Chairman of Ruwaad, Hanif Merchant and Group CEO Hayan Merchant announce 'Amazulu World' project in South Africa, at Cityscape 2008

Ruwaad, has announced during Cityscape 2008, plans to develop ‘Amazulu World’, a multi-billion dollar themed entertainment and mixed-use destination development on the north coast of Durban in South Africa.


The project will be a master-planned, uniquely African destination development covering approximately 16,500 hectares of land, and will be the biggest and most comprehensive development of its kind anywhere in the African continent.

Aerial view of the Amazulu World Project

As a vibrant, harmonious and integrated leisure, living and working environment which is designed to be eco-friendly, minimise the impact on the area’s natural surroundings and embrace the area’s rich cultural and historical heritage, Amazulu World will incorporate many distinctive features to appeal to national, regional, and international visitors.




“Amazulu World, with a size of almost 16 500 hectares is the single largest development to be initiated in African history. We are very proud to be leading this hugely exciting development and to be bringing to investors, residents and tourists in Africa a world-class destination experience, in collaboration with our international partners,” commented Hanif Merchant, Chairman of Ruwaad.


Hayan Merchant, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ruwaad stated; “Amazulu World will have a perfect blend of development zones. Among the key elements are Africa’s first world-class internationally branded entertainment theme park, as well as Africa’s largest shopping destination, Africa’s most comprehensive and advanced sports village development, Africa’s largest lifestyle community and Africa’s first dedicated education and health village; alongside a number of hotels, resorts and spas, a marina, a variety of residential offerings, community facilities, and nature reserves.”


Hayan Merchant explained how South Africa was the natural choice for the destination, especially in terms of the ongoing infrastructural development and predicted economic growth in the country, and described how the development will bring a significant economic uplift to the region. “South Africa does not only offer an excellent year-round climate and some of the world’s most outstanding natural beauty, but recent developments in the country have been pushing it to become one of the strongest emerging markets in the world. The 2010 Soccer World Cup, heavy investment in infrastructure including upgrading railways and expanding ports, and the recent surge of significant foreign investments in telecommunications and tourism projects, will support this development in becoming the Destination Choice of Africa, and into one of the leading destinations in the world,” said Merchant.


The proposed development is directly north of the Thukela River and is located east and west of the N2 national road, a regional path of growth that connects the city of Durban with Richards Bay and the rest of the northern KwaZulu-Natal province. Furthermore, the project will be situated close to the USD $1 billion new King Shaka International Airport.


A development on the scale planned by Ruwaad is expected to have a significant, positive impact on the South African economy. Initial studies indicate that Amazulu World will create more than 200,000 new jobs, and will increase tourism to the region by almost 40% through attracting millions of tourists. Through which, Ruwaad are hoping to provide a large number of opportunities and a sustainable future for the community living close to the project and in the KwaZulu-Natal province in general.


His Majesty King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu, the King of KwaZulu-Natal commented; “Ruwaad has demonstrated to our community its firm commitment to developing a destination that fits inline with our area’s unique natural, cultural and historical character. With confidence, the local community is hugely excited to welcome Ruwaad to our province, and we look forward to the future employment, and economic growth that will contribute to the sustainability of our area; for the inhabitants of today and those for generations to come.”


The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, The Honourable Sibusiso Ndebelecommented that he is confident the Amazulu World destination will pave the way forward for even more foreign investment to come into South Africa and that the destination would “make South Africa a sustainable destination of choice and an economic hub that will boost trade, tourism and development for the entire African continent.”


Ruwaad are moving swiftly to complete the social and community participation procedures for the project, in order to obtain the approvals required from the South African government, necessary to begin the project’s construction. The project is scheduled to be built in multiple phases over a period of 25 years.

Ruwaad appoints Chief Development Officer

Nicholas Bashkiroff has proven master-planning experience on some of region’s pioneering developments

Ruwaad Holdings announced today that it has recruited a Chief Development Officer।

Nicholas Bashkiroff joins Ruwaad with more than 25 years of comprehensive experience in the pre-development stage of business, gleaned from his extensive work with large development organizations in the United States, Asia and the Middle East. As Chief Development Officer, Nicholas will work alongside the CEO of Ruwaad for defining the strategic development plan for future Ruwaad destinations.

Ruwaad Holdings’ group CEO Hayan Merchant, speaking on the appointment said; “We are entering a very exciting period in terms of the development of our first destination, and needed a competent professional with proven experience, to efficiently lead the team responsible for making our unique projects successful.”

“Nicholas is a dynamic and tenured professional who has pioneered the success of many master-developed projects, so we look forward to benefitting from his inimitable skills, as we embark upon this important next phase,” he added.

