Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor has released his best-selling autobiography ‘Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor: The Autobiographyʼ in Hungary. The Hungarian language edition of his journey through life - to become one the most respected and successful businessmen in the region - was unveiled at a launch event at Lotz Hall, Paris Department Store in Budapest on Wednesday, June 11, 2014. The autobiography is now available in three languages (English/Arabic/Hungarian). Joanna Andrews reports.
Al Habtoor said, “It is great to see my book, which took two years to write, in a third language. I hope to release it in more languages in the future.”
In the book Al Habtoor recalls his life against the backdrop of momentous world affairs and events. The story recounts how a child of Dubai rose to become Chairman of one of the Middle East’s biggest business empires. It gives examples of his failures, successes and lessons learned through life experiences.
Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor: The Autobiography was first released in English and Arabic in 2012. The Foreword of the book was written by former US President Jimmy Carter. The Autobiography has already hit multiple best-seller lists and has become research material for educational purposes. The Preface and the first two chapters are used as part of the syllabus at Zayed University in Dubai.
At the Hungarian launch, Al Habtoor said, “My book is an education roadmap for all ages, it has turbulence… happiness, sadness and it is comical as well.”
He admitted, “There are a lot of mistakes in my life, a lot of errors… I didn’t inherit anything myself. I made myself by learning from my errors and my mistakes.”
Dezsö Matyi, Founder of the Alexandra Group, publisher of the Hungarian language edition, told the audience that through Al Habtoor’s “extraordinary” title, “We get to know an exceptional person from its pages, who is not just simply one of the most successful businessmen of the world, but much more than that: he has a true heart, and a great sense of humour.” He added, “It is a thoughtful and serious book, and at the same time just as entertaining and inspiring.”
In addition, he praised Al Habtoor for helping to put Dubai on the world map. “I was considering why the United Arab Emirates is the most successful of all the countries with similar geographic conditions in the Arabian Peninsula, and as the second largest city why exactly Dubai became the icon, the symbol of the region… And I figured out that every country becomes what it is by its people. Like in the case of the Emirates: it could become a major player in the world’s economy because the country’s life is characterised by such charismatic leaders as Mr Al Habtoor, who values collaboration and an open mind.”