Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Easa Saleh Al Gurg was born in Dubai in 1927 into a family (whose name is Arabic for “wolf”) with a long history in pearl trading. His ancestors came from Lingah in modern-day Iran.^[3] Like many Arab families at the time, they moved to the Arabian side of the Gulf, in their case to Dubai where they settled in the Bastakiya area. Shortly after Easa’s birth, the pearl industry began to crash, destroying the livelihoods of many in the Gulf who were dependent on the trade,^[4] such as Easa’s father.^[5]

As a child, Easa went to Al Falah school in Dubai but quit due to dissatisfaction with the study material.^[6] Despite not completing his formal education, Easa was eager to learn, and continued his Islamic education. When he was 12 years old, he was invited by an Indian doctor to study English with the doctor’s sons. His father was wary of Western influence, but with some convincing agreed to let Easa learn English,^[7] which would later open many doors for him.

At the onset of World War II, teenaged Easa witnessed the arrival of British soldiers on the Dubai creek. As he later put it: “My ancestral merchant background came to the fore.” He and his friend Ahmed bin Matter Albdoor joined up to “make money out of the foreigners.” They started purchasing clothing items at local souks and reselling them to RAF soldiers, thanks to the boys’ ability to speak English. They gradually expanded their offerings with items purchased in Iran. As their business grew, the authorities discovered that they had been trading without licenses or customs payments and shut them down.^[8]

Easa Al Gurg got married to a Kuwaiti woman who moved to Dubai.^[9] In the early 1940s, he worked at the Dubai Post Office, followed by the British-owned Bahrain Post Office, the empire’s central post office in the Gulf, allowing Easa to meet key regional figures and establish a strong network.^[10] In 1946, he joined the Imperial Bank in Dubai (later the British Bank for the Middle East) as soon as it opened its first branch, becoming the first Emirati banker.^[11] In 1958, Sheikh Rashid Al Maktoum became ruler of Dubai,^[12] and Easa became his primary translator, marking his transition into a political and diplomatic career.^[13]Easa had four children: Fareed, Raja, Muna, and Maryam

GROWTH PHASE

In 1960, Easa established a business under his name. He purchased land for Mateena Building and started a real estate business. The same year, he entered into a partnership with the German brand Grunding, which he began distributing in Dubai.^[14] In early 1965, he signed a major distribution agreement with African and Eastern (Near East) Limited.^[15]

In 1971, Easa was appointed executive director of the Trucial States Development Board.^[16] As Dubai enjoyed unprecedented growth,^[17] Easa’s business diversified into wholesale trade, engineering products and services, and automobile spare parts. By the middle of the decade, Easa had set up Scientechnic, which installed the first traffic light in Dubai. He also ventured into the construction and manufacturing fields, establishing the Mac Al Gurg and Al Gurg Fosroc” companies, respectively.^[18]

In the 1980s, now running a full-fledged group, Easa secured partnerships with international brands such as Siemens, BAT, and Benetton, and established Al Gurg Stationery and Al Gurg Paints in Dubai to handle retail distribution. In 1989, Easa’s daughter Raja joined the group’s board of directors.^[19] In the 1990s, furniture joined the group’s portfolio, as it expanded outside the UAE for the first time, to Oman.^[20]

On the political front, in 1991, Easa became ambassador to the UK and the Republic of Ireland after he was awarded the Commander in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1990. He remained serving until 2009.^[21] Throughout this period, he was based half the year in Dubai, managing his business, and the other half in London.^[22] In 1997, he was awarded the Order of Zayed II by H.H. Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, president of the UAE, one of many such honors he has received.^[23]

The Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group continued to grow throughout the 2000s, establishing new brands, such as Better Life; expanding to more countries, such as Qatar; and branching into new fields, notably healthcare. In 2022, Easa Al Gurg passed away.^[24]

TODAY

Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group is now led by the founder’s daughter Raja Al Gurg, who serves as chairman and managing director. Her sister Muna Al Gurg is vice chair and director of retail. Their youngest sister, Maryam, is a director and board member. From the third generation, Abdulla Al Gurg also sits on the board, while Easa Al Gurg is the group’s CEO. The group is one of the UAE’s leading businesses with 27 subsidiaries, partnerships with over 370 international brands, and more than 3,000 employees.^[25]