Istithmar is a private equity and alternative investment house headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with an office in Shanghai, China. Established in 2003, we are 100% owned by Dubai World, which in turn is wholly owned by the Government of Dubai.

In the four years since its inception, Istithmar has invested in over 50 companies with total capital deployed in excess of US$ 3 billion and an aggregate enterprise value of US$ 10 billion. Approximately half of our portfolio is invested in private equity and other alternative investments while the other half is invested in real estate.

Istithmar has successfully established itself as a major investment company with a broad portfolio of successful firms in markets ranging from North America and Europe to the Middle East and the Far East, as well as across a variety of sectors ranging from consumer and industrial to financial services and real estate.

Istithmar’s success is expected to continue due to its ability to uniquely leverage its ownership by capitalizing on three of its parent’s strengths:

• Patient Capital: Istithmar has access to longer-dated, patient sources of capital.
• Flexibility of Investments: Istithmar has the ability to invest at any level of an asset’s capital structure.
• Extensive Industry Expertise and Geographic Network: Istithmar has the ability to capitalize on Dubai World’s extensive industry knowledge and international network to gain exclusive insight into certain industries and regions, source deals, procure acquisition debt, and partner with leading institutions, specially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Asia.

Istithmar was created with one key mission in mind: To earn exceptional returns for our investors while maintaining due regard for risk.

We achieve our mission by providing resources – intellectual and financial – to businesses that can attain high levels of financial return through extraordinary growth or financial restructuring and reengineering. Our proactive commitment to our investments also adds to our diversity, depth and competitiveness. All this leads to enhanced long-term returns on capital invested, and the advancement of key sectors in the UAE, the Middle East, and other key international markets.

Istithmar’s “I” Investment Philosophy is based on three core principles – Ideas, Inquiry and Integrity – and is the foundation on which the firm has established a broad portfolio of highly successful investments in markets ranging from North America to the Far East.

Ideas

They said we could never build a world-class investment house in Dubai. We respectfully disagreed. We believe that a great idea can succeed anywhere. Our philosophy in developing investment ideas is similar. Finding the best ideas requires looking in not-so-obvious places. Not only do we seek out such ideas, we even manufacture our own with the help of our industry-focused professionals. Our team of professionals identifies industry trends, top managers, and new strategies that move our ideas forward and differentiate our investments from those of others.

Inquiry

The way we determine the potential of an idea is based on the results of extensive due diligence and relentless research. We check the idea’s performance with its key suppliers, clients and customers, and compare it to that of its competitors. We even enlist other professionals to evaluate our potential investments. Some people have said that we ask too many questions. But inquiry is part of our “I” Investment Philosophy, and the results of our research give us the confidence to promise you the best returns on your investments.

Integrity

It may be difficult to put a price on integrity but we have absolutely no doubt how valuable it is. After all, it is the bedrock of our “I” Investment Philosophy. In addition to having the highest ethical standards, we implement firm corporate governance procedures, regular management reporting requirements, and audited financial statements to safeguard our investments and earn the trust of our investors. We employ these safeguards because we believe that our most valuable asset doesn’t appear on our balance sheet. It lies in the trust our investors place in us.

At Istithmar, we believe that an investment house can only be as good as the people who work for it, and that is why we make no compromises when it comes to our employees. We have put together a multicultural team of 67 seasoned professionals from 24 countries. Our team not only brings expertise in the world of investment and finance but also shares our core values.

Istithmar
Emirates Towers,
Sheikh Zayed Road
PO Box 17000
Dubai
UAE

Tel: +971 4 390 2100
Fax: +971 4 390 3818
www.istithmar.ae

 

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