Enabling everyday innovation

Emirati in legacy with a spirit to innovate, we at the Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba (MHAO) Group have nurtured people, communities, and businesses since 1946.
The Group as we know today evolved from the founding vision of late Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba, a prominent Emirati trader and pearling master. He believed in building partnerships and bringing quality products and services to the UAE.
Our way of doing business is to bring new ideas, foster growth through people, and help employees, partners, and customers live better. These principles have been passed down generations.
Sector expertise
We have contributed to the UAE’s growth in key sectors - transportation, technology, retail, F&B / FMCG, fabrication and services. We have done so by establishing long-term partnerships and franchises with international brands. We have provided products and services to communities, government entities and private companies.
We have grown into a successful family business by meeting changing market needs and embracing digital transformation. As we fulfil our family legacy, we are proud to see our ideas and concepts live and breathe as sustainable enterprises.
Partner of choice
We have been a partner of choice for global brands. Examples include Xerox and Avis – leaders in their respective industries, and household names Bosch and Beko retailed through Homewide.
Our homegrown businesses drive everyday innovation.
Our portfolio has Corporate Connection in technology, Al Otaiba Kitchens in high-end and commercial kitchens, Brightspark in automotive maintenance, Mohamed Al Otaiba Facilities Management Services (MAFS) in support services, Arabian Horeca in F&B concepts, and recently, our expansion in electric vehicle leasing solution.
Family Legacy
Past years have emphasized the importance of unity as a vital necessity for providing a better life to the people, for ensuring stability in the country and for realizing the hopes and aspirations of our people.
- Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Former Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Founding President of the UAE
The words the late Sheikh Zayed, the Father of the Nation who served as the first President of the UAE from 1971 to 2004, and Ruler of Abu Dhabi from 1966 to 2004, ring true for one of the oldest influential families in the UAE, the Hareb Al Otaiba family from Abu Dhabi.
Nurtured locally with global recognition
Following the footsteps of our ancestors who were pearl traders doing business with France and India, our founder Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba rose in recognition and rank in business. He held positions in the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce among other policymaking institutions.
Against the backdrop of the UAE’s economic transformation, he went from pearling to trading in high-end goods and establishing in 1946 the local business Al Otaiba General Trading Company.
As of 2020, for three generations, we as members of the Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba family have shared many an ethos with the story of the UAE from its progressive policy, a vision for diversification, building the right infrastructure, and fostering a culture in which people come first.
By the 1970s, the company provided kitchen fitouts and began to seek partnerships with global brands. The second generation Hareb Mohamed Al Otaiba took over the company. Through a joint venture with Avis in 1975, he brought a renowned American car rental company to the UAE, and with this milestone, launched the company’s transportation division.
The Trading Company established itself as the Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba (MHAO) Group with a number of businesses across key industry sectors. In 1995, Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba, the son who shares the same name as the grandfather joined the Group as Chairperson after his father passed away, and in 2018, his younger sister, Muzna Al Otaiba joined as Managing Director. The family members of the Mohamed Hareb Al Otaiba family provide strategic direction and manage operations across more than 15 businesses. The Group also serves as a family office for the private businesses owned by the family.