Abdulla Al Shaibani, chairman of Galadari Brothers, announced today the appointment of media and marketing veteran Hussain Ali Lootah as the chairman of Khaleej Times.
 
Commenting on the new appointment, Mohammed Al Shaibani, director general of The Ruler’s Court and CEO of the Investment Corporation of Dubai, said: “Hussain Ali Lootah brings an abundance of media and marketing experience to Khaleej Times, as it embarks on a new strategic direction. Hussain represents a core group of UAE nationals, who have excelled in their professional careers, and are ever willing to take up new challenges to help drive the development of significant initiatives in the country.”

Abdulla Al Shaibani, chairman of Galadari Brothers, said: “Under Hussain Lootah’s chairmanship, I am confident that the UAE’s first English language newspaper will soar to greater heights in the regional media scene.”

Lootah is also the chief executive officer of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), which owns several local media brands including Dubai TV.

Lootah, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the United States, started his career as Head of Business Services at the Department of Economic Development, Dubai in 1992 before moving on to the DSF office in 1997.

‘Tailgating Kills’, one of a series of advertisements designed by Inca Tanvir Advertising, UAE as part of a Traffic Safety Awareness Campaign for the Dubai based Khaleej Times has been awarded the prestigious ‘Award of Dinstinction’ at the Communicator Awards 2008 by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, New York.

The ad was chosen from over 9000 entries from around the world.

The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honouring creative excellence for communications professionals.

Founded over a decade ago, the Communicator Awards is an annual competition honouring the best in advertising, corporate communications, public relations and identity work for print, video, interactive and audio.

‘We are very proud of the fact that advertising created by a local Middle East ad agency has won in an international contest. This proves that our standard of work is now on par with the world’s best,’ said Tanvir Kanji, Manager Director at Inca Tanvir Advertising.

Khaleej Times, the UAE's first English language newspaper, has launched a unique traveling exhibition that showcases three decades of journalism excellence, during a period that also saw Dubai's transformation from a small trading port to an international destination.

The exhibition titled 'Marking Moments in Time' is part of celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of Khaleej Times. The exhibition was inaugurated at the Observatory in BurJuman by Mr. Majid Saif Al Ghurair, President of BurJuman in the presence of Mr. Saad Abdul Razak, Managing Director of Investment Corporation of Dubai and Mr. Adel Abdul Aziz Al Shirawi, Chairman, Khaleej Times.

The exhibition will be held at BurJuman till May 9 before it makes its way to other popular shopping malls in the UAE. From May 11 to May 18, it will be held at the Boulevard, Emirates Towers and from May 20 to May 26 at Sharjah City Centre. The exhibition will again return to Dubai on June 1 when it will be held at Deira City Centre, for one week. From June 9 to June 15, it will be held at Mall of the Emirates before concluding its journey at Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi from June 18 to June 24.

On display are over 60 rare photographs captured by Khaleej Times lens men and wire agencies that cover the newspaper's journey over the past three decades, as well as pay tribute to the rapid development of Dubai, and its emergence as an international centre of excellence.

Mr. Adel Abdul Aziz Al Shirawi, Chairman, Khaleej Times, said: 'By virtue of it being launched just about the time when Dubai was busy laying the foundation for its phenomenal growth, Khaleej Times was fortunate to capture many of those defining moments that shaped the history of this emirate. Today, as it celebrates a historic 30th anniversary, Khaleej Times can proudly look back on the numerous milestones that were reached during three decades of news excellence.'