With his astute sense and sagacity for creating winning developments, Nicholas was Development Director for the Pearl Qatar in Doha; responsible for the design, development, construction, operation and sales associated with the man-made 400 hectare island in the Arabian Gulf. Dubai Festival City is another example of Nicholas’ eminent talent; working as Development Director for all pre-development activities associated with the USD$ 3.5 billion mixed-use project – the largest privately funded real estate project in the Middle East. Throughout his esteemed career and from his solid reputation as an authority on destination development, Nicholas has been invited as a keynote speaker to a number of conferences and events, including the Urban Land Institute conference in New York.

Bashkiroff is a graduate from the Environmental School of Design at the University of California, Berkeley, USA and a graduate from the School of Architecture at the Rensselaer Polytech Institute in New York. He also undertook further study at the School of Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Massachusetts.

Hayan Merchant, CEO of Ruwaad represents Middle East and Africa Region at prestigious Forbes Global CEO Conference in September 2007

Hayan Merchant, CEO of real estate, hospitality and tourism investment and development company - Ruwaad, also known for this visionary thinking in the realm of real estate has been invited as a speaker at next week’s Forbes Global CEO Conference to provide insight and thoughts on investments and real estate developments in the Middle East and Africa region. Hayan Merchant, who is also Managing Director of the Dubai 9 Group, will speak alongside leading CEO’s and Presidents who will be representing a range of diverse industries including banking and finance, real estate, energy and technology.

The esteemed annual conference - this year entitled ‘Drivers of Success’ - which invites high level CEO’s and key business leaders from around the globe will this year be held in Singapore, and will act as a forum for senior business decision makers to meet and discuss new challenges going forward in the global economy.

As head of Ruwaad – a company whose mission is to create iconic destinations around the world – Hayan Merchant recently signed on a prominent $2.5 billion dollar deal with US giant - Paramount, in a long-term partnership that will create the region’s first Paramount Pictures-branded multi-purpose destination. The planned development will incorporate boutique hotels and resorts, large themed retail areas, attractions and adjoining lifestyle properties based around the vast Paramount Pictures’ intellectual property library.

The selection and invitation to the conference for representing the Middle East and Africa region is a testament to the young entrepreneur’s astute business acumen and achievements in the UAE’s investment and development sector.

Merchant will be addressing a niche audience of the top decision makers in the world, and his focus will be “Global real estate: the new location for investment”. Merchant will draw on his business knowledge and experience to demonstrate the UAE and the Gulf region as a strategic location for real estate, hospitality and tourism investment and development.

Major global real estate players will join Merchant in the conference including Kwek Leng Beng – Executive Chairman of the USD 20 Billion Empire of the Hong Leong Group; Lawrence Ho, Chairman and CEO of Melco International Development, Hong Kong; and Kushal Pal Singh – Chairman of DLF India – the largest real estate company in India.

“It is an honor to be invited to this influential conference, not just as an ambassador for Ruwaad, but as an ambassador for the Middle East and Africa region as a whole. The opportunity to interact with so many important and accomplished global business leaders and to communicate the strong fundamentals of our regional economies, will help in further creating awareness of the strong investment and business opportunities available in the region,” Hayan Merchant said

As the only delegate invited from the Middle East property sector, Merchant will be discussing what’s behind the trend of investors looking to put their money into bricks and mortar, and which prime geographical locations are worth investors taking a look at - in discussions which are likely to point to the huge potential for development and investment in the Middle East and Africa region.

Merchant, who has an accolade as one of the youngest, most prominent CEO’s in the Gulf region has pioneered and structured a number of strategic partnerships in various industries, in his capacity as Managing Director of the Dubai 9 Group. The Group is a stakeholder and one of three founding members of Enshaa Holdings, a premier property development holding company which is developing, among other destinations, the Palazzo Versace Resort Development in Dubai and the Palazzo Versace Resort on Australia’s Gold Coast through Emirates International Holdings, and Emirates Sunland.

Other key speakers at the event include the Honorable Prime Minister of Malaysia; Michael Spence - the 2001 Nobel laureate in economics; John Mullen - Global CEO of DHL and Sheldon G. Adelson - Chairman of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.

Ruwaad and Paramount Licensing announce plans for an Iconic Themed Destination in the UAE.

Real estate, hospitality and tourism investment and development company Ruwaad Holdings and Paramount Licensing Inc. today announced a long-term licensing agreement in connection with Ruwaad’s planned development of a Paramount Pictures-branded theme park in the United Arab Emirates. The planned development would be part of a $2.5 billion destination envisioned to incorporate boutique hotels and resorts, large themed retail areas and adjoining lifestyle properties.

