In pictures: the year in the UAE Business sector

The London Array, the world's largest off shore wind farm in the Thames Estuary off the coast of the UK. Stephen Lock for The National

A worker checks the tablets in the sorting room in the J1 unit at Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries in Ras Al Khaimah. In this unit they are making tablet and capsule medicine. Pawan Singh / The National

With the hot weather hitting Abu Dhabi in June, workers around the Emirates wrapped up as they tackled their daily outdoor duties. DELORES JOHNSON / The National

Pupils from Our Own English School from grade 8 get a brief from Masdar as they tour at WFES at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Ravindranath K / The National

Pastry chef Alexander Haebe works on his waffle creations at the Emirates Palace. DELORES JOHNSON / The National

Omar Kassim, the founder of ecommerce website JadoPado at Boulevard Plaza in Dubai. The retailer was looking to double sales to US$10m this year. Jaime Puebla / The National

Morning fog descends over Dubai Marina in January. Sarah Dea/The National

A member of a French Foreign Legion shows off some of the gear they use at IDEX in Abu Dhabi in February. Sammy Dallal / The National

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs, right, has coffee while meeting with Canada's foreign minister John Baird at the Tim Hortons at Abu Dhabi Mall. Christopher Pike / The National

Preparations were underway on Monday, April 15 for the upcoming CityScape and ecoConstruct Expo at ADNEC. Arabtec eastern model employees work on assembling one of many models that will be on display at the event. DELORES JOHNSON / The National

The Emirates Motor Company warehouse in Mussafah is one of the larger body shops in the country (if not the largest). Lee Hoagland/The National

Roudha Bint Butti Bin Bishr works in the forensic science department of the Dubai Police force. Ms Bishr, at the age of 24, has already received numerous awards and had direct impact on legislation in the UAE. Most notably, she was a drving force behind Law 14 which criminalised "Spice", a popular synthetic drug. Lee Hoagland/The National

Dubai International Financial Centre. Jaime Puebla / The National Newspaper

Construction workers at a site in the Al Manara area on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Emirates Airline chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum (left), Etihad CEO James Hogan (centre), Hareb Al Muhairy, Etihad VP UAE sales (right), during the opening of Etihad's new travel mall. Jaime Puebla / The National

Buyers at Cityscape swarm and push against the doors of a room where Emaar was allegedly selling off-plan properties. Razan Alzayani / The National

The constructed frame for City of Arabia located near Global Village. Razan Alzayani / The National

David Thorpe , the general manager DNO, Ras Al Khaimah, in a helicopter during a media tour to Saleh oil field in Ras Al Khaimah. Pawan Singh / The National

Exhibitors and visitors attend GITEX Shopper. Taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre, it is the region's biggest electronics retail platform. Razan Alzayani / The National

Ben de Lisi, an American born fashion designer based in London. He is best known for his collections with high street store Debenhams along with his earlier couture work for the runway. ANTONIE ROBERTSON / The National

View of the Galleria, the future luxury mall which opened at Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi. Silvia Razgova / The National

Salah Tahlak , the tournament director for the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship at the Dubai Tennis stadium in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Michael Tomalin, the CEO of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi was set to retiring. DELORES JOHNSON / The National

A media flight onboard the Airbus Military A400M MRTT during the Dubai Air Show at Dubai World Central - Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai. Christopher Pike / The National

A wide selection of cars was on show at the Al Hilal Bank Auto Show during March 14 in Abu Dhabi. Silvia Razgova / The National

A tea picker uses shears on the Lockhart Tea Estate owned by HML, near Munnar, Kerala, in February. Tea production in India was facing challenges not just from China and other competitors but from the rising cost of labour and especially fertilisers. SIMON DE TREY-WHITE

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the Chairman of DMCC. Dubai Multi Commodities Centre Authority is the region's largest commodities hub and the licensing authority of JLT Free Zone in Dubai. ANTONIE ROBERTSON / The National

Samer Alogidi, owner and UK certified dog groomer of Pooch Parlour with one of his regular dogs Hunter, American Cocker Spaniel, 14 years old. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

A worker sprays a glossy finish on a toilet bowl at the RAK Ceramics factory in Ras Al Khaimah. Sarah Dea/The National

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, at a conference announcing the Masdar Desalination during WFES at ADNEC. DELORES JOHNSON / The National

The Dubai skyline. Property prices in Dubai rose the fastest in the world during 2013. Pawan Singh / The National

A selection of the finest pictures from the Business section during 2013, from the jaw-dropping projects springing up in the UAE, to successful individuals helping to make the economy thrive.