Since joining Jumeirah Group as managing director in 1997, Gerald Lawless has developed some of the world’s most iconic hotel projects - the Burj Dubai, Emirates Towers and Jumeirah Beach have put Dubai on the map and become tourism marketing assets in their own right.

Lawless’ remit when he started was to deliver a completely different experience and with the aforementioned projects, he quickly set the standards for regional and international markets to follow.

Since being appointed executive chairman at Jumeirah in 2007, Lawless has continued to focus on driving service standards across the group, developing the distinctive ‘Jumeirah − Stay Different’ tagline for the brand.