The First Barrel Of Fortune

In the span of one generation, the nation witnessed the rapid modernisation, following the discovery of oil, from a scattered tribal land with a primitive economic structure to the regional and global economic powerhouse the UAE became by the late twentieth century. Through interviews from those who steered and experienced the changes, The First Barrel of Fortune explores the development of not only the economy but also the changes on Emirati society’s three pillars – the tribe, Islam and the family.

“He who does not know his past cannot make the best of his present and future, for it is from the past that we learn.”

– Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan

Dr. Salwa Al-Nuaimi was born and raised in the U.A.E during the sudden development of the nation. This led to her passion in trying to create a harmony between the three generations who played a key role in this transformation of UAE.

Dr. Al-Nuaimi was the first Emirati woman to be granted a scholarship by ADNOC to obtain a doctorate, and thus became the first Emirati woman to lecture at the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi. The book is based on Dr Al-Nuaimi’s 2004 PhD thesis.

She then rose across several government positions until she reached the position of Executive Vice President of Etihad Airways, and here, too, she was the first Emirati woman to obtain this distinguished position. Dr Salwa currently is a faculty adjunct at Zayed University, Dubai, teaching different disciplines in business.

Dr Al-Nuaimi is a proud Emirati mother of three passionate and ambitious children who strive to follow in their mother’s footsteps.