Mohamed Alabbar, founder and managing director of Emaar Properties, has revealed why he likes to hire Indians in his company. Speaking at the Make it in the Emirates summit in Abu Dhabi recently, Alabbar said that Indians make for good employees because of their strong work ethic and discipline.
He linked this to a wider point about the importance of hard work. Alabbar claimed that putting in effort and paying attention to detail can take precedence over intelligence.
“I always tell people, from my own perspective, my IQ is average, but my hard work is the best,” he said, according to Gulf News. “I believe in hard work.”
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On hiring Indians
The Emirati businessman connected the importance of working hard to Indian employees, praising their commitment to work. Indians, he noted, are often available to work any time of day because they are so committed to their jobs.
“The harder you work, the luckier you will get,” said Alabbar. “There’s a saying, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard, and this is why I like to hire Indians, because they answer the phone even at one o’clock in the morning.”
{{/usCountry}}“The harder you work, the luckier you will get,” said Alabbar. “There’s a saying, hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard, and this is why I like to hire Indians, because they answer the phone even at one o’clock in the morning.”
{{/usCountry}}Mohamed Alabbar is the founder of Emaar Properties, the Dubai-based real estate company behind the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa. According to Forbes, his net worth stands at $2.9 billion.
Work hard, work smart
Alabbar said that hard work goes beyond putting in long hours. He stressed the importance of studying every opportunity, knowing when to take risks, bringing in the right people, and closely tracking execution.
“You need to check your work. You need to study every opportunity and know where to take risks and bring people and monitor their work and keep pushing,” he said.
(Also read: Dubai real estate: Emaar founder Mohamed Alabbar dismisses 15% price correction fears as ‘very unrealistic’)
According to him, companies that thrive during uncertain periods are those that remain alert, continuously assess risks, and push their teams to deliver.
Beyond hiring, Alabbar also spoke about preparing businesses for crises. Reflecting on disruptions like the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, he said companies need to build resilience in advance rather than reacting after challenges emerge.
“When you learn from 2008 and from COVID, you have to build an agile and resilient business that can handle these circumstances,” he said.