Isobel Abulhoul

Isobel Abulhoul OBE is Festival Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature^[1] and CEO of the Emirates Literature Foundation.^[2]

Abulhoul was born and educated in Cambridge and came to Dubai in 1968 where she has worked throughout her career^[3] to promote education, reading and writing to the United Arab Emirates.

Abulhoul taught at the Dubai Infants School for several years before becoming involved in setting up the Al Ittehad Private School. She then went on to become co-founder of Magrudy’s, a bookshop chain, in 1975.^[4][5]

In 2008,^[6] Abulhoul founded the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, popularly considered the Middle East’s largest celebration of the written and spoken word.^[7] The Festival aims to bring together people of all ages and to promote education, debate and reading. The Festival has been awarded the Best Festival Prize^[8] at the Middle East Event Awards in 2013 and 2014.^[9][10]

Abulhoul was named one of the trustees on the Board of the Emirates Literature Foundation, which was established on the eve of the 2013 Festival by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the Festival patron.

Awards

• Awarded the Cultural Personality of the Year by Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah, in 2010^[11]
• appointed an OBE^[12] by HM Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain in 2012
• Named Cultural Icon of UAE[13] by The 3rd Petrochem GR8! Women Awards - Middle East 2013
• Selected as one of the most influential Brits^[14] in the Arabian Business UAE Brits List and the most inspirational woman living in the UAE by Middle East Business
• Awarded the Distinguished Culture Award^[15] at the 21st Al Owais Creative Award
• Named Trustee on board of International Prize for Arabic Fiction^[16]

References