2018 CFO Awards

Acquisition International - 2018 CFO Awards 11 Rizwan Chowdhari Investment Company, 10% by the Government of Abu Dhabi and the remaining 50% by over 5,000 individuals. The company was founded in 1995 through cooperation between the Government of Abu Dhabi and Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), the largest shipbuilder in the United States. ADSB started as a pre-Offset venture, but both the Government and NNS later agreed to develop the business as a stand-alone public joint stock company. This was a ground-breaking achievement for the industrial sector of the UAE economy. With over two decades of experience in delivering uncompromising quality, ADSB is one of the region’s leading shipyards with our major customers being the UAE Navy, the Critical Infrastructure & Coastal Protection Authority and various ADNOC Group companies. Supporting such a vast and important company, Rizwan had to work hard to ensure success. He shares his approach to any new client and how he aims to understand their needs and objectives from the very beginning. “Undertaking any new client or project involves the adherence to at least two very specific objectives in my opinion. The first one being is there a fit between the company’s values and those of the client/project. The second objective to be looked at is the acquisition of this client/project achieving your organization’s financial and operating short, medium or long-term goals.” Looking ahead, Rizwan has many exciting opportunities ahead of him, and intends to continue using his experience to the benefit of others, as he proudly concludes. “Ultimately, whether it be creating new jobs or manufacturing parts for Boeing which are now part of the Etihad fleet or building and servicing ships for the UAE navy, one of the most gratifying feelings that I have felt over the years is seeing the results of the efforts that teams I have worked with and how those results have directly impacted the organizations I have worked with, the economy and the great nation of UAE. I hope that using the experience I have gained, I can help other organizations impact the economy in such ways going forward.”