Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan became ruler of Abu Dhabi in 1966 and channeled its new oil revenues into rapid development. As Britain withdrew from the Gulf, he led the negotiations that federated the small Trucial states into the United Arab Emirates in 1971 and became the federation's first president, a post he held until his death. He built up Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth investments and cultivated a reputation for consensus among the ruling families, while power and money stayed concentrated in the hands of the emirates' dynasties.