Under the licensing arrangement, International Destination Brands Limited, an affiliate of Ruwaad Holdings will be responsible for funding development for the large-scale destination. Paramount Licensing will not invest funds, but instead provide access to the vast Paramount Pictures’ intellectual property library – one of the largest of any Hollywood studio – and its intellectual capital through the oversight of planning and design aspects. Paramount Pictures’ legendary catalogue includes Academy Award® -winning films such as Titanic, Braveheart and Forrest Gump, as well as classic and current hits including The Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Top Gun, Mission: Impossible, Charlotte’s Web, Nacho Libre, and Dreamgirls (a co-production with DreamWorks Pictures).

The Paramount Pictures-branded theme park would be the entertainment hub of the family destination, featuring rides, shows, and attractions based on its rich Hollywood heritage and library of motion picture titles. The theme park would benefit from Paramount Pictures’ stable of new titles, which would provide the basis for the development of new rides and attractions. It would also be the first-in-the-world to have a unique blend of Hollywood, Bollywood and Arabian motion picture entertainment content to address the family entertainment needs of existing and future global tourism trends.

Ruwaad and Paramount Licensing are also exploring other developments in select countries within the Middle East and elsewhere.

“We are very excited to collaborate with Ruwaad on a themed world-class destination in the UAE,” said Michael Bartok, Executive Vice President and head of Paramount Licensing. “The UAE is a spectacular center of growing commerce, tourism and entertainment and we look forward to working together to bring a taste of Paramount and Hollywood to this dynamic market.”

“We are extremely pleased to be working with one of the world’s largest entertainment companies on an extensive program that will transform the destination development landscape across a vast region of millions of consumers", said Hayan Merchant, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ruwaad Holdings,. "The long-term scope and scale of this alliance confirms Ruwaad’s and its affiliates’ place as one of the leading developers in the global tourism and destination development industry.”

Merchant added, “This destination will have a significant positive economic impact on the community in which it is located. It will contribute to the country’s economic growth by strengthening its tourism and hospitality base, creating jobs for, and providing knowledge transfer to the UAE Nationals in the destination development sector. Moreover, such projects provide a tremendous platform to achieve solid investment returns. Historically, destinations of this nature create far more sustainable returns to retail, hospitality, commercial and residential investments than those properties would receive outside of such a development."

Additionally, Ruwaad announced that Darrell Metzger, CEO of Ruwaad Destinations, will manage the development aspects of the project. A renowned international expert in the destination development industry, Metzger has held leadership positions at the Walt Disney Co., the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and, most recently, the Sentosa Islands in Singapore. Metzger is also the Vice-Chairman of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA).

Founded in 1918, IAAPA promotes best practices in the entertainment and leisure industry across the world and is the industry’s largest international trade association.

"Paramount Pictures has released award-winning films that appeal to audiences of all nationalities and ages,” said Metzger. “This universal popularity, combined with Ruwaad’s in-depth understanding of regional markets will translate into a destination that is appealing to everyone – whether for living, working or playing.

Ruwaad recruits new HR Director in face of rapid company growth

Kalidas Rajan to ensure HR is a strategic partner as company gains regional and international momentum

Ruwaad Holdings announced its recruitment of a new Director of Human Resources and Administration to support the company as it continues to grow in delivering iconic destinations to the region.

Kalidas Rajan, who has over 25 years of industry experience and diversified business acumen in human resources, project management, profit center responsibility and operations, was headhunted to Ruwaad to work directly in partnership with Ruwaad Holdings’ CEO, Hayan Merchant, in order to source and recruit key leaders and professionals that will form the stable base for Ruwaad’s future successes.

“As a business we are entering a pivotal stage of expansion which requires that we ensure our human resources are committed to the business aims and goals of Ruwaad, and our plans for the company’s growth,” Hayan Merchant commented on the appointment.

“Kalidas has a proven track record in developing organisations’ HR, through implementing a number of different initiatives that help to seek out the most suitable candidates for different roles, improving employee rapport and job satisfaction and in turn helping to improve the functioning of entire businesses,” he added.

Kalidas who holds a B.Sc in Mathematics and a postgraduate degree in Management joins Ruwaad with a number of significant career achievements including the restructuring of a chemical manufacturing company - turning it into a cash generating unit, and the successful development and building of infrastructure for a new township within 15 months of start-up. Kalidas also successfully relocated 400 families to a new location; a rare event recognised by the World Bank, which saw Kalidas being invited to present a paper at a World Bank seminar in India.

Ruwaad Holdings last year announced a partnership with Paramount Pictures to develop theme parks across 20 countries including the UAE. The Ruwaad destination that will become a focal point for tourism in the UAE is set to include a Paramount Pictures-branded theme park as part of a planned $2.5 billion destination, envisioned to incorporate boutique hotels and resorts, large themed retail areas and adjoining lifestyle properties.