Gerald Lawless - Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group

Gerald Lawless has helped establish Jumeirah as one of the premier luxury hotel brands in the world. He joined the company in 1997 after a 23-year career with Forte Hotels. Gerald is a Graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland and holds an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management by the Johnson & Wales University in the State of Rhode Island, USA. Gerald is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Travel and Tourism Organisation, member of the Aviation, Travel and Tourism council of the World Economic Forum, and fellow member of the Institute of Hospitality. Gerald is also a Non-Executive Director at the Travelodge Board where he represents Dubai Holding, and serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management.

Guy Crawford - Chief Executive Officer

Guy Crawford, who is British, joined Jumeirah in May 2002 as Corporate Director of Operations. Before taking up his assignment in Dubai, Guy held the position of Managing Director for Macdonald Hotels in the United Kingdom where he managed a portfolio of over a hundred hotels. Guy brings more than thirty years of hospitality experience to Jumeirah having worked for Forte Hotel Group for 23 years. During his career with Forte Hotel Group, Guy held various senior management positions in the United Kingdom, Bahamas, Morocco and Belgium and left the group as a member of the main hotel board.

Mohamed Binbrek - Chief Executive Officer - Hospitality Asset Management

Mohamed Binbrek was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Jumeirah Group’s Hospitality Asset Management Division in December 2009. A UAE National, Mohamed worked in banking for almost two decades, including 14 years with Citibank where he rose to the position of Vice President for Citibank UAE. Prior to his appointment to Jumeirah, he was Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Properties Group.

Alaister Murray - Chief Financial Officer

Alaister, who is from Northern Ireland, joined Jumeirah from Emirates National Oil Company in Dubai in September 2002 in the capacity of Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

He spent the early part of his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the UK and Dubai in various roles in Business Assurance and Corporate Finance. Alaister holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland (FCA).

In his capacity of Chief Financial Officer, Alaister is responsible for the strategic and day-to-day finance aspects of the Jumeirah group. 

Robert Swade - Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel

Robert Swade joined the Jumeirah Group in October 2005 in the capacity of General Counsel. He was promoted to Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel in July 2007.

After qualifying as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales at a City of London law firm, Robert moved to Dubai to work for Clyde & Co where he set up and ran the firm’s Dubai Media City office. After four years at Clyde & Co, Robert moved in-house, initially to a Middle East telecommunications company as Director of Legal Affairs and then, in October 2005 to the Jumeirah Group. Before qualifying as a solicitor, Robert was a researcher at the House of Commons and worked for a Government Minister. 

Robert holds a LLB degree in English and European Law from the University of Essex and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the College of Law in London.

Marwan Al Ali – Senior Vice President Operations - Middle East, Africa & South Asia

Marwan Al Ali, who was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates, joined Jumeirah Group in May 2007 in the capacity of Chief Technology Officer, before being promoted into the position of Senior Vice-President of Operations for the Middle East, Africa & South Asia in 2010.

Marwan joined Jumeirah from parent company Dubai Holding where he held the position of Deputy CIO and Executive Director in charge of business agility and IT portfolio management.

Prior to joining Dubai Holding, Marwan held various management positions in information technology in some of Dubai’s most successful organizations including Emarat Petroleum and DUBAL Aluminum. He brings with him vast experience in all aspects of information technology having worked in a number of different industry sectors throughout his career. Marwan is a graduate of the Etisalat College of Engineering with a Bachelor (Honors) Degree in Engineering and Communications and a National Diploma in Engineering.

Saeed Al Dashti - Chief Information Officer

Saeed Al Dashti, who was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), joined the Jumeirah Group in January 2008 in the capacity of Director of IT Security. Saeed successfully rose through the ranks, taking on the role of Chief Security Officer in July 2008 before being appointed as Chief Information Officer in 2010.

Saeed brings with him over seventeen years of experience in IT and security. Before joining Jumeirah, he was with the Dubai Police Head Quarters for over 14 years where he held the position of Head of the Information and Security. Saeed holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc.) degree in Electronic Engineering from the Ajman University in the UAE and is a graduate of the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom where he obtained his Masters Degree in IT Security with a specialisation in Internet and Network Security.

Jasem Abdulla Batran – Chief Security Officer

Jasem Batran who was born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates joined the Jumeirah Group in 2007 as Director of Security at Jumeirah Emirates Towers.
In 2008 he assumed the role of Director of Security at Burj Al Arab, before moving on to Madinat Jumeirah as a Resort Director of Security. In August 2009, he was promoted to Regional Director of Security before being appointed to his current position, Chief Security Officer, in 2010.

Jasem holds over twenty years of experience in the Security field and has served and trained in a number of international airports and sites. He is also an expert in Corporate Security matters.

Tim Savage - Chief Human Resources Officer

Tim Savage, who is English, joined Jumeirah in February 2008 as Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Jumeirah Group. In April 2008, he assumed the role of Chief Human Resources Officer, and is based in Dubai. Tim is responsible for all Human Resources activities and operations for the Jumeirah Group.

Prior to joining Jumeirah, Tim ran his own organisational development consultancy firm for six years where he focused on effectively developing human capital in organisations through the design and delivery of high value processes, programmes and workshops. He worked with a number of esteemed clients in a wide variety of sectors including the hospitality and tourism industry. Before setting up his own company, Tim worked in senior executive positions in the field of Human Resources for, amongst others, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, where he was the Group Human Resources Director for the company, Marriott Vacation Club International, Scott’s Hotels Limited (franchise for Marriott hotels for the UK), and Forte Hotels International.

Derek Picot, Regional General Manager. London

Derek Picot, who is British, joined Jumeirah in March 2003 in the position of Regional General Manager for Jumeirah Carlton Tower and Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel, in London. Derek brings over 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry to Jumeirah having worked in senior management positions for some of the finest hotels in the world. He joined Jumeirah from Le Meridien in London where he held the position of Regional Manager for Café Royal and Le Meridien Piccadilly. Before his move to London, Derek worked in luxury hotels all over the world including Asia, Canada and Australia.