Mohammad A Baker

As Deputy Chairman and CEO of GMG, he played a significant role in catapulting GMG to become a part of Forbes’ Top 100 Arab Family Businesses in the Middle East for three consecutive years, as well as led GMG to be recognized in LinkedIn’s Top Companies in 2022. He has been actively bringing to life new brand concepts such as M-A-D (sports and streetwear), Pedaliere (cycling), Basketbolista (basketball), and Dropkick (athleisure sneakers), and Sun & Sand Sports - region’s leading multi-brand sports store. Mohammad has also greatly expanded GMG’s contribution to UAE’s food industry through the company’s own home-grown brands, such as Farm Fresh, Klassic, Noor Al Islami, Quality and the recently launched, Sapora and RUH. He also strengthened the company’s portfolio in UAE’s health sector with concept stores such as Supercare, Arabella, and Good Health, growing the division’s retail footprint by more than 40% in the UAE in 2022. Mohamad was instrumental in taking GMG global by marking its first move into Asia with the acquisition of Royal Sporting House in December 2020 and Nike-only stores from SUTL Corporation in Singapore and Malaysia in April 2022. Similarly, he has expanded the company’s operations throughout the Middle East and North Africa by entering the Egypt and Iraq markets in 2022. Under his strategic leadership, in April 2022, GMG acquired Géant operations in the UAE from Urban Foods by Dubai Holding, adding 18 hypermarket and supermarket outlets to its rapidly expanding retail footprint. In the same month, Mohammad drove a strategic growth plan to help GMG enter the food retail space by acquiring the Middle East operations of French retailing giant Groupe Casino’s brands, namely Géant, Franprix, Monoprix, and Monop gaining exclusive rights to expand their operations in the Middle East and lately the acquisition of aswaaq LLC from Investment Corporation of Dubai (ICD), including its companies operating in retail, trading, and properties.