“An engineer by training, Hussam Al Kharafi sees things in terms of projects. The family business, MAK, is first and foremost a contracting company, so he had plenty of projects to sink his teeth into after graduating from university, including some of the highest-profile developments of the 2000s at Sulaibiya and the Fifth Ring Road project. It’s that same engineer’s mindset that naturally looks at solutions for problems that drew him to the company’s business side. Joining management on the manufacturing end of the group, he surveyed operations and put plans in place to successfully turn around—or, if necessary, close down—loss-making businesses.”