Under the auspices of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group, today opened the Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) held by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in collaboration with the PMI (GCC Branch) in partnership with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Emaar.
The opening ceremony, which was held at Madinat Jumeirah, was attended by a cohort of dignitaries including heads of government entities and private businesses and a wide array of international PM experts.
In a speech opening the Forum, Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA , said: “This event is held in the context of the keenness of the Emirate of Dubai to play a pivotal role in leading the development drive in the region and accelerating the drive on the basis of sound scientific standards and top class practices. This can be best achieved though attracting experts and top specialists of international repute to international gatherings acting as platforms for knowledge transfer. This will also empower Dubai to act as a communication link for the transfer of expertise and sharing of concepts between various leaders of the industry, in its capacity as an Arab city with a global profile.
“The event aims at showcasing Dubai as a leading city in the field of PM that adopts the highest standards in constructing a series of mega projects, rendering it a point of attraction for the entire world such as Burj Khalifa, Dubai Metro, as well as giant airport and port projects characterized by high operational efficiency.” “The U.A.E. in general and the Emirate of Dubai in particular is experiencing rapid developments in all fields; which was further accelerated by winning the bid to host the World Expo 2020; an event that requires funding in the tune of 30 billion dirham to develop the infrastructure of the whole city, exhibition yard, and the surrounding areas. The RTA will design and construct transport projects needed to host Expo including the extension of the Metro Red Line, and upgrading surrounding roads and junctions leading to the site of the Expo. This underlines the importance of this conference in offering a unique opportunity for bringing together top PM officials to share views and expertise and debate future challenges, besides spreading the benefits from the leading models in this field.” “In accordance with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city in the world within three years, Dubai will witness intense competition between global firms specialized in undertaking and managing technological projects to deliver their best technologies and programs capable of bringing comfort and welfare to the people. In this regard the RTA has chartered a comprehensive plan to transform the public transport system to smart and integrated transit means accessible to users. The smart mobility is considered a backbone of smart cities and the RTA will deliver more than 200 services via smart phones by the end of 2015.” Al Tayer thanked the management of the PMI for their cooperation and support accorded to RTA efforts in hosting this important event, and also praised the contribution of DEWA, Emaar in holding this event.
Brian Moorhead, Senior Engineer of NASA, spoke about his professional experience with NASA and the challenges involving taking potentially risk decisions without fail, including dispatching missions to the space within less than a year. Success, he says, require a talented team committed to business routines, confidence amongst team members, and compliance with the budget and timeline.
Donal Tramp Jr. Deputy Chairman of Tramp Organization, praised the vision and astute leadership of HH Sheikh Mohammed rendering Dubai a role model to be emulated in undertaking mega projects. He also commended the RTA for providing a solid and superb transport infrastructure highlighted by the Dubai Metro which is considered one of the best worldwide.
He narrated the lessons learned as an individual in the family of Tramp and how he used them in the PM, which include: credibility, transparency, diligence, timely completion, never conceding to difficulties, harnessing skills for the business growth, empowering people, and acting as a coherent team. He added that his father used to take part in their projects and educated him to cater to details and excellence, and cited to attendees some examples for applying to their projects.
Source : WAM News Agency for United Arab Emirates
