizations don’t grow only through strategy—they grow through trust. And trust is built through integrity, consistently practiced.”
“For me, these three principles shape not only how teams work—but how organizations win with purpose,” shares Mr. Bitar.
Non-Negotiable Excellence: Innovation and Platinum Sustainability
Leading master development projects of such immense scale requires seamlessly integrating seemingly opposed principles: innovation and sustainability. For Ayman Bitar, this is a non-negotiable standard. He asserts that they “do not compromise on either innovation or sustainability.”
Innovation is so central to their operations that is embedded directly into the company’s DNA and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
In terms of sustainability, the commitment is equally profound. They certify all their communities using globally and regionally recognized bodies such as LEED, BREEAM, Estidama, or Mostadam. Crucially, they do not aim for mere certification but consistently target the top-tier Platinum level, which sits above gold. This dedication ensures that every structure and every piece of infrastructure they develop adheres to the highest possible standards, confirming that sustainability is not a checklist item, but a core value of their developmental mandate.
The Enduring Boom: Dubai’s Next 20-Year Horizon
Analyzing the current real estate and development market in the UAE, Ayman Bitar is unequivocally optimistic: he believes the market is not only booming but that this expansion will continue for at least the coming 20 to 30 years. His confidence is rooted in international benchmarks. He notes that when compared to mature global cities like London and Paris, the selling price rate of real estate in Abu dhabi & Dubai is still significantly lower, indicating immense room for sustained growth and value appreciation.
The UAE is also attracting talent and investors and the population is increasing by crica 600 every day. This differential, combined with the emirate’s strategic global position, assures him that UAE will continue its upward trajectory of growth and expansion.
The Paradigm Shift: From multi-family to single family Smart Communities
Reflecting on his decade-plus experience in the UAE, Mr. Bitar highlights a major paradigm shift in the country’s development strategy. In the previous decade, the boom was primarily characterized by the proliferation residential buildings.
However, the present trend is defined by a massive expansion in master-planned communities and smart cities. The focus has moved from vertical concentration to horizontal, integrated growth, with the deliberate creation of smart communities and intelligent urban environments. This shift signifies a more mature and holistic approach to urban development, focused on quality of life and technological integration.
The Growth Pillars: Safety, Stability, and Visionary Leadership
When dissecting why the UAE market, especially in infrastructure, is growing so rapidly, Mr. Bitar identifies a confluence of powerful drivers. The foundation lies in three critical factors essential for attracting investment and development: safety & security, stability and transparency. The UAE excels on all these fronts.
On top of this robust foundation, the momentum is driven by the visionary leadership of the UAE. He cites Dubai’s ambitious plan to increase its GDP from approximately half a trillion to ten trillion Aed in the coming ten years. This massive goal will be achieved by the continued booming of real estate, aviation, and tourism, complemented by emerging strategic sectors like manufacturing and agriculture. This planned economic diversification is what underpins the continuous boom in development and smart communities.
The Partnership Challenge: Expediting Approvals
Despite the general sense of enjoyment developers currently feel in the booming UAE market, Mr. Bitar acknowledges that challenges remain. The most significant obstacle for developers is consistently related to the approval process with the authorities.
While developers work in a partnership manner with regulatory bodies and have managed to expedite many projects, Mr. Bitar believes there is still room for improvement in streamlining the process.
He suggests that further efficiencies from the authorities would help expedite project approvals even more, ensuring that the pace of regulation keeps up with the tremendous velocity of development in the emirate.
The Friction Point: Time and Approvals
Mr. Bitar reiterates that the most immediate challenge facing developers in Dubai is the time required for project approvals. In a city defined by its rapid pace, where residents expect to occupy their units within two years of purchase, slow approvals create significant friction.
He stresses the need to push and expedite the approval process to align regulatory timelines with the market’s high-velocity expectations. This constant pressure to move faster ensures the UAE’s real estate sector remains competitive and attractive to buyers.
A Call for Revolution: Robotics in Construction
Looking at the construction ecosystem itself, Mr. Bitar is clear about the most fundamental change he wishes to implement: the widespread integration of robotics in construction to reduce reliance on the human factor. He poses a crucial question to the industry: “Why do we need, for example, three years or four years to develop a community? We need to think out of the box about how can we develop a community in a two-year timeframe.”
He believes that robotics will drastically expedite the construction industry as innovators are already trying to introduce such advanced solutions into the UAE market. This technological leap is the key to matching the UAE’s grand urban vision with efficient, rapid delivery.
Innovation Verified: The ICT and Sustainability Mandate
Mr. Bitar’s team dedication to innovation and sustainability is not merely theoretical; several prestigious awards validate it. They recently recognized with an ICT Leadership Award, directly related to their work on the Smart Cities initiative in Ghaf Woods project. This award confirms that their efforts to embed technology and digital governance are setting a regional benchmark.
