Tributes pour in for Abdulla Mohamed Al Masaood, former chairman of the NCC

The leading Abu Dhabi businessman died on Sunday

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - February 22, 2015: HE Abdullah bin Mohamed Al Masaood Chairman of the National Consultative Council (NCC). 
( Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court - Abu Dhabi )
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The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi has paid tribute to the former Chairman of the National Consultative Council, who died on Sunday.

Abdulla Mohamed Al Masaood was praised for his unwavering loyalty to the UAE as well as his honourable, chivalrous nature.

In addition to his work with the NCC - a senior advisory body to the government - Al Masaood served as Chairman of the Al Masaood Group.

The prominent Abu Dhabi company holds interests in retail, real estate and automotive sectors across the Middle East.

It was also the first company to be registered by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce when it opened in 1969.

“His honourable contribution will remain immortal in the memory of the nation,” said Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

“[He] was one of the nation’s loyal men and a symbol of chivalry”.

Al Masaood retired as Chairman of the Al Masaood Group in 2017. The company, founded 150 years ago, first made its name in the pearl trade.

It later diversified its business interests, and was responsible for bringing both the first gas turbine to Abu Dhabi and the UAE’s first desalination plant.

It also became a major player in the automotive industry as the main distributor of Nissan, Renault and Bridgestone in Abu Dhabi.

In 1990, during Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the UAE Government asked car dealerships operating in the Emirates to provide 4,000 vehicles to assist its military.

Although it remains unclear exactly how the cars were used, it was Al Masaood who readily agreed to donate the cars free of charge.

“When we asked him about the price, he said: ‘Today, let me fulfill my duty and this tribute is my right to pay back my nation … with no return,’” recalled Sheikh Mohamed at a World Government Summit in 2015.

Writing on Twitter, the UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Anwar Gargash, also paid tribute to Al Masaood.

“Today [Sunday], Abdullah Mohammed Al Masaood Al Muhairbi, Chairman of the National Advisory Council, passed away, may God have mercy on his soul,” he wrote.

“We will miss his ethics, his smile and his good greetings. His memory and his good deeds will prevail.”