Dubai developer Nakheel has announced organisational changes, with a newly-created department and new senior management appointments, as the company enters the next phase in its growth.  

This comes as part of its efforts to enhance services and deliver growth strategy, said a statement from Nakheel.

The Dubai developer has appointed Fawzi Al Shehhi as the new managing director for Nakheel Community Planning and Management – a new department that combines its existing community management and development control and urban planning functions.

Al Shehhi has been with Nakheel since 2011 and previously held the position of director Development Control and Urban Planning.

The Community Planning and Management department brings together two Nakheel functions that are a natural fit with one another, said the statement.

The result will be enhanced services and facilities for customers, investors and stakeholders, including the 270,000 people who live in Nakheel communities across Dubai, it added.

Nakheel has also appointed Omar Khoory as the managing director for Nakheel Malls to lead the strategy, operations, leasing and planning for its existing and upcoming retail developments.

Khoory joined Nakheel in 2007, holding various retail roles including as director of Nakheel Malls, during which time he oversaw the delivery of Dragon Mart Two, the first phase expansion at Ibn Battuta Mall and Golden Mile Galleria on Palm Jumeirah.

On the appointments, chairman Ali Rashid Lootah said: "These changes reflect our continued growth and diversification, and underline our strategy to appoint young, talented UAE nationals – who continue to prove their commitment, drive and ability to deliver – into senior positions in which they can take a greater responsibility within our leadership team."

Nakheel, he stated, was set to become the region’s biggest retail developer, through a Dh16 billion ($4.35 billion) expansion that will bring its total retail space to more than 17 million sq ft.

The company has 18 projects, including large-scale destination malls, suqs and neighbourhood retail Pavilions, in its portfolio, with more than four million sq ft of shop space already in operation, he added.-TradeArabia News Service