His relentless commitment to environmental excellence was also recognized with a Sustainability Award., he also received the Best Public Service Provider (BPSP) award on behalf of his team. Mr. Bitar proudly notes that the project that received the BPSP award is the first net-positive project in the region, producing its own power and water on-site without connecting to the conventional grid. These accolades affirm that his leadership successfully pairs visionary ambition with practical, measurable, and sustainable execution.
The Young Professional’s Code: Learn First, Earn Later
Ayman Bitar offers definitive, experience-backed advice to the younger generation, particularly new graduates in engineering, architecture, and master planning. His counsel is clear: prioritize learning and exposure over immediate compensation.
He strongly advises new graduates to seek out and work for multinational corporations rather than starting with small firms. This strategic choice ensures they are immediately unexposed to major, complex projects—the only environment where they can rapidly acquire the necessary high-level expertise. He reinforces the critical importance of integrity and transparency throughout one’s professional and personal life. Most importantly, he cautions against making career decisions solely based on compensation. “If you have to move to another company and you believe you will be paid less, but you will be learning, you should do so.”
He stresses a mantra of continuous learning: “Always learn every second, every minute, try to learn new things.”
The Core Mantra: The Power of Diversified Exposure
The core mantra guiding Mr. Bitar’s career was forged in an early realization. He started his career at a small company but quickly moved on, despite being “very well paid.”
He realized he couldn’t learn much, demonstrating his conviction that learning must supersede salary. He intentionally moved to a multinational company, accepting less pay, to gain crucial diversified exposure.
This decision proved transformational, allowing him to work on multi-disciplinary projects and build a wide variety of experience across ports, airports, communities, real estate, petrochemicals and industrial sectors. This early commitment to comprehensive, varied experience is precisely how he built his influential career path.
Work-Life Balance: Travel as Energy and Family Time
Addressing the question of managing a busy career and personal life, especially with extensive travel, Mr. Bitar shares a unique perspective: he does not find travel tiring; rather, “when I travel, it gives me energy.” He prioritizes work-life balance by integrating his family into his leisure travel, visiting well over 100 countries to date across Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East.
Despite this global exposure, he unequivocally asserts that the UAE and Dubai are the best places in all aspects to live, work, and entertain.
A profound aversion to complacency fuels his personal drive: he hates being in his comfort zone. He constantly challenges himself, looking for innovative and sustainable solutions, which keeps him motivated through life’s ups and downs. Outside of his professional life, his other major passion and social responsibility is sprots and specifically football.
He is currently partnering with a UAE football club on a project to send young players from different regions to Europe and the UK to play in international leagues and build their professional careers.
The Passionate Developer: A Legacy of Mega Projects
If he were not working in his current profession, Mr. Bitar insists he would still be working in development, which remains his core passion. He thrives on developing communities, cities & Major infrastructure projects, specifically on the mega scale involving billions in capital. He proudly recounts several mega projects in the UAE where he has left his mark:
- ADNOC Master Plan Update: A comprehensive master development for a project spanning approximately 16,000 hectares—the size of the entire Abu Dhabi Island.
- Etihad Rail: The monumental rail network connecting all the UAE emirates for both freight and passenger transportation.
- Tilal Al Ghaf & Ghaf Woods Projects: His ongoing work on major community development.
- Abu Dhabi Airport Project: Extensive involvement in the new airport, including runways, terminals, and aprons.
This extensive, high-impact portfolio across real estate, industrial, and infrastructure sectors—spanning the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Europe, and Africa—underscores his unwavering dedication to building the physical and economic landscape of the modern world.
The Evolution of Purpose: From Engineer to Developer
Mr. Bitar recounts the critical inflection point that crystallized his career focus. He admits that when he initially started his professional path, he was not “purely in development.” He began as an infrastructure engineer, specializing in vital but singular projects, such as highways and utilities.
However, his exposure soon broadened, leading him to grasp the wider picture of urban and economic growth. He actively sought involvement in the larger scope of building mega projects, integrated communities, Petrochemical Facilities (Derivatives & Conversion Parks), Sea Ports, Airports, Dry Ports & Railways. This intentional pursuit of multi-disciplinary experience transformed his identity: he transitioned from being an infrastructure engineer—a specialist—to becoming a developer—a visionary who integrates complex systems to create major cities and enduring assets. This self-directed evolution confirmed that development is his core destiny.
The Continuing Mission: A Part of the National Fabric
When asked to articulate his personal goals for the coming years, Ayman Bitar’s response is a testament to his singular, defining passion. He states simply that he would love to continue what he is doing: development.
For him, this is not merely a job but a purposeful commitment. His personal goal aligns perfectly with his professional capacity: he wishes to remain a significant part of the major national development initiatives that are actively shaping the future of the country and the wider region
