I first came across
Manal Shaheen
at
Nakheel
's multi-million dollar launch of the
Trump International Hotel & Tower
in New York City. She was an affable lady, with a penchant for standing next to celebrities like
Heidi Klum
and
Demi Moore
while a couple dozen photographers snapped away.
Today, the Financial Times reports that Ms Shaheen, who was serving as the chief commercial officer at Nakheel, has left the company. In an interview with the FT, she said she left for "personal reasons".
Her leaving Nakheel is a sign of an institutional change underway at Nakheel. Many of the top executives of the company - who were known for their brash and bold sales approach - have either been laid off or, in a few cases, arrested as part of Dubai's corruption probe. It was frequenly said behind closed doors that Nakheel was more of a marketing company than a developer (although it has built some pretty solid projects like Palm Jumeirah).
Ms Shaheen's departure is the most concrete sign yet that things are changing at Nakheel in a substantive way.
