ABOUT US
The word Dhafir represents the name of an Oasis located in the western region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. This Oasis lies in close proximity to Liwa. The roots of Mr. Sultan’s family lie in this serene town, far away from the hustles of the modern world.
Early in his career, he started working for Government departments. However, as he looked around, he realized that there were bigger opportunities, whereby he could contribute to the society. He began sharing his ideas and thoughts with his friends and was encouraged by their positive feedback. The situation was thus: the UAE had begun to experience dramatic growth, spearheaded by its dynamic President, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, whose ambitious vision was backed by significant investment in infrastructure. Naturally, the country’s economy began to take off.
For Mr. Sultan, there were two decisions to make. One was to seize the opportunities that an emerging economy threw in. The other was to play an active part in building a new country and give back to the society.
He began his entrepreneurial life, starting with the electrical businesses.
In the early days, Mr. Sultan started Dhafir General Trading, successfully bidding on tenders for cables and transformers. He also began importing chandeliers from Germany.
With the dawn on the 80’s, Dhafir Engineering began operations to cater to the growing Oil & Gas industry.
While the business began flourishing, Mr. Sultan began thinking about education. It was time to give back to the society. Being someone who would roll up his sleeves and get things done, he did what had to be done – his family home was converted into a school and started operations in Al Ain to aid the community that was getting bigger every day.
The first Al Dhafra Private School was started in Ruwais and then shifted to Abu Dhabi. Later another brand was opened in Al Ain, starting its operations from Mr. Sultan’s villa.
The British Council also opened their facility next to his school. Prince Charles and the British ambassador graced the occasion of the ribbon ceremony.
The group also spread its wings foraying into the travel business. An IATA certified agency, Dhafir Travels was launched to serve the tourism industry and also the travel needs of the burgeoning population.
With his mind set on diversification right from the beginning, Mr. Sultan was able to play his part in helping build the infrastructure of the country.
Dhafir Group was established to bring together diverse and expanding business interests. Under the stewardship of Sultan Abdulla Mohammed Ghannoum Al Hameli, the Group diversified into numerous business lines. Each venture, business or social, was assessed based on its ability to contribute to the growth of the Group and that of the UAE economy – a model that served the end customers, the employees and the Group exceedingly well.
