Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 9 August 2008 - ALDAR Properties, the leading integrated property development company, has commissioned the Inspirational Development Group (IDG), a leading UK provider of development programmes, to run a special management development programme for ALDAR's UAE graduate and scholarship students.

IDG has a partnering agreement with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst allowing it to provide a multitude of management development courses on the campus of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.  Under the agreement signed today with ALDAR, some 20 to 30 scholarship students and 15 graduate development programme participants will benefit this year from a multitude of programmes aimed at developing their leadership skills.

Ronald Stephen Barrott, CEO, and ALDAR Properties, said: "Developing nationals and giving them access to state-of-the-art educational knowledge is a top priority for ALDAR and an integral part of its social responsibility. We do hope this programme will contribute in the most effective way to the process of building the future business leaders for Abu Dhabi, a process that stands at the core of ALDAR strategy."

Scholarship students will meet annually at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Their programme will focus on experiential leadership. Members of the Graduate Development Programme will spend their second year at Sandhurst and their first and third in the UAE.

"For the graduates, it is a modular built into their 3-year program aimed at providing graduates with a tool box and motivation to succeed in the work place, manage their careers and develop management and leadership capabilities which will fast track their career growth," commented Abdalla Zamzam, Chief Economic and Administration Officer, ALDAR Properties.

Tim McEwan, lead consultant from IDG said "We are very pleased to have this opportunity to work with ALDAR and their Graduate and Scholarship intake.  They are the future of the company and indeed the nation.  We are very privileged to have the partnering agreement with the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst which we have had since 2001.  Sandhurst provides a unique leaning environment and many transferable leadership skills - it's not about shouting orders but about knowing your people and understanding what makes them tick, communicating clearly and effectively and developing a sense of selfless commitment to something larger than ourselves.  We look forward to working with the ALDAR Graduates and watching them grow as leaders and individuals"

ALDAR announced in June that it was offering ten sponsorships for outstanding students to pursue their studies abroad, in coordination with the Ministry of Presidential Affairs.

ALDAR announced in May that it was sponsoring the chair, "Dean of Business Studies", at the Higher Colleges of Technology "HCT". Under the agreement, ALDAR will sponsor five UAE nationals in HCT's real estate management programme.
 
ALDAR has already announced a host of other educational initiatives in association with world-renowned academic and professional institutions. These included the Leadership Excellence Applied Diploma (LEAD) Program, launched in partnership with Cambridge University and Knowledge Horizon, and the RICS qualification programme, in conjunction with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The LEAD programme aims to inspire a new generation for the UAE of tomorrow, while the RICS seeks to underpin professional standards in ALDAR's business using the RICS standards within working practices and also to increase and promote membership within the eligible workforce. The programme saw scores of ALDAR employees, including the first UAE national, qualify for the RICS membership. 

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About ALDAR Properties:
ALDAR Properties PJSC is a premier real estate development, management and investment company with headquarters in Abu Dhabi, UAE. ALDAR was established to create world-class real estate developments for Abu Dhabi, while providing stable and profitable investment portfolio for all our investors and stakeholders

ALDAR Properties PJSC is spearheading the development of Abu Dhabi; entrusted to create multi-billion Dirham civic projects to develop the capital, establishing new sectors for commerce, housing, retail and leisure. ALDAR's vision is to establish Abu Dhabi as the United Arab Emirate's most dynamic forward-thinking real estate market by creating unique and prestigious developments that can be used as a benchmark of quality, whilst adhering to the cultural and natural heritage of the city.

Since its inception in 2004 through a share offer (IPO) of AED 1.5 billion (USD 408 million) on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, ALDAR has already announced more than USD 72 billion worth of developments. The ALDAR issue, the largest IPO in the history of the UAE at the time, was 448 times oversubscribed and raised an unprecedented AED 373 billion (USD 102 billion) in demand. ALDAR's market capitalization is AED 32.3 billion (US$ 8.7 billion).as of July 24th 2008.Total retail area across all developments is currently over 1.5 million square meters.

The company is owned by leading Abu Dhabi institutions, founder shareholders and individual investors. The current property portfolio includes major developments and re-developments within Abu Dhabi Emirate such as Central Market, Al Raha Beach, Coconut Island, Noor Al Ain, Al Gurm Resort, Al Mamoura - the Mubadala Development Company and Environment Agency Abu Dhabi Headquarter Building, and the YAS Island project which is to include a Warner Bros and a Ferrari theme park.

ALDAR's first international expansion was announced in August 2007 via a tie-up with South Johor Investment Corp (SJIC) in a deal that represents the largest foreign real estate development in Malaysia. This was followed in October 2007 with plans announced to build a mixed-use development in Kazakhstan.

For more information, please contact:
Shali Akkaraju
Buchanan Middle East
Tel: +971 (0) 4 369 8559
Mobile: +971 (0) 50 250 5410 
Email: vyshali.akkaraju@buchananme.com

© Press Release 2008