Al Sheikh served as senior executive at several Abu Dhabi entities but was best known for the leadership he showed at Abu Dhabi Media.
BroadcastPro ME joins the industry in mourning media executive Abdul Hadi Al Sheikh, who died today following a heart attack. According to industry sources, he had been unwell for a long time. A respected figure in the media industry, Al Sheikh previously served as CEO of International Media Investments and, prior to that, held senior positions at Abu Dhabi Media and LIVE HD.
In a former interview with BroadcastPro ME, Al Sheikh had spoken about his vision to modernise Abu Dhabi Media and was well on his way to executing that task. “Reflecting the UAE Vision 2021 and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, we aim to strengthen national identity across all our digital operations and utilise our platforms to share the region’s stories and accomplishments with the world,” he had told BroadcastPro ME.
Industry figures shared their experiences with Al Sheikh.
Speaking about his work with Al Sheikh, Mohamed Yehya, GM of Space42 Arena and CEO of IP Studios said: “I had the privilege of working with Abdul Hadi for many years. During the launch of the Majid Kids TV channel, which I was handling, he supported me extensively to meet the launch deadlines at Abu Dhabi Media. He was exceptionally media-oriented, and on a managerial level, he had the remarkable ability to make things happen. May his soul rest in peace. His absence will undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on our industry.”
Industry veteran and media consultant Sanjay Raina shared his experience with Abdul Hadi: “After taking over as GM of Fox networks, one of the first pit stops was at the large and beautiful office of Abu Dhabi Media. Abdul Hadi had taken over as the Executive Director of the TV division then. We hit it off from the first meeting. He was gentle, soft spoken and had an amazing sense for numbers. We discussed the path forward for National Geographic Abu Dhabi. I remember him telling me, ‘Why only NGAD? Let’s create more brands.’ And thus, was born National Geographic Abu Dhabi Kids, a world-first at the time. It started as a programming block on Majid TV before evolving into a full-fledged channel. We shared a lot of mutual respect. A few years later, we travelled to watch the French Open at Roland Garros. He brought a lot of charm to the television business. He will be sorely missed.”
