Kuwait may have been where the Al Humaidi Family began its tradition of business. But it quickly became clear that their investments would expand outwards. No one made it more clear than Dr. Abdulla Al Humaidi.
After his predecessors helped to establish a strong foundation of success in Kuwait, Abdulla Al Humaidi quickly expanded. He started by establishing a new holding company for the family business called Kuwaiti European Holding Group (KEH). As the name would suggest, KEH now contains subsidiaries located in both the Middle East and Europe. In recent years, KEH has also expanded into Egypt and Hong Kong.
Yet it’s the UK where the Al Humaidi Family has established an empire that rivals their Kuwaiti holdings. Here’s a look at KEH’s holdings in the United Kingdom including the subsidiaries’ leaders and recent accomplishments.
The Al Humaidi Family in Kuwait and their UK Holdings
Through KEH, the Al Humaidi Family in Kuwait has ownership interests in four subsidiaries in the UK. These include The London Resort Company Holdings, Armila Capital Ltd., Ebbsfleet United Football Club, and the Landmarque Property Group. Each subsidiary represents one section of a diversified yet interconnected portfolio of synergistic assets.
London Resort Company Holdings
London Resort Company Holdings is the owner and soon-to-be operator of The London Resort. The London Resort is a massive, 465-hectare theme park that is set to open in 2025. The Al Humaidi Family in Kuwait owns this subsidiary and it’s run by Chief Executive PY Gerbeau and Chairman Steve Norris.
Gerbeau is an experienced entrepreneur and leisure industry veteran. His experience includes a Chief Executive role at X-Leisure Limited, Millennium Dome, and VP of Operations at Disney Paris. Joining Gerbeau is Steve Norris, a veteran of Parliament and the corporate world.
Together with a team of experts and consultants, Gerbeau has helped design the resort which will break ground soon. For the Al Humaidi Family in Kuwait, the years of planning will be well worth the payoff. The London Resort is expected to attract more attendees than any other park in Europe. The resort’s developers also expect it to greatly revitalize the surrounding region.
Armila Capital Ltd.
Another KEH holding is Armila Capital, an Investment Banking Firm established in 2012. Its primary services include real estate investment and corporate finance advisory. Among its clients are institutional and private companies throughout Continental Europe, the UK, Asia, India, and the Middle East. The firm focuses mainly on the leisure, healthcare, and financial services sector.
Armila Capital is well-staffed by an experienced executive team. Their Heads of Corporate Finance, Property, Capital Markets, and Strategy are all veterans in their respective areas of expertise. With these veterans at the helm, the company has enjoyed impressive success. Armila Capital’s highlight achievements include having advised:
- Bank of Chania on its re-capitalization and strategic investment approach.
- Prudential on its European Asset Management strategy rollout.
- Deutsche Bank on its sales of an asset portfolio to institutional investors.
- An undisclosed German industrial group on its pending acquisition of 140-million-euro acquisition of Greek industrial assets.
Ebbsfleet United Football Club
Part and parcel of the Al Humaidi Family’s success is their approach to management. In the case of The London Resort and Armila Capital, the Al Humaidi’s hire experts. Then, they allow those experts to do what they’re best at. But in the case of Ebbsfleet United, Dr. Abdulla Al Humaidi has taken a more active role.
As Chairman and Director, along with Dherear Al Humaidi, Abdulla Al Humaidi invested his own funds to save the club. He helped facilitate large investments in repairing and upgrading the club’s facilities and the team. Of course, Dr. Al Humaidi also made sure to surround himself with experts. His General Manager, Matthew Webb, CEO, Damian Irvine, and Team Manager, Dennis Kutrieb are football lifers.
The unique approach has paid off. Since rescuing the club from insolvency in 2013, Al Humaidi’s ownership has seen Ebbsfleet’s highest finish in 2018. And the team has begun to attract world-class talent. The club is also on its way to financial self-sustenance with several revenue-generating upgrades currently under construction. To top it off, as of this writing, Ebbsfleet sits near the top of the table in the National League South. Promotion to the National League, and the fanfare that comes with it, is well within reach.
Landmarque Property Group
Based in Ireland, the Landmarque Property Group invests in mixed-use properties throughout Ireland and the UK. The sum of Landmarque’s assets under management is 4.3 billion euros. As with other KEH subsidiaries, Landmarque is led by industry veteran Gary Cooper. Mr. Cooper brings more than three decades of senior leadership experience to Landmarque. On top of his work in Ireland and the UK, Cooper has worked on projects in Australia and Asia.
Landmarque owns an Industrial site on Belgard Road in Dublin that it’s currently developing. The site is part of Dublin’s Local Area Plan. And it will be developed to help connect the community and nearby TU Dublin university. Landmarque is also involved in the development of The London Resort along with the London Resort Holdings Company.
In addition to its UK holdings, Landmarque operates Ream Tower and Panorama in Kuwait. Ream Tower is a 17-floor building with shopping and corporate offices in the Salhiya commercial district. Panorama is geared toward fine dining guests and is located in Abu Al Hasaniya in Kuwait City.
The Al Humaidi Family in Kuwait Not Slowing Down
Other KEH holdings include the Qarun Lake Tourism and Investment Company and ESTRICO in Egypt, and Quantum Real Estate in Hong Kong.
This expansive portfolio of diversified companies reflects the ambition of the Al Humaidi Family in Kuwait. Where others may rest on their laurels, Dr. Abdulla Al Humaidi and his family continue to strive. For fans of beautiful, inclusive real estate, that’s a good sign. With luck, more and more people will get to enjoy the incredible properties that the Al Humaidis continue to develop.
