Leader, fighter

Reem Al-Hashimy's book on Dubai Expo 2020 is as much a tale of leadership as it is a love letter to the UAE

- BY ANJULY MATHAI

In a way, the UAE's bid to host the Expo in 2020 was a David vs Goliath story. If they were successful, they would be the smallest country to host it since Belgium more than 50 years earlier. As the minister in charge of the Expo, Reem Al-Hashimy was all set to go to Paris to make the final presentation in June 2013 before the ballot in November. There was only one problem: she was fully pregnant with her first child. Her colleagues tried to persuade her not to go. What if she went into labour on the plane or what if her water broke while she was onstage? But nothing could dissuade Reem. As she was three weeks beyond the permissible date for intercontinental flights, she had to fly privately, with a doctor onboard for the seven-hour flight.